Reviews of the Top U.S. Bank Business Credit Cards (and Their Competitors)

U.S. Bank’s business credit cards offer something for every small business owner—low interest options, cash back, travel rewards, the works.

Whether you need a flexible business financing option or want to rack up points for dollars you’re already spending, there’s a U.S. Bank business credit card out there for you.

But how do these cards stack up against the competition? We’ll review the top three U.S. Bank credit cards and compare them against other leaders in each category.

For Cash Back: the U.S. Bank Business Edge™ Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®

The Business Edge Cash Rewards is a solid no annual fee, cash back U.S. Bank business credit card that rewards typical business purchases.

You get 3% cash back on cell services, office supplies, and gas and 1% elsewhere, plus a 25% anniversary bonus of the previous year’s earnings up to $250.

This means that if you spend $500 in the bonus categories and $100 elsewhere each month, you’ll earn $240 in rewards after your cardholder anniversary—an effective rewards rate of 3.3%.

Plus, the card comes with a 0% intro APR period for the first nine months and doesn’t charge a fee for employee cards.

Overall, this is one of the best options for cash back if you spend a lot on gas or office supplies.

The downside? No signup bonus.

That’s where the competition comes in—the American Express SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card.

The no annual fee SimplyCash business credit card offers 5% cash back on wireless services and office supplies, 3% on your choice of one of eight categories (up to $50,000 spent total), and 1% elsewhere.

It also has a signup bonus of up to $400—a $200 statement credit after you spend $5,000 in the first six months and an extra $200 statement credit after you spend an additional $10,000 in qualifying purchases in the first 12 months (that’s $15,000 spent total).

If you’re a big spender (especially if gas isn’t your main category) the Amex SimplyCash’s signup bonus and higher rewards make it attractive.

If you can’t make the steep signup bonus spending thresholds, go with the U.S. Bank option.

For Travel Rewards: FlexPerks® Business Edge™ Travel Rewards Card

Next on the list of U.S. Bank business credit cards is the Business Edge Travel Rewards card.

This U.S. Bank business credit card offers a solid signup bonus, bonus rewards on top business spending categories, and great redemption rates on travel.

To start off, you get 20,000 FlexPoints when you spend $2,000 in the first four months. As for ongoing rewards, you’re looking at 2 FlexPoints per $1 spent with most cell phone service providers as well as gas, office supply stores, or airlines (wherever you spend most each monthly billing cycle), and 1 point per $1 elsewhere.

Finally, you can get up to 25% and a free rental day each year at National Car Rentals.

You do have to contend with a $55 annual fee and $10 per employee card annual fee, but both are waived if you spend more than $24,000 a year.

As for redeeming those FlexPoints, the best way to cash in is to use your points to book through U.S. Bank’s Orbitz-powered online travel portal.

Per ValuePenguin, you can get redemption rates of up to 4 cents per point if you redeem wisely, and the average redemption rate is 1.7 cents per point.

Additionally, if you redeem for airline award tickets, you can get a credit of up to $25 on airline fees (like checked bags or in-flight food) for your award flights.

So how does this U.S. Bank business credit card stack up against the Chase Ink Business PreferredSM, the popular choice for business travelers not ready to spring for the Amex Business Platinum?

The Ink Preferred comes with a signup bonus of 80,000 Ultimate Rewards Points if you spend $5,000 in the first three months, which is worth $1,000 of travel booked through Chase and can be worth $4,000 or more if you redeem wisely.

Its ongoing rewards program is pretty solid: 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent annually on travel (including airfare, hotels, and rental cars); shipping; internet, cable and phone services; and ad purchases made with social media sites and search engines. (It also pays out 1 point per $1 elsewhere.)

Its annual fee is higher at $95, but it doesn’t charge foreign transaction or employee card fees.

The Ink Preferred offers more bonus categories than the U.S. Bank business credit card counterpart, but it does come with a cap on bonus rewards cards.

If you spend at least $1,333 annually in categories that earn you bonus points with Chase but not with U.S. Bank, you’ll make up for the Ink Business’ higher annual fee (assuming you don’t have employee cards or spend enough to waive the Business Edge’s annual fee).

Plus, if you redeem both Ultimate Rewards Points and FlexPoints at 1 cent apiece, if you hold the card for 15 years or less, the Ink’s signup bonus will make up for the higher annual fee.

There are some scenarios where the Business Edge card wins out—particularly if you spend well over the Ink’s $150,000 bonus cap or you erase the Business Edge’s annual fee by spending at least $24,000 each year.

But generally speaking, the Chase Ink Business Preferred is a better travel business credit card option.

For a Long Intro APR: Business Edge™ Platinum Card

If you need flexible business financing for your company, a 0% APR credit card may offer advantages over a small business loan—you don’t have to borrow more than you need, and if you can pay off your balance within the intro period, you won’t pay interest on your loan.

If that sounds appealing, check out the next U.S. Bank business credit card: the Business Edge Platinum.

This U.S. Bank business credit card comes with a 0% APR period of 12 billing cycles, plus no annual or employee card fee.

Though it doesn’t come with rewards, it’s an excellent option for small business financing. (Just make sure you can pay off your balance within the 12-month period—otherwise your interest rate will rise to a variable 10.49%-18.49%, depending on your creditworthiness.)

The other main player in the zero APR arena is the Chase Ink Business CashSM.

It too has no annual fee or employee card fee, and it has a 12-month 0% interest period.

Unlike the U.S. Bank business credit card, the Ink Cash offers rewards: 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent annually on office supplies and cell phone, landline, internet and cable TV services; 2% rewards on the first $25,000 spent annually on gas and restaurants; and an unlimited 1% elsewhere.

You also get a $300 signup bonus if you spend at least $3,000 in the first three months.

Once the 0% APR period ends, the Ink Cash’s ongoing interest rate is higher, at a variable 13.74%-19.74% depending on creditworthiness.

However, the jump in interest rates is pretty small, and if you haven’t paid off your debt during the intro period, you may want to consider a balance transfer anyway.

The Ink Cash offers the same 12-month intro APR period as the U.S. Bank business credit card, and great rewards as the cherry on top.

If you’re looking for flexible financing, it’s probably a better option.

Which Business Credit Card Wins Out?

U.S. Bank offers a solid list of business credit cards, but their competitors give them a run for their money.

Now that you’ve compared each U.S. Bank business credit card against its competitor, who wins out for your small business?

Is a U.S. Bank business credit card right for you?

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from Fundera Ledger https://www.fundera.com/blog/us-bank-business-credit-card