U.S. Bank BUSINESS Leverage Visa Signature
Updated August 15, 2024.
The Facts
The Math
The 5% bonus category is not very useful because of the prepaid requirement and the fact that hotel bookings through a third party are ineligible for points earning and/or status recognition by several major hotel programs. And 2% and 1% cashback is unimpressive either, as there are some other business cards that offer impressive rewards, for example, Amex Blue Business Cash which offers 2% cashback for the first $50K purchases per year, or Amex Blue Business Plus which offers 2x points (~3% if you transfer points to frequent flyer miles and know how to leverage them) for the first $50K purchases per year.
The Conclusion
Other than the signup bonus, US Bank Business Leverage pales by comparison to the best business rewards cards.
The Facts
- Annual Fee: first year free and $95 thereafter
- Signup Bonus: 75,000 points (=$750) after you spend $7,500 within the first 120 days of new account opening. Historical best bonus: 90,000 points in 2024; 75,000 points most of other times.
- Application Landing Page
- Rewards: 5% cashback for prepaid hotels and car rentals through U.S. Bank, 2% on the two categories that you spend the most each month, 1% everywhere else.
- Best Use of Leverage points: You may redeem the points for cash back, travel, gift cards, merchandise, magazines, etc., at up to 1 cent per point (cpp). The best option is redeeming each 5K points for $50 statement credit, at 1 cpp, so this card is considered a cashback card.
- Other Benefits: Waived foreign transaction fees with an embedded EMV chip.
- History: This card was introduced in 2020.
The Math
The 5% bonus category is not very useful because of the prepaid requirement and the fact that hotel bookings through a third party are ineligible for points earning and/or status recognition by several major hotel programs. And 2% and 1% cashback is unimpressive either, as there are some other business cards that offer impressive rewards, for example, Amex Blue Business Cash which offers 2% cashback for the first $50K purchases per year, or Amex Blue Business Plus which offers 2x points (~3% if you transfer points to frequent flyer miles and know how to leverage them) for the first $50K purchases per year.
The Conclusion
Other than the signup bonus, US Bank Business Leverage pales by comparison to the best business rewards cards.