Real-Time Rewards travel redemption cut from 1.5 to 1 cent; 3x mobile wallet earning capped

1.5 cents per point (travel redemptions) → 1 cent per point

Effective December 15, 2025, U.S. Bank cut the Altitude Reserve's signature Real-Time Rewards travel redemption rate from 1.5 cents to 1 cent per point — a 33% reduction in the card's headline value — and capped the card's 3x mobile wallet earning at $5,000 per billing cycle. The changes arrived alongside a promise of airline and hotel transfer partners by December 14, 2025, which did not materialize until August 11, 2026. The card had been closed to new applicants since late 2024.

What to do: Transfers launched August 2026 but the partner list has been unstable — Flying Blue and Qantas were pulled within a day of launch. Confirm a partner appears in your Rewards Center before planning around it.