Our Take
4.5
NerdWallet rating
The bottom line:
Top-notch rewards on travel and gas — and no annual fee for the first year — elevate this business travel card above most competitors. But jet-setters may want more perks than the Business Altitude Connect offers.
U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
Regular APR
18.99%-25.99% Variable APR
Intro APR
N/A
Apply now
on U.S. Bank's website
More details from U.S. Bank
- Introducing the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect™ World Elite Mastercard®, the business travel card that's 5X more rewarding.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points, worth $600 if you spend $6,000 on the Account Owner's card in the first 180 days from account opening.
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center.
- Earn 4X points on travel, gas and EV charging stations* on the first $150,000 in combined annual spend (*excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs).
- Earn 2X points on dining, takeout, restaurant delivery and cell service providers.
- Earn 1X points on all other eligible spend.
- Earn a $25 statement credit for every three consecutive monthly taxi or rideshare trips.
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, $95 per year thereafter.
- Points transfer between business and consumer U.S. Bank Altitude products (excluding Reserve).
- Airport lounge access - Priority Pass™ Digital annual membership with access to more than 1,300 VIP lounges worldwide, plus four complimentary visits per membership year.
- Terms and conditions apply.
View Rates & Fees
Pros & Cons
Pros
- New cardholder bonus offer
- High bonus rewards rate
- Annual fee waived for the first year
- Reports to Dun & Bradstreet
Cons
- No intro APR offer
- Activity on employee cards does not count toward bonus spending requirement
Compare to Other Cards
at U.S. Bank | at Chase | at American Express |
Annual fee $95 | Annual fee $95 | Annual fee $375 |
Regular APR 18.99%-25.99% Variable APR | Regular APR 20.49%-26.49% Variable APR | Regular APR 18.49%-27.49% Variable APR |
Intro APR N/A | Intro APR N/A | Intro APR 0% intro APR on purchases for 6 months from the date of account opening |
Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent | Recommended credit score 690-850good - excellent |
Full Review
Business travelers will find a lot to like with the
U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®
, including top-notch rewards on travel, gas and EV charging, no annual fee for the first year ($95
after that) and up to four free Priority Pass lounge visits per year.While those benefits best most basic business travel cards, the Business Altitude Connect lacks the type of premium travel perks that appeal to business owners who spend more time in the air than at an office. It also doesn’t allow you to transfer points to external travel partners.
If elite status, airline credits and lounge access are priorities, consider alternatives like the
Capital One Venture X Business
or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
. And if you like to play the points game, the
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
lets you transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to more than a dozen external partners, including popular airline and hotel chains. You can also transfer points from Ink Business Preferred to your Chase Sapphire Reserve, if you have one, allowing you to squeeze even more value from the points you earn.Key features
Card type: Small business.
Annual fee:
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
.Recommended credit score: FICO score of
690
or higher.Sign-up bonus:
Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points, worth $600 if you spend $6,000 on the Account Owner's card in the first 180 days from account opening.
Rewards:
Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Rewards Center. Earn 4X points on travel, gas and EV charging stations* on the first $150,000 in combined annual spend (*excludes discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs). Earn 2X points on dining, takeout, restaurant delivery and cell service providers. Earn 1X points on all other eligible spend.
APR:
18.99
%-25.99
% Variable APR.Foreign transaction fee:
$0
.Other benefits:
- $25 statement credit on every three consecutive monthly taxi or rideshare trips.
- Priority Pass digital membership and four free visits per year.
Why you might want the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®
No annual fee for the first year
It’s rare to find a business travel card with no annual fee — you typically pay at least $95 for the perks and welcome offer. But the U.S. Bank Business Altitude’s annual fee is
$0 intro for the first year, then $95
. You’ll still net serious rewards (more on that below) and pocket a nice welcome offer, too: Limited Time Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points, worth $600 if you spend $6,000 on the Account Owner's card in the first 180 days from account opening.
Big-time rewards on travel, gas
The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect earns 4x points on travel, including at gas stations and EV charging stations, up to the first $150,000 in combined annual spending. That’s a rate unmatched by other business travel cards, which typically require you to book through the card’s dedicated travel portal to earn more than 3 points per dollar. But it’s worth noting that the Business Altitude Connect offers that option as well: You’ll earn 5x points on hotels and car rentals booked directly through U.S. Bank’s Reward Center.
» MORE: Best business gas credit cards
Combine points with personal cards
U.S. Bank loyalists can pool points earned on their Business Altitude Connect with select U.S. Bank consumer cards, including the
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
, which also earns 4x points on travel, gas stations, and EV charging stations on your first $1,000 each quarter, or the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
, which earns 4x points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery. Note: You cannot combine points with the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
, U.S. Bank’s premium travel card, which has a higher point value than the bank’s other cards.Why you might want a different card
No external transfer partners
Points earned with your Business Altitude Connect can only be redeemed as a statement credit or for travel via the Altitude Rewards Center. In both scenarios, one point is equal to 1 cent. That’s a respectable redemption value, to be sure, but you could squeeze even more value from those points with the option to transfer to other travel partners. U.S. Bank does not allow that, but several other business travel cards do offer that option.
The
Chase Ink Business Preferred
has more than a dozen travel partners and you can transfer any Chase Ultimate Rewards® points earned with the Ink Business Preferred to those partners on a 1:1 basis. Doing so strategically can stretch the value of those points from 1 cent per point to as much as 2.3
cents per point, depending on the partner.Below is a full list of Chase’s current transfer partners, their estimated value and transfer ratio.
Transfer partner | Estimated value | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|---|
1.4 cents . | 1:1. | |
1.2 cents . | 1:1. | |
1 cent . | 1:1. | |
0.6 cent . | 1:1. | |
0.5 cent . | 1:1. | |
1.5 cents . | 1:1. | |
0.9 cent . | 1:1. | |
1.5 cents . | 1:1. | |
1.2 cents . | 1:1. | |
1.8 cents . | 1:1. | |
2.2 cents . | 1:1. |
If you carry the Chase Sapphire Reserve® as a personal card, you can also transfer points from your Ink Business Preferred to your Sapphire Reserve card, increasing their value to 1.5 cents per point.
Lack of premium travel perks
While the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect doles out big rewards for travel spending, the card lacks the additional travel perks offered by many competitors. You won’t earn elite status with any hotels or airlines for simply carrying the card.
If you want more than just points from your travel card, consider the
Capital One Venture X Business
. While the annual fee is high ($395
), the perks are plenty. You can earn a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles every card anniversary and a $120 statement credit toward your TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application fee every four years. That’s in addition to the massive welcome offer: Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
(See rates and fees.)Should you get the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®?
If you’re looking for a better-than-basic business travel card, the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect is a solid option. You’ll earn top-rate rewards for all travel spending (up to $150,000) regardless of where you book through, and the 4x rewards rate applies to gas and EV charging stations. But if you’re the type of traveler who wants to squeeze every bit of value from your points, consider an option with transfer partners, like the
Chase Ink Business Preferred
, or premium travel perks, a la the Capital One Venture X Business
.View rates and fees of
Capital One Venture X Business
.To view rates and fees of the
American Express® Business Gold Card
, see this page.To view rates and fees of
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
, see this page.Apply now
on U.S. Bank's website
New elevated offer
