US Bank Business Essentials
$500 welcome bonus · 6% on hotels & car rentals (via portal) · $0 annual fee
The Business Essentials is a straightforward no-annual-fee business card that pays 2% cash back on everyday purchases, rising to 2.5% on the first $10,000 each billing cycle if you keep $10,000 or more in qualifying U.S. Bank business checking. Prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the U.S. Bank Travel Center earn 6%, and new cardholders get a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months. The welcome offer is $500 cash back after $5,000 in spend within 150 days. The tradeoff is that there are no bonus categories beyond the travel portal, and the foreign transaction fee makes it a poor choice for international spending. It works best for a domestic small business that wants simple flat-rate cash back, especially one that already banks with U.S. Bank and can unlock the higher rate.
Earn rates & credits
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
Hotels & Car Rentals (via Portal) Prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the U.S. Bank Travel Center | 6% |
Everything Else 2.5% on the first $10,000 in eligible purchases each billing cycle with $10,000+ in qualifying U.S. Bank business checking balances (Business Essentials, Gold, Gold with Interest, or Platinum Business Checking); 2% otherwise | 2% |
Card details
Regular APR | 16.99%–27.99% variable |
Intro APR on purchases | 0% for 12 months |
Foreign transaction fee | Yes |