U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard® is a lucrative travel rewards card for companies that really want to maximize their business trip rewards. The card earns up to 5X points on eligible purchases, with a $0 introductory annual fee (and $95 per year after that), lounge access, and no foreign transaction fees.

Impressive Welcome Bonus

The welcome bonus with the Business Altitude Connect is lucrative. New accounts earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 on the Account Owner’s card in the first 180 days of opening the account. That bonus has a cash value of $600 and is a fairly easy task for any company that plans to really use this card.

How to Earn Rewards

The Altitude Connect business card may look similar to the personal Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® (both in terms of appearance and rewards structure), but make no mistake – this is a travel card with companies in mind. Businesses earn up to 5X on travel expenses in critical categories: hotels and car rentals.

The 5X points per $1 spent on hotel and car rental bookings apply to booked directly in the U.S. Bank Rewards Center but is an excellent perk for companies who plan to issue multiple employee cards. Rental cars and budget hotels are a way of life for many business road warriors, so offering such a huge tally is a welcome sight. That’s because these two categories amount to most business travel expenses.

While hotels and car hires are the two heftiest business travel spend categories, airfare is another major expense for companies on the go. Companies earn 4X points on travel, including airfare, hotels, gas, and E.V. charging stations on the first $150,000 in combined annual spend, then 1X points after that. Not to worry – the Connect Business Card also earns 4X points per $1 spent on all other travel purchases with the card – even if you don’t book through the Rewards Center.

Finally, companies earn a solid 2X points on dining, takeout, restaurant delivery and cell phone services and 1X points on all other purchases. Points in the U.S. Bank Rewards program never expire as long as the account is active and open. Companies also have access to the Rewards Center Earn Mall. The Earn Mall offers an easy way to earn additional points while shopping online at over 1,100 stores using your U.S. Bank card.

Business Rewards Comparison

Here’s how the U.S. Bank business card compares to competitors:

	Business Altitude™ Connect	Divvy Credit Card	Ink Business Cash®
Annual fee	$95 ($0 year one)	None	None
Foreign transaction fee	None	See terms	3%
Rewards	Earn 5X on hotel and car rentals booked through Rewards Center, 4X on other travel purchases, 2X on dining, takeout, restaurant delivery and cell phone services, and 1X on all other purchases	Earn up to 7X on dining purchases, up to 5X on hotels, up to 2X on recurring software subscriptions, and up to 1.5X on all other purchases	Earn 3X on travel, shipping, internet, cable and phone services and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary.
Employee cards	Free	Free	Free

How to Redeem Rewards

Redeeming points with U.S. Bank is simple and straightforward. Rewards are redeemable for the usual awards, including merchandise, gift cards, cash back, travel, and more. Claiming rewards as a U.S. Bank Rewards Card requires at least $25 in cash back rewards.

Travel Perks

As the Business Altitude™ Connect is a travel card at heart, you’d expect it to provide some decent perks – and you’d be correct. Despite the low annual fee ($95 per year, waived for the first year), the card provides Priority Pass Select digital membership, with four free passes each year. The Priority Pass program provides airport lounge access to more than 1,300 VIP lounges worldwide, with a visit usually costing around $45. This perk is a $180 per year value for employees.

Even better, employee cards are free of charge, so you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank just to equip your team with the necessary credit cards. Adding no foreign transaction fees is another great travel perk – as those annoying charges can seriously harm the overhead of international business.

Other Card Features

Other noteworthy features of the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect include the ability to transfer points to/from the Account Owner’s to a personal U.S. Bank Altitude® Go or Altitude® Connect card. This unique feature lets you amass points – and redeem for awards – faster. Companies also enjoy the typical U.S. Bank features of the card, including:

Businesses also enjoy Mastercard Business World Elite protections and perks. World Elite is the premier tier in the Mastercard payment network, offering companies the very best features, including:

U.S. Bank Ratings

How does the U.S. Bank rate as a lender? Here is a selection of expert reviews for U.S. Bank and its credit card products:

Should You Apply for the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®?

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Mastercard is a versatile business rewards card for companies that want robust spending controls and lucrative rewards in one package. The flexible reward earning rate is solid, enhanced further by the lack of foreign transaction fees and four complimentary lounge visits each year through Priority Pass. The $95 annual fee is somewhat annoying. Still, for companies that issue multiple cards and plan on business trips abroad, the card is something of a no-brainer.