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U S Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express Card review

Written by Oct. 8, 2021 Edited by Credit Cards Editor Nouri Zarrugh is a writer and editor for CreditCards.com and Bankrate, focusing on product news, guides and reviews. His areas of expertise include credit card strategy, rewards Oct. 8, 2021

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4.5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon

U S Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card

Rewards rate 3X FlexPoints at restaurants 2X FlexPoints at gas stations and airlines 1X FlexPoints on all other eligible net purchases Annual fee Intro offer Earn 30,000 enrollment FlexPoints with a new FlexPerks Gold Card after you spend $2,000 in eligible Net Purchases on your Card within the first four months of account opening Regular APR Recommended Credit Score A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

U S Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card Overview

The U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card rewards travelers with an array of bonus categories and attractive travel perks for a reasonable annual fee. It also has an enticing welcome offer. Just be sure to consider all the pros and cons of this U.S. Bank credit card to see if it's a good fit for your wallet.

Pros and cons

Pros

Annual fee that’s slightly lower than some competitive cards Great rewards rates on travel purchases (including gas) and dining Solid welcome offer Statement credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application

Cons

No introductory APR offer American Express can still be harder to use than Visa or Mastercard FlexPoints can only be redeemed through the FlexPerks Rewards Center

A deeper look into the current card offer

Quick highlights

Rewards rate: 5X the points on prepaid hotel stays and car rentals booked directly through the Rewards Center, 3X points at restaurants, 2X points at gas stations and airlines and 1 point per dollar spent on everything else. Welcome offer: 30,000 FlexPoints when you spend $2,000 in the first four months of account opening. Annual fee: $85 Purchase intro APR: None Balance transfer intro APR: None Regular APR: 14.49 to 24.49 percent

Welcome bonus

When you sign up for this card, you'll get 30,000 FlexPoints when you spend $2,000 in the first four months after opening the account. These extra points are worth approximately $450 when you spend them on travel. This is a solid offer, and the spending threshold is relatively easy to meet. But to get the most value from the sign-up bonus, you'll have to put those points toward travel through the FlexPerks Rewards Center, which can be a cumbersome process.

Rewards

With the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express, you'll earn FlexPoints with every purchase you make.

Earning rewards

The U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express has a revamped suite of bonus categories to help you earn FlexPoints faster. You'll get 5X points on prepaid hotel stays and car rentals booked directly through the Rewards Center, 3X points per dollar spent at restaurants, 2X points at gas stations and when spending directly with airlines, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Most of the card's bonus categories focus on travel, so earning points with this card could be a breeze for frequent flyers.

Redeeming rewards

When you go to redeem your FlexPoints, you have a . You can get cash back (as a statement credit), trade your points in for gift cards, merchandise, prepaid cards (U.S. Bank Rewards Cards), travel or even to cover the cost of your annual fee. All of your redemptions will go through the FlexPerks Rewards Center.

How much are points worth

It takes to cover the $85 annual fee, meaning each FlexPoint is worth approximately 1.65 cents, depending on the redemption. This makes FlexPoints comparable in value to many other points and miles, though they may be more difficult to redeem for travel.

Benefits

The U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express has a lot of additional travel benefits, including those you'll find with more well-known premium travel rewards credit cards. Typically, these perks come with cards that charge a much higher annual fee.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

When you apply for either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, you'll get a statement credit covering the application fee (up to $100 value when used for Global Entry), which could offset the cost of your annual fee once every four years when you need to renew the application.

Complimentary Boingo Wi-Fi

You can connect to more than one million Boingo Wi-Fi hotspots for free. Typically, a monthly plan for unlimited connection with . If you travel often and rely on Wi-Fi airport access, this perk could be a big money saver.

Travel discounts

You can get between across the U.S. and Canada when you use this card to book, as well as up to 25 percent off select car rentals.

Travel insurance and protections

When you use this card for travel, you'll have access to a bevy of built-in protections through American Express. You'll have roadside assistance, lost luggage insurance, car rental loss and damage coverage and a 24-hour hotline if you need help on the go.

No foreign transaction fees

You'll never get hit with foreign transaction fees when you swipe this card abroad-a must-have perk for frequent international flyers.

Rates and fees

With an $85 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, the with this U.S. Bank credit card are competitive with many . There's no intro APR; the standard purchase and balance transfer APR is between 14.49 and 24.49 percent variable.

How the U S Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express compares to other travel rewards cards

Compared to other travel rewards cards, the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express offers valuable benefits for a relatively low annual fee-but making use of your FlexPoints may be more difficult than redeeming points from other cards. Two other cards to consider are the and the card. The Sapphire Preferred Card's annual fee is only incrementally higher, and it has a much larger welcome offer with more transferable points that can be easier to redeem for travel. The Discover it Miles card earns unlimited 1.5 miles on all purchases, has an unlimited bonus (matching the miles you earned with the card at the end of the first year) and has no annual fee, making it a no-nonsense and inexpensive alternative for people who want to take the guesswork out of earning and redeeming.

U S Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card

star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon star icon Bankrate Score Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards. Annual fee Intro offer Earn 30,000 enrollment FlexPoints with a new FlexPerks Gold Card after you spend $2,000 in eligible Net Purchases on your Card within the first four months of account opening Rewards rate 3X FlexPoints at restaurants 2X FlexPoints at gas stations and airlines 1X FlexPoints on all other eligible net purchases Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

on Chase's secure site Annual fee Intro offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Rewards rate 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards 3x on dining. 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more. Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Discover it® Miles

on Discover's secure site Annual fee Intro offer Unlimited Bonus: Only Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you've earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There's no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. Rewards rate Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase - with no annual fee. Recommended credit A FICO score/credit score is used to represent the creditworthiness of a person and may be one indicator to the credit type you are eligible for. However, credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.

Best cards to pair with the U S Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express

Consider pairing the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express with a Visa or Mastercard, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, as can still be more difficult to use especially overseas. You'd also want to pair this card with a , or a card that earns you bonus points on other types of purchases. Choosing a card with transferable points, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, can also give you more flexibility when it comes to redeeming your points.

Bankrate s Take-Is the U S Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express worth it

The U.S. Bank FlexPerks Gold American Express is best for frequent travelers who can take advantage of all the card's travel perks (such as the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit and free Boingo Wi-Fi) and who spend frequently in travel categories such as flights, car rentals, hotels and gas. If you're willing to go through the FlexPerks Rewards Center to redeem points for travel, you'll be rewarded for the effort-otherwise, you won't see a return on those points. All information about the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.

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Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. * See the online application for details about terms and conditions for these offers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. After you click on the offer you desire you will be directed to the credit card issuer's web site where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.