Introduction
Editor’s note: This card is no longer accepting applications. The card information has been independently collected by Forbes Advisor and may no longer be accurate. See our review of the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard Credit Card instead for a similar option.
The U.S. Bank small business credit card portfolio is surprisingly simple: One card offering 2% cash back on your two largest eligible categories of spending each month, one card offering 3% card back on gas station, office supply store purchases and cell phone service providers and one card with a low-interest rate for businesses that need to finance purchases. The U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard is U.S. Bank’s offering for small business owners who want to maximize rewards in certain purchase categories.
The Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard’s value proposition is simple: Earn 3% cash back on all net purchases at office supply stores, cell phone service providers and gas stations, plus a flat 1% everywhere else. The card also offers secondary loss/damage protection for mobile phones and the standard suite of benefits common to World Elite Mastercards.
Featured Partner Offers
At a Glance
- Earn 3% cash back on purchases at gas stations, office supply stores and cell phone providers
- Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
- 25% annual bonus on earned rewards, up to $250 per year
- Introductory APR offers
- No annual fee
Rewards
Earning Rewards
The U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard earns 3% cash back on purchases at office supply stores and gas stations 1% cash back on all other purchases. The amount of cash back you can earn is unlimited, but purchase at gas stations greater than $200 will only earn 1% cash back. Cash back posts at the end of your statement cycle.
Additionally, the card offers a 25% annual bonus on rewards earned, up to $250.
Redeeming Rewards
The rewards on this card are earned as cash back, which can be redeemed through the U.S. Bank website in one of three ways:
- Statement credit
- Transfer to a U.S. Bank deposit account
- A U.S. Bank Rewards card, a prepaid debit card
Redeeming rewards is simple, but not automatic. Additionally, rewards can only be redeemed in $25 increments after they have posted to your account.
Rewards Potential
Using data from various government agencies, Forbes Advisor has developed estimates for how much a family in the 70th percentile of income spends annually in various categories. We base our assumptions on a sole proprietor in this income range. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $100,172 annually and has $26,410 in expenses that can be charged to credit cards. These figures are used to estimate the potential rewards from this credit card.
The U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard earns 3% cash back on purchases at office supply stores and gas stations. Our example small business spends $2,687 at gas stations each year and has $2,538 in business expenses. Assuming that all of these business expenses are office supply stores and cell phone charges, you could earn $157 in cash back for your bonus category purchases.
In addition to gas and business expenses, our example household has $21,185 in expenses that can be charged to credit cards. If you put all of your non-bonused spending on this card, you could earn an additional $212 in cash back annually.
Since this card offers a 25% annual bonus back annually, our example family could expect to earn $92 in additional rewards at the end of their cardmember year. With this in mind, you could expect to earn $461 in rewards annually in addition to the first year bonus. This is good, but not a market-leading amount of cash back for a no-annual-fee credit card.
Other Card Benefits
- Secondary Cell Phone Protection: Offers secondary coverage for cell phone damage or theft of up to $1,000 per year ($800 maximum per claim, two claims per year).
- Mobile Wallet Compatibility: Compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay
- Zero Fraud Liability: Cardholders are not liable for unauthorized purchases.
- 24/7 Customer Service
Fine Print
See your cardholder agreement for current rates and fees.
How The Card Stacks Up
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
If you are looking for spending bonuses for office supplies and cell phone purchases, consider the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. This card offers 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year and 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card currently offers a welcome bonus: $350 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.
U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card
If you use U.S. Bank for your business banking and prefer to keep your entire business banking relationship with U.S. Bank, but don’t spend much money at gas stations, office supply stores or on cell phone service, take a look at the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card. This card earns 5% cash back on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center, 2% back in the top two categories each month and 1% back per dollar on all other eligible purchases. Your top two categories are determined by your monthly spending in each category and change automatically based on your spending patterns.
In addition to increased earnings in your top two categories, the card comes with a welcome bonus: $750 in rewards after spending $7,500 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days of opening your account. The card charges a $0 introductory annual fee for the first 12 months, after that $95 per year.
Amex Blue Business Cards
It is hard to beat the value and simplicity of a single card with generous earnings on all spending. For many people who prefer simplicity and want to carry one card, there are a number of options out there. The Citi Double Cash® Card is a perennial personal credit card favorite, but there are also several small business cards that offer generous flat-rate earnings on all spending.
If you prefer cash back, consider The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Terms apply. See rates & fees), which earns 2% back on eligible purchases up to $50,000 in annual spending and then 1%. If you prefer transferable points, consider The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Terms apply. See rates & fees), which earns 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on up to $50,000 in annual spending and then 1 point per dollar. Both cards carry no annual fee.
Is The Card For You?
If you have an existing U.S. Bank relationship for your small business, are looking to deal with a single bank for your business banking needs, and spend a fair amount at gas stations and office supply stores, the U.S. Bank Business Rewards World Elite Mastercard might be worth a look.
Most small business owners will be better served by a card that has more generous earnings in specific categories, such as the Chase Ink Business Cash card or a card that simply earns 2% rewards on all spending, such as one of the American Express Blue Business cards.
To view rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, please visit this page
To view rates and fees of The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, please visit this page
