U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards
Best For: Earning travel rewards on office supply, gas, cell phones expenses
| Intro APR | Regular APR | Annual Fee | Credit Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 11.99% to 22.99%* Variable | $0* Intro for first year; $55* thereafter | Good - Excellent |
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card is a credit card built for companies with moderate travel expenses. In months when airfare is your biggest expense, earn two times the points per dollar. When you spend heavily on gas or office supplies, earn two times the points on those purchases instead. Ongoing annual percentage rate (APR) is as low as 11.99%.
The best business cards for travel pay up to five times the points or miles on at least one bonus category, offer introductory rewards worth at least $500 and provide benefits like airport lounge access. U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card can’t compete with the best travel card offers, but its low annual fee and excellent ongoing APR make it a solid pick for any budget-conscious business. We give it 3 1/2 stars out of five stars.
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How We Evaluated U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card
We evaluated all aspects of the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card card. It offers small business owners the opportunity to earn a solid — if not spectacular — return on airline spending, while keeping card costs relatively low. The $55 annual fee is waived the first year. In future years you could earn a waived fee by spending at least $24,000 annually.
We considered the following criteria when grading this business credit card:
- Ongoing rewards: The points you’ll earn by using U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card. This card earns two times the points on whichever one of three categories you spend most on each month — gas, office supplies, or airlines
- Introductory rewards: The points you’ll earn by reaching minimum spending requirements over the first few months of card ownership; U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card offers 25,000 FlexPoints after you spend $2,000 within four months; that’s low when compared with the best small business credit cards
- Additional benefits: Whether the card comes with free perks that may increase its value. U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card offers valuable perks like purchase security and extended warranty benefits
- Annual fee: How much you’ll pay each year to own the card. U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card charges $55 a year, but you’ll be reimbursed if you spend $24,000 or more annually; if you want a card that doesn’t charge an annual fee, consider one of the best cash-back business credit cards
- Intro APR: Whether the card offers a period of no-interest financing on purchases or balance transfers; the U.S. Bank card comes with no introductory offer
- Ongoing APR: How much it will cost to finance purchases on the card; this card charges an ongoing APR of 11.99% to 22.99%
We weigh ongoing and introductory rewards and additional benefits heaviest when grading small business credit cards for travel. Earn intro rewards worth up to $375 on the business version of the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card and two times the points for airline spending. Introductory and ongoing rewards are lower than you’d earn on the Chase Ink Business Preferred®, but that card charges a slightly higher annual fee ($95). Before you apply, learn how to get a credit card.
How We Evaluate Travel Rewards Business Credit Cards
When grading travel rewards business credit cards like the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards card, we weight ongoing rewards, introductory rewards, and additional features heaviest. We also take into account the annual fee, introductory no-interest period, and ongoing APRs. This U.S. Bank card suffers in our ratings because it offers no 0% APR period.
We graded the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards card using the following methodology:
| Grading Criteria | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing Rewards | ||
| Introductory Rewards | ||
| Additional Features | ||
| Annual Fee | ||
| Introductory APR | ||
| Ongoing APR | ||
| Total Score |
Based on our five-star rating system where 20 points equals one star, the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards card would need a no-interest period or improve its introductory rewards to earn four stars. In cases where cards receive perfect scores in most categories, we may award bonus points to boost the card’s rating.
Despite the strong ongoing rewards and additional features, this grade is appropriate because the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards card offers no introductory APR and is lacking a substantial introductory reward offer. In comparison, this U.S. Bank cards’ introductory offer falls short of the CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard offer (70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles).
Who U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Is Right For
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card is best for business owners who have moderate travel budgets and can spend $24,000 annually on the card — the threshold at which your annual fee will be waived. This card’s value is considerably higher without an annual fee. It’s also a great pick for businesses seeking a low ongoing APR.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Costs
This U.S. Bank business credit card comes with no introductory 0% APR on purchases or balance transfers, which is not unusual for a business travel rewards credit card. The ongoing APR for this card is outstanding, about the same as what the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards Mastercard® charges.
