Check out our Top Rewards Cards to boost your points earning and travel more!
US Bank is difficult and unpredictable for credit card approvals. Freezing IDA/ARS credit reports has helped some.
Over time I got both the personal and business Club Carlson cards when they launched and then last Winter Olympics got both personal and business FlexPerks Travel Rewards. A few months later tried for Avianca and was denied. Others are still trying to get their first card.
It has long been taken as a given that having a banking relationship can help with credit card approvals. A Chase agent will reference the total customer relationship when making a decision. Will it help with US Bank?
US Bank Gold Checking is an interesting product among major banks. As long as you have an open US Bank credit card, personal loan or line there is no monthly maintenance fee. No requirement for minimum balance or direct deposit. Reports are that the account application is a soft credit pull, not hard. Earlier this year there was a $150 sign-up bonus, now expired, that could be stacked with a $100 bonus for their START saving program. What’s not to like?
I want to try for the new-ish FlexPerks Travel Amex version and am thinking of doing checking first. Or being greedy and waiting for a checking bonus.
Readers, any experience? Your take?
Check Out Our: Top Rewards Cards ¦ Newsletter ¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook ¦ Instagram
Just curious – did you end up going this route (opening the checking account)?
I’m thinking of doing so – though I haven’t frozen IDA/ARS yet. Have the Club Carlson card but want to get a flexperks card and if a checking account will grease the application it seems like an easy thing to do.
I guess my question is – can you confirm it’s a soft pull? And should I wait until IDA and ARS are frozen before opening? I work right next to a branch, so will be opening in person.
Anyway – thanks for highlighting this…
@Eric – I have not gotten around to doing it. Should have. I have heard from trusted sources it is a soft pull. Probably easiest to get checking before you freeze since a freeze can mess up identity verification, like what happened with the BofA checking. In that case I had to go to a branch to get it sorted.
[…] have the personal and business from the last Olympics, and personal and business Club Carlson. US Bank Gold Checking is free if you have one of their credit […]
Interesting. I have the personal CC, but when I applied for the business version, they were really weird – first, they gave me the “we’re thinking about it” routine for 3 weeks, then sent me postal mail asking me for the name of my business (which I clearly indicated was My Name during the online application). I called and told them my business name = my name. OK? OK. Three more weeks go by. They sent me another letter informing me that they needed more documentation about my business. I just shrugged and said screw it. IDA/ARS were frozen. That… Read more »
@David – I have heard people have had better luck with US Bank by going to a branch, if you live near one or pass one on your travels it may be worth trying. Good luck.
@jim – interesting. I had the same issue opening a BofA checking account with my Experian frozen. Online the application failed, however in branch they used other means to verify my identity. Could justify a trip to to a US Bank branch if also applying for in-branch only Cash+.
have the CC card. applied for the checking 2 months ago for the bonus. called next day and they told me to unfreeze my ida/ars report firsr.lol
i told them forget it.