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U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card Review [2024]: Customize How You Earn Rewards

CREDIT CARDS - CASH BACK CREDIT CARDS
The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards provides high cashback rates as long as you don’t forget to enroll each quarter.
Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®
By Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®
Melinda Sineriz, ABFP™
Edited by Melinda Sineriz, ABFP™
Updated Dec. 17, 2024
Fact checked

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card is a cashback credit card that works best if you like flexible earning categories. You get to choose where you earn the most rewards each quarter, which makes it easy to earn elevated cash back on your largest expenses, even if those expenses tend to vary.

This does require some planning ahead and a bit of manual attention on your part for choosing the categories each quarter, which includes retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart. But you also get greater control over how you earn cash back and the opportunity to earn up to 6% in cash rewards — which is a high rewards rate for cashback cards.

Let’s explore our U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards review to see how this card works and whether it deserves a spot in your wallet. 

Big Rewards for Retail Shoppers

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card
4.7
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U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card

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Current Offer

Earn $250 after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases in the first 120 days

Annual Fee

$95 (waived first year)

Rewards Rate

6% cash back on first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with your choice of two retailers; 5.5% cash back on prepaid hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center; 3% cash back on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases in one everyday category; and 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks
Card Details

In this U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards review

Who should get the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card?

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card makes sense if your highest everyday expenses tend to vary. Being able to choose between different options for two of this card’s bonus categories can help you maximize the amount of cash back you can earn.

For example, you might know that you’ll be shopping a lot at Amazon and Apple during the holidays and choose those as your quarterly retailers. But then you know you have a remodel coming up in a few months, so you switch to Home Depot and IKEA for the next quarter.

This card also makes sense if you frequently shop at Target and Walmart because not many rewards credit cards specifically offer elevated earning rates at these retailers. In fact, many grocery credit cards tend to exclude Target and Walmart from their bonus categories.

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards might not make sense if you don’t want to keep track of enrolling in new categories every quarter. Because if you don’t enroll, all of your purchases revert to the 1.5% cashback rate, which is an average rate you can find on many different rewards credit cards. 

If you're not sure about this card, there are many other U.S. Bank credit card offers you can explore. 

Card basics

Card type Cash back
Credit card issuer U.S. Bank
Credit card network Visa
Annual fee $95 (waived first year)
Intro bonus Earn $250 after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases in the first 120 days
Reward rate 6% cash back on first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with your choice of two retailers; 5.5% cash back on prepaid hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center; 3% cash back on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases in one everyday category; and 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases
Recommended credit score Excellent, Good
Foreign transaction fee 3%

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card benefits and perks

  • Generous welcome offer: Earn $250 after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases in the first 120 days.
  • Customizable rewards: Earn 6% cash back on first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter with your choice of two retailers; 5.5% cash back on prepaid hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center; 3% cash back on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases in one everyday category; and 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
  • LED light: Certain versions of the physical card come with LED technology that lights up the U.S. Bank logo if you make a contactless purchase. You might be able to request an LED version if you don’t initially receive one.
  • Visa Signature benefits: Visa Signature cardholders can access 24/7 Visa Signature Concierge services, for help with travel arrangements, finding event tickets, making dinner reservations, and more. Visa Signature benefits could also include certain purchase and travel protections.

Drawbacks to the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card

  • Earning limits: The customizable categories have caps where you can only earn the highest rewards rate up to a certain spending limit each quarter. This card might not be worth it if you frequently spend more than the spending caps each quarter in the applicable categories.
  • Foreign transaction fees: You have to pay 3% for foreign transaction fees, making this card a poor choice for travelers. For better options, check out our list of the best travel credit cards.
  • No intro APR offers: This card doesn’t have any intro APR offers on purchases or balance transfers. Find cards with these offers in our list of the best 0% intro APR credit cards.

Earning & redeeming cash back

Potential earnings in years one and two

Here's a look at how your cash back can add up with the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card.

Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.

Year one earnings: $858

Year two earnings: $513

These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which looks at points earned via spending, the sign-up bonus, and the annual fee.