Financing costs and fees on U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card include:
- Introductory APR: None
- Ongoing APR: 11.99% to 22.99%, which adjusts with the prime rate
- Annual fee: $55, waived the first year; the fee will be credited back to the account if you have $24,000 or more in spending in a year
- Balance transfer fee: $5 or 3% of the amount transferred, whichever is higher
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Cash advance fee: $10, or 5% of the amount of the advance
- Late payment fee: $19 on balances up to $100; $29 on balances between $100 and $250; $39 of balances above $250
- Returned payment fee: $35
- Penalty APR: 29.99%; it may be applied if you make payments five calendar days late twice or 30 calendar days late once, if you make a payment that is returned or if you exceed your credit limit twice in 12 consecutive months.
The penalty APR will apply until you make six consecutive on-time payments and do not exceed your credit limit. Some credit cards will hold you at the penalty APR indefinitely. The $55 annual fee — waived the first year — is significantly lower than what other travel rewards business credit+ cards charge, including Capital One® Spark Miles® — $95, waived the first year — and the American Express Business Platinum Card® ($595) (see rates & fees). You can find cards with introductory APRs among our list of the best credit cards for new businesses.
How to Avoid Paying Interest on U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card
Your payment due date is 24 to 30 days after the close of the business cycle when you receive your bill. Pay your balance in full by the due date to avoid interest charges. If you are charged interest, you’ll pay no less than $2. The due date is potentially longer than other cards offer, including the minimum 20 days Chase Ink Business Preferred® says it will give its cardholders.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Rewards
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card offers introductory rewards worth $375 when used on airfare, hotel stays or car rentals. Earn ongoing bonus rewards on cellphone service, charitable donations, and either airfare, gas, or office supplies.
Introductory Rewards
You will earn the following introductory rewards when using your card:
- 25,000 FlexPoints when you spend $2,000 within the first four months of card ownership.
These points are worth $375 when redeemed for airfare. That’s better than the $300 statement credit offered by the Bank of America® Business Advantage Travel Rewards Mastercard®, but significantly less than CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® offer — 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles worth up to $700 when redeemed for travel.
Ongoing Rewards
You will earn the following ongoing rewards when using your card:
- Two times the points on airlines, gas stations or office supply stores, whichever category you spend the most in during a given month
- Two times the points on cellphone service
- Two times the points on charitable donations
- One times the points on all other eligible spending
Few business credit cards offer rewards for cellphone service or charitable donations, so this is a nice benefit this card offers. Chase Ink Business Preferred® pays three points per dollar on travel, and this category covers much more than airfare, including hotels, car rental agencies, tolls and parking lots.
Rewards Restrictions
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card won’t pay points for the following purchases:
- Convenience checks, traveler’s checks, and money orders
- Credit insurance premiums
- Wire transfers and foreign cash transactions
- Betting transactions, lottery tickets, and ATM disbursements
- Balance transfers, interest charges, and fees
- Transactions to fund certain prepaid card products
- U.S. Mint purchases
These restrictions are similar to what you’ll find on other small business credit cards.
How You Can Redeem Your Rewards
There are four primary ways to redeem your points — 1,000-point minimum:
- Travel: Redeem for airline tickets on more than 150 airlines with no blackout dates, hotel stays or car rentals
- Cash back: Receive a statement credit or deposit into your U.S. Bank business checking, savings or money market account
- Gift cards: Redeems points for gift cards from hundreds of retailers
- Merchandise: Choose from hundreds of brand name items
When redeemed for travel, FlexPoints are worth 1.5 cents each, which means 25,000 points can be redeemed for $375 in airfare, hotel stays or car rentals. Only one other business card offers guaranteed redemption rates above 1 cent per point — the Chase Ink Business Preferred®, which offers a 1.25-cent redemption rate on travel.
You can redeem your FlexPoints through your online account. Points expire at the end of the calendar quarter that is five years from the date on which they were earned. Most other small business credit cards set no expiration date on rewards you earn. When you redeem points for an airline ticket, you may receive up to a $25 airline allowance paid as a statement credit for purchases made with the carrier providing your award flight.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Additional Features
This U.S. Bank business credit card offers several free perks as part of this card’s benefits package, including car rental insurance, extended warranty protection, and purchase security, which protects purchases against theft and damage for 90 days. These benefits are common among small business credit cards.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Rental Car Discounts
You will earn a discount off the base rental rate from National Car Rental, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Alamo Rent A Car when you use the business version of the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card. The American Express Business Platinum Card® offers upgraded status in several car rental loyalty programs, but few business credit cards offer the opportunity for discounted rates.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
When you rent a car using your U.S. Bank card, you’re covered up to the cash value of the vehicle in case of accident or theft on rentals made in the U.S. and most foreign countries. Coverage is secondary if you have personal auto insurance, which means you’ll have to file a claim with your insurance company first. U.S. Bank will reimburse you for your insurance deductible.
