I just realized I haven’t written about US Bank’s FlexPerks program much. While it can provide much value, for some reason it is a program that is kept under the radar. It is a fixed value program so if you enjoy flying business or first class, it is probably not the best program for you. But for those that enjoy a coach class ticket, this program could save you some money.
With FlexPerks, you can redeem your points for any airfare with no blackout dates. It is a unique program as it has a tiered redemption level:
This means that the value you receive per point depends on the price of the ticket. Booking at the higher end of the tier will allow you to get a better value and closer to 2 points per dollar. For example, if you are looking to book a $199 flight or a $399 flight, you’ll redeem the same 20,000 points. With this program, being strategic will help you get the best value!
The nice perk of using your FlexPoints is that the airline that you book with treats your flight as a paid fare. That means you’ll earn points on your flight and receive any elite status benefits as if you booked with the airline directly! You’ll also receive points/miles towards status.
Now, one major thing to know is that when you book multiple passengers in one reservation, the number of points redeemed doesn’t work the way you think it should. Let’s say you are using your points to make a reservation for you and your spouse and each ticket is $190 roundtrip. This means the total cost is $380 and should only require 20,000 points based on the FlexPerks chart. Unfortunately, that is not the case and it uses the points on a per person basis, not the total price. That means it will cost 20,000 points per passenger for a total of 40,000 points. In this scenario, using your FlexPerks points is probably not the most strategic decision and you are better off saving them for a more expensive ticket.
FlexPerks also runs some minor promotions from time to time that all allow you earn additional points to your account. You can always check any promotions you are eligible by entering your FlexPerks number here. While the bonus points are minimal, it typically only takes a few extra minutes so is well worth it!
FlexPoints expire 5 years after they are earned so do not forget about them! Also, two of the affiliated US Bank credit cards offer up to a $25 airline allowance reimbursement per award ticket. This can be used towards checked baggage fees, in-flight food & drinks, WiFi, etc.
You can earn FlexPoints with five different credit cards (although I am only listing four of them here as one of them has horrible earning potential and I do not want to recommend it). I’ll go into detail in another blog post on which one is the best to get, but for the time being, here is a quick recap:
- U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Select+ American Express® Card: Earn 10,000 points when you spend $1,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening; Earn 1x point on all purchases; No annual fee.
- U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards American Express® Card: Earn 20,000 points when you spend $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening – this is worth a free airline ticket up to $400. Earn 3x points on charitable donation, 2x points on gas, grocery, or airline purchases (whichever you spend the most on each monthly billing cycle), as well as restaurants, fast food, and most cell phone expenses, and 1x point on all other purchases; Get an airline allowance reimbursements for up to $25 per air travel award ticket toward baggage fees or in-flight food and drinks; Receive 3,500 bonus FlexPoints each cardmember year you spend $24,000 in purchases; Annual fee waived the first year then $49/year.
- U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® Card: Earn 20,000 points when you spend $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening – this is worth a free airline ticket up to $400. Earn 3x points on charitable donation, 2x points on gas, grocery, or airline purchases (whichever you spend the most on each monthly billing cycle) and most cell phone expenses, and 1x points on all other purchases. Get an airline allowance reimbursements for up to $25 per air travel award ticket toward baggage fees or in-flight food and drinks; Receive 3,500 bonus FlexPoints each cardmember year you spend $24,000 in purchases; Annual fee waived the first year then $49/year.
- U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Edge™ Travel Rewards Card: Earn 20,000 points when you spend $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening – this is worth a free airline ticket up to $400. Earn 3x points on charitable donation, 2x points on gas, grocery, or airline purchases (whichever you spend the most on each monthly billing cycle) and most cell phone expenses, and 1x points on all other purchases. Get a $25 airline allowance reimbursements for up to $25 per air travel award ticket toward baggage fees or in-flight food and drinks; Receive 3,500 bonus FlexPoints each cardmember year you spend $24,000 in purchases; Annual fee waived the first year then $49/year.
What is the best value you’ve received for your FlexPoints?!
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Do we know the airlines covered, or can we proxy into it because the leverage a supplier like Traveocity, etc?
@Mark – I believe almost all major airlines are covered, but no Spirit Air, I believe.
Do you kow if you can redeem on southwest by calling?
@Wayne – You are able to redeem for southwest by calling the redemption department (855-241-8756). Unfortunately though, you are not able to get the same pricing as Southwest.com as you cannot book the “Wanna Get Away” price. With that being said, I have no tried it myself, but you could probably book the more expensive flight and if you cancel you end up with a Southwest credit. You can then use the credit on Southwest.com to book a “Wanna Get Away” ticket.
1-866-583-4760
Three years ago I redeemed flexpoints for 4 tickets on Hawaiian Airline from the SF Bay Area to Kauai for a week, then Maui for another week and back, somehow managed to keep the total fare under $600 per person including inter island flight from Kauai to Maui, 30k flexpoints per person ;-). We are using flexpoints for four tickets this summer to the Bahamas at 20k each!