U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Visa Signature Card Review: Earn up to 6% Cash Back Where You Spend the Most

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card Benefits

Welcome Bonus

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of $250 after you spend $2,000 on purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. This makes the value proposition for the first year even more exciting, with a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 and a good-sized welcome bonus. U.S. Bank also gives customers slightly longer to earn this bonus, offering approximately four months to hit the spending requirement versus the more standard three months most other issuers offer.

Earning Rates up to 6% Cash Back

The Shopper Cash Rewards Card offers flexible bonus categories that let you earn rewards where you spend the most. You can earn 6% back on the first combined $1,500 spent each quarter at two of the following merchants you choose:

• Ace Hardware
• Apple
• Amazon.com
• Anthropologie
• Bed, Bath, & Beyond
• Best Buy
• Chewy.com
• Crate and Barrel
• Disney
• Home Depot
• Ikea
• Kohl’s
• Lowe’s
• Lululemon
• Macy’s
• Menards
• Nordstrom
• Pottery Barn
• QVC
• Restoration Hardware
• Target
• Walmart
• Wayfair.com
• Williams Sonoma

Additionally, you can earn 3% cash back each quarter on your first $1,500 in spending in one of the following categories of your choice:

• Bills and home utilities
• Gas and EV charging stations
• Wholesale clubs

If you reach the maximum $1,500 in spending for each of the 6% and 3% cash-back categories in a quarter, your earning rate in those categories will drop to 1.5% back.

Plus, cardholders can earn 5.5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the U.S. Bank Rewards Center. All other purchases earn 1.5% back.

These bonus categories can be a great addition, depending on where you spend the most. Some of these merchants already offer store credit cards that earn 5% back on eligible purchases, such as the Amazon Prime Visa, and those store-specific credit cards usually have a higher cap (or none at all) on the bonus cash back. So, for example, it might make sense to use the Prime Visa for 5% back on Amazon purchases, and select Target as one of your 6% bonus categories instead, assuming you spend enough to really maximize the 6% back.

Flexible Redemption Options

You have multiple options for how to redeem cash back from your U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card. You can choose to redeem rewards as a statement credit, cash them out for gift cards, or have them deposited directly to your U.S. Bank account. Just make sure that if you choose to cash out for a gift card, you’re not losing any value, as the redemption rates can be different from those if you took straight cash back.

Built-In Protections

File this under the list of benefits you hope to never have to use, but the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card offers several different protections for purchases made using the card:

• Purchase security: This benefit can repair, replace or reimburse you for eligible items that are damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account
• Return protection: You can be reimbursed up to $250 per item and up to $1,000 per account per year if a merchant refuses your return within 90 days of purchase.
• Extended warranty: Your warranty can be doubled up to one additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less, with a maximum reimbursement of $10,000 per item and $50,000 per account.

Cardholders can also access a 24/7 travel and emergency assistance hotline, which can help arrange things like translation services, medical and legal referrals, and lost luggage location. The service itself is complimentary, but any third-party costs are the cardholder’s responsibility.

U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card Drawbacks

Low Cap on Bonus Categories

Both the 6% and 3% cash-back bonus categories are capped at your first $1,500 of spending each quarter (then you’ll earn 1.5% back), meaning the maximum amount of bonus cash back you can earn in a year from both categories is $540. This is still a nice return, but that low cap certainly makes the card less appealing for some customers.

Annual Fee

The Shopper Cash Rewards has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 . While $95 is on the lower end for an annual fee, that cost can really eat into your already limited cash-back earning potential. You essentially have to max out the 6% cash back for a full quarter just to cover your annual fee, or if you’re relying on the 3% category to make the math work, you would need to max it out half the year just to cover the fee before you start seeing any profit.

Foreign Transaction Fee

The Shopper Cash Rewards charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, but how big a con that is is ultimately up to you. Simply put, if you never use this card to make international purchases, you’ll never pay that fee, and it shouldn’t be a problem.

There are plenty of other cards to choose from that don’t charge foreign transaction fees, so as long as you carry one of those with you on vacation and leave the Shopper Cash Rewards Card at home, you’ll do fine. That being said, most credit cards that charge an annual fee waive the foreign transaction fees, so the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards certainly stands out here, and not in a good way.

Limited Perks

Besides the cash-back bonus categories and the shopping protections that come standard with every Visa Signature® card, there’s not a lot else going on under the hood here. There aren’t any statement credits to help offset the annual fee, or travel insurance to offer additional value. That means this card is really all about the numbers and making sure they work for you.

Who Is the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Visa Signature Card Best For?

The Shopper Cash Rewards can be a solid choice for someone looking for an entry-level cash-back credit card with a low annual fee, who doesn’t care about paying extra for fancy travel benefits.

Ultimately, this card is best suited for people who are able to max out the 6% and 3% bonus categories, meaning people who spend large amounts of money every quarter at two of the participating merchants and in one of the selected bonus categories. So if you’re spending over $1,500 a quarter with Amazon and Walmart, or on gas/EV charging or home utilities, this can be a good choice to help you earn cash back in the places you spend the most.

However, if you’re not regularly spending large amounts of money at any of the qualifying merchants, this may not be the right choice for you.

Is It the Right Card for You?

The U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card can be the right choice for you if:

• You mainly care about cash back, not travel benefits
• You spend $1,500 each quarter at two of the eligible 6% merchants and in one of the 3% bonus categories
• You don’t mind paying the annual fee ($0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 )
• You don’t need extras like travel insurance or statement credits

Alternatives to the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card

If the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards Card isn’t sounding quite right for your needs, here are some alternatives to consider:

• Chase Freedom Unlimited®: The Chase Freedom Unlimited is an incredible choice for anyone looking for a cash-back credit card with no annual fee. It offers a minimum of 1.5% back on all purchases, 3% for restaurants, eligible delivery services, and drugstores, and 5% back on travel booked with Chase Travel℠.
• Citi Double Cash® Card: If you’re looking for simple cash back with no annual fee and no bonus categories to worry about, the Citi Double Cash Card, an advertising partner, is as easy as it gets. You’ll earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase and another 1% when you pay it off, meaning you’ll earn 2% total cash back.