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The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card provides a 0% APR offer for 20 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, then 14.49% - 24.49%* Variable. It’s one of the longest APR offers available. However, there are no rewards and few benefits.
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We give the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card 5 out of 5 Stars. It could be very useful for people looking to avoid interest charges.
The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card is a strong contender if you’re in the market for a balance transfer credit card, or want to avoid interest charges on new purchases.
However, because there are no rewards and limited benefits, those are likely the only reasons you’d consider a card like this.
If you have a credit card balance that’s accruing interest and unnecessarily costing you money, you can move that balance to this card where it’ll accrue no interest for a set amount of time. Balance transfers are an effective way to deal with credit card debt.
The same is true for the new purchases you make with your card. If you have any large expenses planned, like a new stove or refrigerator or TV, you can put them on the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum and pay them down while they accrue no interest.
While the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum features some useful perks, like the ability to check one of your credit scores and the more uncommon cell phone protection, the main draws of the card are its introductory APR periods.
Learn what balance transfers are, how they can help, and how to use one. How to Transfer a Balance on a Credit Card: Lower Your APR, Pay Less MoneyThere are few benefits attached to the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum card, however, there might be a few more than what we have listed below. Because it’s a Visa Platinum, cardholders will likely get a selection of Visa Platinum benefits, like shopping and travel protections.
Purchase APR | Balance Transfer APR | Cash Advance APR |
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0% for 20 billing cycles on purchases, then 14.49% - 24.49%* Variable | 0% for 20 billing cycles on balance transfers*, then 14.49% - 24.49%* Variable | 25.99% |
Annual Fee | Foreign Transaction Fee |
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$0* | 2% of each foreign purchase transaction or foreign ATM advance transaction in U.S. Dollars 3% of each foreign purchase transaction or foreign ATM advance transaction in a Foreign Currency |
Balance Transfer Fee | Cash Advance Fee |
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Either 3% of the amount of each transfer or $5 minimum, whichever is greater | 4%, $10 minimum |
Penalty APR | Late Fee | Returned Payment Fee |
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None | Up to $40 | Up to $35 |
As stated above, the best features of the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card are its long intro periods for balance transfers and purchases. It’s very important that you make all of your monthly payments on time, or you could risk losing these promotional APRs.
The other aspect here to be aware of is the balance transfer fee. That means you’ll be required to pay an amount of each transfer you plan to make. So if the balance transfer fee is 3%, and you’re moving over a balance of $2,000, your fee would be $60. But depending on the interest rates involved, that fee could pale in comparison to the money you’d have to pay from interest charges if you didn’t move the balance over.
There are cards that feature no balance transfer fee and offer 0% APR periods that might be more beneficial to you, although the interest-free periods tend to be shorter.
The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is a strong contender if you need to take advantage of a balance transfer or want to avoid paying interest on a new purchase.
By taking advantage of a balance transfer, or using this card for any large purchases, whether they be appliances or vacations or anything else, you can save yourself a lot of money by avoiding interest charges on your balance. That means you’d have less debt to worry about with more time to pay it off, and more money to spend in other aspects of your life.
But because there aren’t any rewards and few benefits, there’s really little other reason to get a card like this. If you do get it, it’d be a good idea to pair it with another card that does feature rewards. Especially if you need to move a balance over, because you won’t want to add any new purchases to a balance you’re trying to pay down.
Follow the link below to be taken to the credit card issuer’s website. From there you can apply, securely, with all the necessary information. You should hear back pretty quickly whether you’ve been approved or denied.
It’s recommended that you have fair credit before applying for this card.
To have fair credit, your credit scores would have to fall within the ranges of 580–669 for FICO and 650–699 for VantageScore.
However, there are other factors that go into the decision. The card issuer will take into account your annual income, monthly rent or mortgage payment, and more when figuring out your creditworthiness. This additional information could lead to your approval even if your scores are lower than those ranges.
But that also means even if your scores are higher, you could still be denied.
It’s hard to say for sure because your credit limit will depend on several factors. These include your income, your credit scores, your credit history, and more. However, if you get a credit limit you don’t like, you can request an increase.
Yes, the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card has a fee of:
You can check out all of the terms & fees right here.
The Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer (Review) is a cash rewards credit card with a surprisingly long 0% intro APR for balance transfers.
The Double Cash card offers a long 18 months on Balance Transfers for it’s balance transfer period (and then your rate switches to 13.99% – 23.99% (Variable)), though slightly shorter than the U.S. Bank card’s offer.
