20,000 Easy Points, Plus Choose Your Own Bonus Category!  US Bank Business Select Review

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Lots of credit cards come with bonus categories that give you extra points for spending money in certain ways.  But not all cards let you CHOOSE which type of spending you’re rewarded for!

That’s where the U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards comes in.  You can examine your small business expenses and choose to receive 3 points per $1 for the costliest ones!  Plus, you’ll earn 20,000 bonus points (worth up to ~$180 in travel) when you open the card and hit a relatively low minimum spending requirement.

You can apply for the US Bank Business Select here.

I’ll help you decide if the US Bank Business Select is worth considering for your situation.

The US Bank Business Select Card Sign-Up Bonus Is Worth up to ~$180 in Travel

Apply Here:   U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards

The US Bank Business Select is a practical small business card that will earn you up to ~2.7% back towards travel.  It doesn’t have complicated transfer partners or any of that noise.

You’ll earn a welcome bonus of 20,000 points after you spend $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.  Each point is worth up to ~0.9 cents each toward travel.  So 20,000 points is worth up to ~$180.

How to Earn Points With the US Bank Business Select

The US Bank Business Select earns 3 points per $1 on 1 category of your choosing:

• Day-to-Day Expenses – Including shipping, advertising, utilities, office supplies, telecom, and professional services
• Automotive – Gas, servicing, tires, tolls, dealerships, car washes, and repairs
• Travel and Entertainment – Airlines, auto rental, hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies

You’ll earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

Those bonus categories are pretty broad!  So you should have no trouble racking up points, no matter what your small business specializes in.

How to Use Your Points

You can use your points towards travel, gift cards, merchandise, or a statement credit.

You’ll get a maximum value of ~0.9 cents each when you redeem them for travel.  That stinks compared to most other miles & points cards.  However, when you spend in your selected 3X category, you’ll get an equivalent of ~2.7 cents per $1. (~0.9 cents per point X 3 points per $1).

Here are the redemption rates for travel:

Airfare

• 50,000 points = up to $450
• 70,000 points = up to $625
• 90,000 points = up to $800
• 130,000 points = up to $1,150
• 170,000 points = up to $1,500
• 225,000 points = up to $2,000
• 280,000 points = up to $2,500
• 340,000 points = up to $3,000

Hotels

• 25,000 points = up to $225
• 35,000 points = up to $300
• 45,000 points = up to $400
• 55,000 points = up to $500
• 70,000 points = up to $625
• 85,000 points = up to $750
• 100,000 points = up to $900
• 120,000 points = up to $1,100
• 160,000 points = up to $1,500
• 220,000 points = up to $2,000
• 275,000 points = up to $2,500

Car Rentals

• 25,000 points = up to $225
• 35,000 points = up to $300
• 45,000 points = up to $400
• 55,000 points = up to $500
• 70,000 points = up to $625
• 85,000 points = up to $750
• 100,000 points = up to $900
• 120,000 points = up to $1,100
• 160,000 points = up to $1,500
• 220,000 points = up to $2,000
• 275,000 points = up to $2,500

You can book your travel online at the Rewards Center on the US Bank website.  If you’re redeeming your points for a flight, you also have the option to call 888-229-8864.

To redeem your points for things other than travel, you’ll see all the options in the Rewards Center on the US Bank website.

Benefits of the US Bank Business Select

Easy Way to Track Spending

The US Bank Business Select card gives you access to a free online tool that provides instant access to reporting that is designed to give you a more clear picture of your credit card spending.  It actually looks pretty cool.

Secure Business Purchases

Your business is protected from unauthorized purchases with:

• Zero fraud liability
• Chip technology
• 24/7 fraud monitoring

Employee Spending Controls

You can customize your employee business credit cards to control where, when and how your employees use them.  For example, you can:

• Set controls by time, place, and dollar amount
• Customize payment due dates
• Set up account alerts and interest-saving tools

Is the US Bank Business Select Worth the Annual Fee?

The US Bank Business Select has NO annual fee.  So you have nothing to lose by opening the card!

Does the US Bank Business Select Card Have a Foreign Transaction Fee?

Yes.  This is NOT a good card to take abroad.

Who Should Sign-Up for the US Bank Business Select?

This is a solid no-annual-fee small business card with NO caps on 3X bonus points.

If you think you’ll do a lot of spending in the card’s bonus category, this could be a great fit for you!  Especially if you find travel miles & points transfer partners to be a bit of a headache.  Plus, the card has a low minimum spending requirement to earn its 20,000 point welcome bonus.

And because this is a small business card, opening the card won’t hurt your chances of being approved for other more valuable cards later!  It will NOT add to your Chase 5/24 count.

Remember, this is a small business card.  So you’ll need a for-profit venture to qualify.  But you don’t have to be working full-time at the business to qualify for a small business credit card.  You could have only a part-time side hustle or freelance gig and still be approved!

Note:   Existing and previous US Bank Business Select accounts do not qualify for bonus points for a similar account type.

Credit Card Similar to the US Bank Business Select

There are lots of no-annual-fee small business cards to choose from!  If the US Bank Business Select doesn’t feel like a good fit, here are our top recommendations.

1.   Ink Business Cash

Apply Here:   Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Our Review of the Ink Business Cash

With the no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash, you’ll earn a $500 cash bonus (50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.  This is the highest bonus we’ve ever seen on this card!

With the Ink Business Cash Credit Card, you’ll earn:

• 5% cash back (5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on phone, internet, and cable TV services each account anniversary year
• 2% cash back (2X Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1) on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
• 1% cash back (1X Chase Ultimate Rewards point per $1) on all other purchases

You can get much more value if you have an annual-fee Chase Ultimate Rewards card.  Because you can transfer the points you earn to Chase’s travel partners!  Here’s how to combine points from your Ink Business Cash to eligible Chase cards to get the most Big Travel!

Here’s our review of the Ink Business Cash.

2.   US Bank Business Cash

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

The US Bank Business Cash is a straightforward small business cash back card with no complicated travel angles to figure out.  And because it earns CASH, its rewards are much more flexible than the US Bank Business Select.

You’ll earn a welcome bonus of $200 cash back after you spend $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.  It earns 3% cash back with:

• Cellular services
• Gas stations
• Office supply store eligible net purchases

You’ll earn 1% cash back on all other purchases.

You’ll also get a 25% bonus on your prior year’s bonus, up to $250!  And the terms don’t seem to exclude the initial $200 welcome bonus you’ll earn when you open the card and meet minimum spending.  So next year, you should get an automatic $50 bonus ($200 welcome bonus X 25% annual bonus)!

Bottom Line

The US Bank Business Select is a solid small business card with a decent sign-up bonus.  It has NO annual fee, so it’s free to try out and keep.

If you’d like to pick your own small business bonus categories, this card will give you that option.  But I’d search around for another card that already caters to most of your spending, because the rewards you earn will likely be worth more.

For example, the US Bank Business Cash earns cash back (much more flexible than the points earned by the US Bank Business Select).  Plus, the card comes with a 25% annual bonus on all cash back earned from the previous year.  It means you’ll get effectively 3.75% back on bonus categories (3% X 1.25), and 1.25% back on regular purchases (1% X 1.25) on up to $1,000 in cash back.

Keep in mind, US Bank small business cards do NOT show up on your personal credit report.  So opening this card won’t prevent you from opening valuable cards from other banks, like Chase.

What’s your opinion of the US Bank Business Select?  Is it worth a go for your situation?

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