Card basics
Card type | Travel/Cashback/Business |
Credit card issuer | U.S. Bank |
Annual fee | $95 (waived first year) |
Intro bonus | Earn $750 in rewards when you spend $7,500 in eligible purchases on the account owner's card within the first 120 days of opening your account |
Reward rate | 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center; 2X points in top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically; 1X points on all other eligible purchases |
Recommended credit score | Excellent, Good |
Foreign transaction fee | None |
Who should get the U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card?
The U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card makes sense if you don't want to worry about using the right card for different spending categories. With the U.S. Bank Business Leverage, you can earn 2X back on the top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically.
You can redeem your rewards as statement credits, bank deposits into eligible U.S. Bank accounts, travel, gift cards, or merchandise. The redemption values are generally fixed at one cent per point. This variety makes the card more flexible than some rewards cards that earn points instead of cash back.
That means you can spend on all your everyday business expenses, and your top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically will earn 2X back as long as they're eligible. Fortunately, there are nearly 50 eligible categories, including loads of common business expenses such as office supply stores and utility companies.
But keep in mind that this card doesn't offer many additional benefits and has a $95 (waived first year) annual fee. You can find other business credit cards with more benefits, lower annual fees, and better rewards rates.
U.S. Bank Business Leverage benefits and perks
- Generous welcome bonus offer: Earn $750 in rewards when you spend $7,500 in eligible purchases on the account owner's card within the first 120 days of opening your account.
- Simple earning rate: You can earn 2X back on the top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically. This type of rewards rate makes it easy to boost your earning potential without having to worry about choosing different categories.
- Plenty of bonus spending categories: There are nearly 50 bonus categories available for the top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically earning rate, including apparel and accessory stores, auto rental and transport providers, automotive dealers, computer stores, construction material supplies, drug stores and pharmacies, and more.
- Free employee cards: Add employee cards for free with the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature. Keep in mind that authorized employees added as cardholders don't incur an additional annual fee. You would only have to pay another annual fee if you add another account owner to your card account. Account owners typically have more account privileges.
- No foreign transaction fees: Avoid foreign transaction fees on your travels if you use this card.
- Visa Signature benefits: The U.S. Bank Business Leverage is a Visa Signature credit card, which means it provides certain Visa Signature benefits. This includes travel accident insurance, purchase security, extended warranty protection, and more.
- U.S. Bank ExtendPay: You can divide large purchases into smaller payments through the U.S. Bank ExtendPay program. You have to pay a fixed monthly fee, but you don't have to worry about interest rates on these payments.
What we don't like about the U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card: drawbacks
- Annual fee: You have to pay a $95 (waived first year) annual fee.
- Low rewards: Many of the best business credit cards offer better rewards rates. And some of those rewards credit cards don't come with annual fees.
- No introductory APR offers: This card doesn't provide an introductory APR offer for balance transfers or purchases.
- Rewards expire: Your rewards expire five years from the end of the quarter in which you earn them. That's a lot of time to use your rewards, but it's unusual that there's an expiration date at all. Many credit card rewards programs attached to large card issuers — including American Express, Capital One, and Chase — don't have expiration dates on their points or miles.
Earning & redeeming U.S. Bank rewards
Best ways to earn
Categories | Rewards rate |
Prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center | 5X |
Top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically | 2X |
All other eligible purchases | 1X |
The main way to earn rewards with the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature is likely by earning 2X back on the top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically. There's little to no thinking involved with this earning rate because it applies automatically on the two eligible categories where you spend the most each month.
Here's the full list of eligible spending categories for the top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically earning rate:
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If you want to earn the most rewards possible with this card, consider your U.S Bank Business Leverage for all of your expenses. But keep in mind that it typically takes using multiple credit cards with rewards rates for different categories to maximize your earning potential.
For example, you might use the U.S. Bank Business Leverage to earn 2X back each month on gas and groceries. But if you also have expenses for restaurants and office supplies, you might want another credit card that offers more than 1X back on all other eligible purchases.
Maximizing your redemptions
The U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature provides these redemption options:
- Statement credits
- Bank deposits (into an eligible U.S. Bank checking or savings account)
- Travel
- Gift cards
- Merchandise
The rewards you earn with the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature are typically worth one cent per point. That means 10,000 points would be worth $100. There's generally no way to maximize your redemptions since the redemption values don't tend to vary.
Note that the available redemptions on the U.S. Bank Business Leverage give you a variety of options for your rewards. Depending on your preferences, your business expenses could help you earn cashback rewards, bonus points for travel, gift cards, and more.
U.S. Bank Business Leverage alternatives
If the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature doesn't make sense for you, compare credit cards and credit card offers to find a card that's a better fit. Here are two of our recommendations:
Capital One Spark Miles for Business
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business has a $95 (waived first year) annual fee and offers 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One's travel booking site, and 2X miles on every purchase, every day. This reward rate handily beats the U.S. Bank Business Leverage card because you aren't limited to earning elevated rewards on only your top two earning categories each month.
Learn more in our Capital One Spark Miles for Business review.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a $0 annual fee and earns 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; 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year; and 1% cash back on all other purchases. You could potentially earn a lot more rewards with the Ink Business Cash card over the U.S. Bank Business Leverage card if your expenses align with the earning categories.
Check out our Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card review.
FAQs
What credit score do you need for a U.S. Bank Visa Signature Card?
In general, you need these credit scores to qualify for a U.S. Bank Visa Signature credit card:
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Excellent
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card: Excellent
- U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa Signature® Card: Excellent, Good
- U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card: Excellent, Good
But remember that having a certain credit score is only a guideline and not a guarantee of approval.
Is it hard to get approved for a U.S. Bank credit card?
It can be difficult depending on your credit score and the type of credit card you're applying for. Many U.S. Bank credit cards require at least a good or excellent credit score, which is a minimum of a 670 on the FICO scoring model. Certain U.S. Bank cards require an excellent credit score, which is an 800.
What are the benefits of a U.S. Bank Visa Signature Card?
It depends on the specific credit card, but U.S. Bank Visa Signature Cards typically offer sign-up bonuses and rewards for everyday purchases. This often includes earning bonus rewards on common expenses, such as gas or groceries.
Visa Signature credit cards also offer Visa Signature benefits, which could include purchase protection and travel accident insurance.
Bottom line
The U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card offers a simple rewards structure for business owners. You can earn 2X back on the top two categories where you spend the most each month automatically. Some of the rotating categories you might have on this card are wholesale clubs, gas stations, hotels, and more.
This card comes with an annual fee of $95 (waived first year) and has lower reward rates than some other business credit cards. However, it can be a convenient option for those who prefer a hassle-free approach to earning rewards based on their spending habits.
If you'd like to explore more options, check out our lists of the best business credit cards for side hustles and the best startup business credit cards.