US Bank in-branch-only Visa Signature offer: $400 flight (through Travelocity) for spending $2500 in 5 months (YMMV)

I stopped in at a US Bank branch (Midwest) and this offer caught my eye (I have attached a stealthily-taken picture below).

The card is a U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa® Signature Card and the offer is exactly the same as the general one on their website ( http://www.usbank.com/credit-cards/flexperks-travel.html ), except that instead of "Get 10,000 bonus FlexPoints after the first $500 in net purchases," you get 17,500 bonus FlexPoints after spending $2,500 in the first 5 months.

The card has an annual fee of $49, which the bank rep told me is waived the first year so that you can try out the program. With the card, you get 1 point/$1 spent (plus a 25% bonus if you have a Gold US Bank account - which is free if you direct deposit at least $500/month). So, 17.5k (bonus) + 2.5k (from the purchases) = 20k which can be redeemed for $200 CB or a flight costing up to $400 (booked without blackouts, restrictions, or additional fees through Travelocity - again, per the bank rep)

Another cool feature of this card is that you can be reimbursed for up to $25 towards baggage fees or in-flight food/drinks charged to the card (you call them and point out the charge and they will issue a statement credit for the appropriate amount). According to the bank rep, this applies to any ticket (even non-award tickets), but I'm not sure if that is correct, since the website says "$25 airline allowance with each award ticket"

Their specific requirement is that you have to apply in-branch, so this is definitely YMMV.

I know the Visa Signature card is a great card (http://usa.visa.com/personal/visa-signature/index.jsp) , but may not work out for everyone. I believe the minimum yearly income to qualify is over $70k, and typically by invitation only. If you're able to get the card, its a great card to have.

nemec7 said:   I know the Visa Signature card is a great card (http://usa.visa.com/personal/visa-signature/index.jsp) , but may not work out for everyone. I believe the minimum yearly income to qualify is over $70k, and typically by invitation only. If you're able to get the card, its a great card to have.

I have also had/have two Via Signature cards (in more than one country, no less) and I don't make anywhere near $70k/year.

Maybe it's just at Wells Fargo...