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U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards Review: Ideal for Specific Spending

This card is no longer accepting applications. It offered 3% back on eligible gas station, office supply store and cell phone/service provider net purchases, plus 1% back on other spending.
By Sara Rathner
Last updated on November 13, 2023
Edited byKenley Young
Fact checked and reviewed

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SOME CARD INFO MAY BE OUTDATED
This page includes information about the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business and the U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®, currently unavailable on NerdWallet. The information about the Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business and the U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard® has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been provided or reviewed by the card issuer.

Our Take

The bottom line:

This card has been effectively replaced by the U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite™ Mastercard®, which offers the same 1% to 3% rewards rates but a longer intro APR period.
Full review

U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®

Annual fee
$0*
Regular APR
13.99% - 22.99%* Variable APR
Intro APR
0% intro APR* on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Bonus cash back categories
  • No annual fee
  • Intro APR period on purchases and balance transfers

Cons

  • None

Compare to Other Cards

at Chase

at American Express

at Chase

Annual fee

$95

Annual fee

$0

Annual fee

$0

Regular APR

21.24%-26.24% Variable APR

Regular APR

18.49%-26.49% Variable APR

Rates & Fees

Regular APR

18.49%-24.49% Variable APR

Intro APR

N/A

Intro APR

0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening

Intro APR

0% intro APR on Purchases for 12 months

Recommended credit score

690-850good - excellent

Recommended credit score

690-850good - excellent

Recommended credit score

690-850good - excellent

Full Review

As of August 2021, the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
is no longer available.
The card was essentially replaced by the
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
, which earns the same robust rewards in certain popular spending areas (gas stations, office supply stores and cell phone service providers) as the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
.
Both cards also offer a generous 0% intro APR period on both purchases and balance transfers.

Key features of the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®

Card type: Small business.
Annual fee:
$0*
.
Sign-up bonus:
Limited Time Offer: Earn $500 cash back after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of opening your account.
Ongoing rewards:
  • Earn 3% cash back on eligible gas station, office supply store and cell phone/service provider purchases.
  • Earn 1% cash back on other eligible purchases.
Interest rate:
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% - 22.99% Variable APR
.
Foreign transaction fees: 3% if the purchase is made in a foreign currency; 2% if it's in U.S. dollars.
Additional benefits: 25% Annual Cash Rewards bonus, up to $250.

Benefits of the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®

The
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
has been replaced by the
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
, but many of its benefits remain the same.
A 0% intro APR period: Running a business sometimes requires purchasing expensive equipment, and you don’t always have the cash on hand to pay for everything at once. With the
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
, you'll pay a
0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers, and then the ongoing APR of 19.24%-28.24% Variable APR
. That's an improvement on the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
, which offered a
0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles, and then the ongoing APR of 13.99% - 22.99% Variable APR
. Among small-business cards, it's hard to find a 0% intro APR offer that long, and even harder to find one that also covers balance transfers.
A generous sign-up bonus: The
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
offered this welcome bonus:
Limited Time Offer: Earn $500 cash back after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days of opening your account.
The
U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®
matches that bonus amount, but requires you to spend more (over a longer period of time) to obtain it:
Earn $500 in cash back. Just spend $4500 on the Account Owner's card in the first 150 days of opening your account.
.

Drawbacks of the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®

A low cash-back rate for most purchases: The possibility of 3% cash back is exciting, but most purchases will earn you only 1%. If you don’t spend much on gas, cell phone plans or office supplies, your earnings will be meager. The
Capital One Spark Cash Plus
earns an unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. There’s also a sign-up bonus:
Earn a one-time cash bonus of $1,200 once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months.
The annual fee is
$150
, and this is a charge card — which means you must pay your balance in full each month.
No travel rewards: If running your business involves less time at a desk and more time on the road, consider a travel rewards card that can convert your spending into discounted travel. The
Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard® credit card
earns:
  • 1.5 points per $1 on all purchases.
  • You can earn up to 75% more points on every purchase if you have a business checking account with Bank of America and qualify for our highest Preferred Rewards for Business tier. That means you could earn up to an unlimited 2.62 points per $1 spent on all purchases
There’s also a sign-up bonus:
Earn 30,000 online bonus points after you make at least $3,000 in net purchases in the first 90 days of your account opening which can be redeemed for a $300 statement credit towards travel or dining purchases.
High spenders can get larger bonuses elsewhere: Earn big rewards for your big business expenses with the
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
. This
$95
-annual-fee card offers a decidedly premium sign-up bonus:
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
You’ll also earn:
  • 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent each anniversary year in combined purchases in these categories: travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, and on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines.
  • 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
Points are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
You’ll pay foreign transaction fees: The
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
charges a 3% fee if an overseas purchase is made in a foreign currency, and 2% if it's in U.S. dollars. If you frequently travel internationally, it's not an ideal choice.
It requires excellent credit: Entrepreneurs with fair credit (a FICO score of 630-689) are more likely to qualify for a card like the
Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business
, which can help you build business credit. While there’s no sign-up bonus, you’ll earn 1% cash back on all purchases. The annual fee is
$0
, but the interest rate is on the high side.
The ongoing APR is 26.99% Variable APR
.

Should you get the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
?

The highlights of the
U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite™ MasterCard®
are its introductory 0% APR period — a plus for anyone who plans to carry a balance — as well as its business-friendly cash-back categories and 25% annual bonus. But other small-business credit cards offer higher bonuses, more flexible cash-back categories and travel rewards, which may better suit your particular business.

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