The following coverage is included when using your U.S. Bank card:
- Physical damage and theft of the vehicle
- Valid loss of use charges imposed by the vehicle rental company for the period of time the rental vehicle is out of service
- Towing charges to the nearest collision repair facility
Vans, antique vehicles, and exotic vehicles like a Ferrari or Lamborghini will not be covered by this insurance. Most credit cards that include car rental insurance have similar exclusions on their coverage.
Other business travel rewards credit cards, like the American Express Business Platinum Card®, offer primary coverage, meaning you don’t have to file a claim with your personal insurance company.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Purchase Protection
U.S. Bank may repair or reimburse for items purchased with your U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card that are damaged or stolen within 90 days of purchase. Coverage is limited to $500 per claim, up to $50,000 per cardholder.
Purchase protection does not cover certain conditions or types of purchases, including:
- Animals and living plants
- Antiques and collectible items
- Boats, aircraft, or automobiles
- Items damaged as a result of weather other than lightning, wind, hail, rain, sleet, or snow
- Items purchased for resale, professional, or commercial use
- Items that are lost or that “mysteriously disappear,” meaning that the item or items vanished in an unexplained manner without evidence of a wrongful act by a person or persons
- Items under the care and control of a common carrier, which includes the U.S. Postal Service, airplanes, or delivery service
- Items including, but not limited to, jewelry and watches from baggage unless hand-carried and under your personal supervision, or the supervision of a traveling companion whom you know
Business rewards credit cards that offer this coverage typically limit coverage to either 90 or 120 days after purchase. U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card offers shorter coverage than the Chase Ink Business Preferred®, but the same length of coverage as the Capital One® Spark® Miles card. Exclusions here are common across small business credit cards.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Extended Warranty Protection
U.S. Bank will double the manufacturer’s warranty up to an additional one year from the expiration of warranties of three years or less. An item with a six-month warranty would be backed for an additional six months, for example. The issuer will replace the item or reimburse you up to the amount charged on your U.S. Bank card up to $10,000.
The following purchases are not covered by extended warranty protection:
- Boats, automobiles, aircraft, and any other motorized vehicles
- Items purchased for resale, professional, or commercial use
- Real estate
- Rented or leased items
- Computer software
- Medical equipment
- Used or pre-owned items
The extended warranty protection is weaker than some other small business credit cards offer, including the American Express Business Gold card, which offers one additional year of warranty service on purchases with warranties of five years or less.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Travel Accident Insurance
U.S. Bank will provide up to $500,000 of coverage if you die or lose a limb, sight, speech or hearing in a plane, train, ferry or cruise ship accident paid for with your U.S. Bank card. U.S. Bank will pay out the maximum coverage only in the event of death. Injuries are eligible for $125,000 to $250,000 in coverage.
The following conditions are not covered by travel accident insurance:
- Loss caused by or resulting from intentionally self-inflicted injury
- Injury sustained while riding on any aircraft as a pilot, crewmember, or student pilot or as a flight instructor or examiner
- Sickness or disease
- Infections of any kind regardless of how contracted, except bacterial infections that are directly caused by an accidental cut or wound independent and in the absence of any underlying sickness
U.S. Bank offers the same loss-of-life benefit that comes with Chase Ink Business Preferred®. However, that card also offers a 24-hour death benefit if you or a covered traveler die any time during the duration of a trip of 30 days or less in which you booked airfare for your travel using your card. That coverage is limited to $100,000.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Travel and Emergency Services
Visa will provide travel, emergency, medical and legal assistance 24 hours a day to the cardholder, cardholder’s spouse, or dependent child under the age of 22. Like with most small business credit cards, this is mostly a concierge service. In most cases, the cardholder is responsible for the cost of any assistance. Request help by calling from a list of toll-free numbers.