Keep in mind that our calculations only included the 1.5% cashback rate on all other eligible purchases. You could earn much more cash back than these projected earnings if you were to also maximize making purchases in these higher bonus categories:

  • 6% cash back on your choice of two retailers (on the first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter)
  • 5.5% cash back on prepaid hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center
  • 3% cash back on your choice of one everyday category (on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases each quarter)

Best ways to earn

Categories Rewards rate
Your choice of two retailers (on the first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter) 6%
Prepaid hotel and car reservations booked directly in the Rewards Travel Center 5.5%
Your choice of one everyday category (on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases each quarter) 3%
All other eligible purchases 1.5%

The best way to earn cash back with the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards is to use it in its highest-earning bonus categories. This can take some planning because two of the spending categories let you choose how to earn cashback rewards. But it should be simple enough to select retailers/categories where you typically have high expenses.

For example, you can earn 6% cash back on your choice of two retailers (on the first $1,500 in combined eligible purchases each quarter).

Tip
Some of the available retailers include Apple, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Target, and Walmart.

It’s rare for rewards credit cards to offer such high earning rates at places like Target and Walmart because they’re typically considered “superstores” rather than “grocery stores.” So it could work in your favor to choose these retailers, especially if that’s where you do your grocery shopping.

You can also earn 3% cash back on your choice of one everyday category (on the first $1,500 in eligible purchases each quarter). Available everyday cashback categories include bills and home utilities, EV charging and gas stations, and wholesale clubs. These are areas of common expenses for many people, so it comes down to choosing the category of your choice that best fits your spending habits.

If you feel you wouldn’t be able to maximize your earning potential each quarter with the customizable categories, it might make sense to consider a different credit card that better aligns with your everyday expenses. Check out our list of the best cashback credit cards for more options.

Maximizing your redemptions

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards provides these redemption options:

  • Statement credit
  • Deposit into a U.S. Bank savings, checking, or money market account
  • U.S. Bank rewards card ($25 minimum)
  • Gift card

There isn’t necessarily a redemption option here that’s better than the other, as it depends on your preferences. But using your rewards for statement credits or bank deposits might be the most flexible options.

These redemptions are essentially letting you use your rewards on just about anything. A statement credit can help reduce any credit card expense and a bank deposit is basically cash in your hand.

U.S. Bank rewards cards and gift cards could make sense as gifts for friends and family, but they generally can’t be used for as many expenses as a statement credit or bank deposit.

Tip
Note that your cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account is open.

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card FAQs

Is a cash rewards card worth it?

Cash rewards credit cards are worth it if you want flexibility with your credit card rewards. Points and miles cards are typically better for frequent travelers, but cash back can make sense for anyone. You often receive cash rewards as a statement credit or bank deposit, which is like receiving actual cash that can be used for almost anything.

How do U.S. Bank Cash Rewards work?

U.S. Bank cash rewards can be earned with the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card and U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card. You can redeem your cash rewards for statement credits, rewards cards, and deposits into a U.S. Bank checking or savings account.

Is U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card a good card?

The U.S. Bank Cash+ is an excellent cashback card for customizable cash rewards. You can earn 5% cash back on two categories you choose (up to $2,000 in combined eligible purchases each quarter), which gives you greater control over how you earn rewards. Some of the categories you can choose from include department stores, home utilities, movie theaters, fast food, and streaming services.

Other cards to consider

If the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards doesn’t seem like the right fit for you, compare credit cards to find a better option. Here are two of our recommendations:

The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card is another U.S. Bank credit card that earns customizable cash rewards, similar to the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards. But this card has a $0 annual fee and provides a 0% introductory APR for 15 billing cycles (then 18.74% to 28.99% (Variable)).

Learn more in our U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Signature Card review.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a $0 annual fee and no earning caps on its bonus categories, which might make more sense than the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards depending on your spending habits. You can earn 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and 3% cash back on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Check out our Chase Freedom Unlimited review.

Big Rewards for Retail Shoppers

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card
4.7
info

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card

Why We Like It

Earn $250 after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases in the first 120 days

See how these cards compare:

U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card
  • Earn a $200 bonus after spending $1,000 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening
  • No annual fee
  • Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers
  • Up to 5% cash back on eligible purchases
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
  • High base rewards rate of 1.5%
  • $0 annual fee
  • Valuable welcome bonus for new cardholders
  • Intro APR offers for purchases and balance transfers