The other main differences are that the Double Cash features a rewards program and has no intro 0% APR for purchases.
The U.S. Bank Visa Platinum is probably the better choice for a balance transfer card, considering it gives you more time to pay it down. And if you need to make any new purchases, you could do so and have them accrue no interest.
However, the Double Cash would be a good card to pair with the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum. You can pay your balance down at no interest with the U.S. Bank card and use the Double Cash to pay for any new purchases and earn rewards for them. You could even avoid interest with its grace period, as long as you’re paying your bill in full each month (which you should always be doing, unless you have a 0% rate).
Spending Rewards |
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Citi is a Credit Card Insider advertiser.
The U.S. Bank Cash+™ Visa Signature® Card features both an intro 0% APR balance transfer offer and a rewards program.
The 0% APR period is shorter than what the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card offers, but you’ll gain a pretty flexible rewards program. And while there isn’t a 0% rate for purchases, there is a grace period (like most cards). Meaning as long as you’re paying your statement balance in full each month, the purchases you make won’t accrue any interest.
Uniquely, you can choose two 5% cash back categories (on your first $2,000 in combined net purchases each quarter, then 1%) and one 2% “everyday” category each quarter. The 5% categories cover things like streaming services and gym memberships, and the 2% categories cover expenses like gas and groceries.
Despite being shorter, the balance transfer offer could still be used to avoid interest charges, provided you can pay off the balance in time. And unlike the U.S. Bank Platinum card, you’d earn rewards for your purchases.
Or you could always use them together. While the Visa Platinum card is taken up by a transferred balance, use the Cash+ Visa Signature to make purchases and earn rewards.
Spending Rewards |
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Introductory Bonus |
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You can pick from any two of these:
5% Cash Back Categories | ||
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TV, Internet, Streaming Services | Cell Phone Providers | Department Stores |
Electronics Stores | Fast Food | Furniture Stores |
Gyms/Fitness Centers | Ground Transportation | Home Utilities |
Movie Theaters | Select Clothing Stores | Sporting Goods Stores |
And one of these:
2% Cash Back Categories | ||
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Gas Stations | Grocery Stores | Restaurants |
The Wells Fargo Platinum card (Review) is pretty close to the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card, however the intro 0% APR periods are slightly shorter.
Like the U.S. Bank card, there aren’t any rewards to be earned here, so the main focuses are the two 0% intro APR periods for purchases and balance transfers. You won’t accrue interest for 18 months for both purchases and balance transfers, then the rate will jump to 16.49%-24.49% Variable and 16.49%-24.49% Variable, respectively.
If you have outstanding debt with U.S. Bank, you typically won’t be able to transfer it to a U.S. Bank card. That means if you need a balance transfer, you’d need a card from a different issuer, like Wells Fargo for instance.
However, the balance transfer fee for the Wells Fargo card is:
Other than that, these two cards have very similar benefits, so the choice will likely come down to if you have outstanding debt with U.S. Bank and how much time you’d like for your intro 0% APR periods.
The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card (Review) offers a flat cash back rate in addition to intro APR periods for both purchases and balance transfers.
While the intro periods are shorter than what the U.S. Bank card features, you will earn rewards for your purchases. And, you’ll get a slight boost in rewards if you take advantage of mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay. So if you think you’ll be able to pay your balance off within the given 0% APR periods, this card would help you avoid interest charges and be more rewarding.
The benefits might even end up being a little better than what the U.S. Bank card offers, depending on which version of the card you’re issued.
If your beginning credit limit is $5,000 or above you’ll likely be issued the Visa Signature version, which features better shopping and travel protections. If your credit limit is below $5,000, you’ll probably be issued the Visa Platinum version, which likely has the same protections as the U.S. Bank card.
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Introductory Bonus |
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Visa Platinum Benefits
Visa Signature Benefits
Do you have the U.S. Bank Visa Platinum Card? Has it helped you avoid interest charges? Let us know how effective it’s been in the comments below!
If you're looking for more in-depth information about balance transfers, we have the perfect guide for you. How Credit Card Balance Transfers WorkEvan graduated from SUNY Oswego with a degree in journalism and creative writing. In his professional writing career, he strives for precision and comprehension in his work. He’s written news articles, blog posts, and copy, working across a slew of different mediums. With in-depth research and great care for accuracy and detail, he now works to bring you the most up-to-date credit information.
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