This card covers the following assistance:
- Medical referrals
- Emergency transportation assistance
- Prescription assistance
- Legal referrals
- Emergency ticket replacement
- Lost luggage locator
- Emergency translation services
This is fairly standard help for credit cards that offer travel and emergency assistance. Premium business travel rewards credit cards, like the American Express Business Platinum Card®, may offer a higher level of service. Use the card’s Premium Global Assist Hotline when you fall ill, and the issuer may provide a medical evacuation at no cost to the card member or covered family member.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Account Management Tools
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card also comes with a number of spending controls and protections that can help your business manage risk, including a liability waiver program that protects against card theft by terminated employees.
You will enjoy the following account management tools:
- Visa Payment Controls: Individually customize each employee business credit card, allowing you to manage when, where and how your employees use their cards
- Visa Liability Waiver: Covers eligible transactions billed or made 75 days prior to or up to 14 days after you terminate an employee
- Spend analysis online reporting: Makes it easier to track and monitor expenses with a chart that shows your spending information at a glance. You can also quickly monitor transactions in your top spending categories
Many small business credit cards offer ways to control employee spending, but the liability waiver is fairly unique to U.S. Bank small business credit cards.
Adding U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Employee Cards
You may request up to 10 employee cards when you submit your application. Once approved, you can ask for more if you need them. While the account owner card is charged a $55 annual fee (free the first year), employee cards carry a $10 annual fee. Both annual fees will be credited back to the account if you spend at least $24,000 annually. American Express is the only major card issuer to charge annual fees on employee cards.
What U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card is Missing
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card offers a lower return on airfare — two times the points — than other top business travel credit cards like the American Express Business Platinum® — five times the points — and the Chase Ink Business Preferred® — three times the points. You’re also only guaranteed to earn two times the points on air travel if your spending in that category is higher than what you spend on gas stations or office supply stores in a given month.
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Reviews
We scoured the internet for U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card reviews, which are mixed. Some cardholders say they value the ease in which they can redeem travel rewards for airfare or hotels. Others say U.S. Bank changed the rewards program for the worse when in early 2018 it moved to a fixed-rate value — 1.5 cents — per point rather than a tiered-value, which had points worth 1 to 2 cents each depending on the cost of the ticket you wanted.
How to Apply for U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card
You can apply online for the U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card card. To get a business credit card, fill out a basic application containing both business and personal information, and you could be approved instantly. Once you’re approved, you’ll receive your card in the mail within seven to 10 days. If you’re not instantly approved, you can check your application status on U.S. Bank’s website. If you’re rejected, consider a business card for fair credit.
How to Login To Your U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card Account
Login to your U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card card account on U.S. Bank’s website by providing your user ID and password. You can also contact customer service for U.S. Bank business cards at 866-485-4545.
Other U.S. Bank Business Credit Cards
U.S. Bank offers a number of small business credit cards designed for different kind of spending needs, including travel rewards and cash back. Find the card that best rewards your business’ spending.
The other U.S. Bank business credit cards include the:
- U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card: This card is best for business owners whose spending changes from month to month; you’ll earn two times the points per dollar spent on eligible net purchases in the top two categories — out of 48 — where you spend the most each month
- U.S. Bank Business Select Rewards Card: This card is best for owners who want to choose which bonus category offers the most rewards; you’ll earn three times the points in a spending category of your choice, including day-to-day expenses, automotive and travel and entertainment
- U.S. Bank Business Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard: This card is best for owners who want to earn an annual reward bonus; you’ll earn a 25% annual bonus based on your prior year’s rewards, up to $250; this card pays 3% cash back on eligible cellular, gas, and office supply store purchases
- U.S. Bank Business Platinum Card: This card is best for businesses that want cheap introductory and ongoing financing; the card comes with 0% introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 20 billing cycles and an ongoing APR as low as 9.99%
Alternatives to U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card
Some small business credit cards may offer bonus category rewards better suited to your business. If your business has more predictable spending needs across one or more spending categories, you may want to consider a different rewards credit card.
3 Alternatives to U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Business Travel Rewards Card
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For rates and fees on the American Express Business Platinum Card®, please click here.
