U.S. Bank Launches Two New Business Credit Cards With Up to 5% Cashback
U.S. Bank introduced two new small business credit cards: the Business Essentials™ Visa® Card and Business Essentials™ Plus Visa Signature® Card.
Photo: big4credit.com
September 28, 2026 – U.S. Bank has introduced two new small business credit cards: the U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Visa® Card and the U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Plus Visa Signature® Card. Both cards offer unlimited 2% cashback on eligible purchases, while business owners with qualifying balances in an eligible U.S. Bank business checking account can earn higher total cashback rates.
The new Business Essentials cards are designed for small business owners seeking straightforward rewards on everyday business purchases. The launch also introduces actress and entrepreneur Jessica Alba as U.S. Bank’s new spokesperson for its small business credit cards.
The two cards differ in their annual fees, welcome offers, and rewards structure, giving business owners a choice between a no-annual-fee option and a premium card with additional earning opportunities.
U.S. Bank Business Essentials Credit Cards: Key Features
The new cards share a straightforward rewards structure, but the Business Essentials Plus offers higher potential cashback and additional rewards for businesses with significant spending.
U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Visa® Card
The U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Visa® Card has no annual fee and earns unlimited 2% cashback on eligible purchases, with opportunities to earn more through qualifying banking relationships and prepaid travel bookings.
Key benefits include:
- 6% cashback on prepaid hotel and car rental booked directly through U.S. Bank’s Travel Center.
- 2.5% total cashback on the first $10,000 in eligible net purchases each billing cycle when you maintain at least $10,000 in qualifying balances in an eligible U.S. Bank business checking account.
- Unlimited 2% cashback on all other eligible purchases.
- $500 welcome bonus after spending $5,000 in the first 150 days of account opening.
- 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles.
- No annual fee.
- U.S. Bank Spend Management, which helps businesses monitor card spending and manage expenses.
- U.S. Bank ExtendPay, which offers eligible cardholders a fixed-fee payment plan for qualifying purchases.
This card is designed for business owners who want straightforward cashback rewards without an annual fee. The unlimited 2% base rate makes it suitable for everyday business spending, while the potential to earn 2.5% on up to $10,000 in eligible monthly purchases may appeal to businesses that already maintain qualifying balances with U.S. Bank.
U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Plus Visa Signature® Card
The U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Plus Visa Signature® Card carries a $295 annual fee and offers enhanced rewards for businesses with substantial spending.
Key benefits include:
- 10% cashback on prepaid hotel and car rental booked directly through U.S. Bank’s Travel Center.
- 5% cashback on your top eligible spending category, on up to $200,000 in eligible annual purchases.
- Eligible categories include:
- Accounting and tax services
- Airlines
- Cell phone service providers
- Dining
- Entertainment
- Office supply stores
- Postal and shipping services
- Utilities
- Note: The eligible top-spending categories may change without notice.
- Eligible categories include:
- Up to 3.5% total cashback on eligible purchases, based on your qualifying balance in an eligible U.S. Bank business checking account, on up to $200,000 in eligible net purchases annually:
- The Business Essentials Plus Earning Bonus is based on your qualifying balance:
- 2.5% total cashback with a qualifying balance of $15,000–$74,999.99.
- 3% total cashback with a qualifying balance of $75,000–$149,999.99.
- 3.5% total cashback with a qualifying balance of $150,000 or more.
- The Business Essentials Plus Earning Bonus is based on your qualifying balance:
- Unlimited 2% cashback on all other eligible purchases.
- $1,000 welcome bonus after spending $15,000 in the first 150 days of account opening.
- U.S. Bank Spend Management, which helps businesses monitor card spending and manage expenses.
- U.S. Bank ExtendPay, which offers eligible cardholders a fixed-fee payment plan for qualifying purchases.
The Plus card’s standout feature is its automatic 5% cashback category. Instead of requiring business owners to select a bonus category, the card rewards their top eligible spending category, up to the stated annual spending limit.
The card also offers higher potential rewards for businesses that maintain substantial balances in a qualifying U.S. Bank business checking account. However, its $295 annual fee and $15,000 welcome-bonus spending requirement make it a better fit for businesses with enough expenses to justify the cost and meet the spending threshold.
How the CashBack Rewards Work
Both Business Essentials cards offer unlimited 2% cashback on eligible purchases, making them straightforward options for businesses that want rewards without tracking numerous spending categories.
However, the cards provide additional opportunities to earn more.
Up to 2.5% Cashback With Business Essentials
The no-annual-fee Business Essentials card allows eligible business owners to increase their total cashback rate from 2% to as much as 2.5% by maintaining qualifying balances in a qualified U.S. Bank business checking account.
Up to 3.5% Cashback With Business Essentials Plus
The Plus version increases the potential total cashback rate to 3.5% for cardholders with qualifying business checking balances. It also automatically earns 5% cashback on the cardholder’s top spending category, up to $200,000 in annual spending.
This structure could make the Plus card attractive to businesses with substantial expenses concentrated in one category. However, the $295 annual fee means business owners should evaluate their expected rewards against the cost of holding the card.
The exact qualifying balance requirements and the full terms governing the enhanced rewards should be reviewed before applying.
Welcome Bonuses and Introductory APR
U.S. Bank is offering different welcome bonuses for the two cards.
Business Essentials: New cardholders can earn $500 after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 150 days of account opening. Qualifying new cardholders also receive a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 billing cycles.
Business Essentials Plus: New cardholders can earn $1,000 after spending $15,000 on purchases within the first 150 days of account opening. The announcement does not list an introductory APR offer for this card.
The Business Essentials card has a lower spending requirement and an introductory APR offer, while the Plus card provides a larger welcome bonus for businesses able to meet its higher spending requirement.
Which U.S. Bank Business Essentials Card Is Better?
The two cards target different business needs.
The U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Visa® Card may be the better fit for business owners who want unlimited 2% cashback without an annual fee. Its $500 welcome bonus, lower spending requirement, and introductory 0% APR on purchases also make it worth considering for businesses seeking a straightforward rewards card with an introductory financing offer.
The U.S. Bank Business Essentials™ Plus Visa Signature® Card may be more attractive to businesses with higher spending levels, especially those that can benefit from the automatic 5% cashback category and the enhanced rewards rate available with qualifying business checking balances. However, its $295 annual fee and $15,000 welcome-offer spending requirement make it important to evaluate the potential rewards carefully.
Bottom Line
U.S. Bank’s new Business Essentials cards give small business owners two options for earning cashback on everyday purchases. Both offer unlimited 2% cashback, while qualifying business checking balances can increase the total rate to 2.5% with the no-annual-fee card or 3.5% with the $295-annual-fee Plus version.
The Business Essentials Plus adds automatic 5% cashback on the top spending category, up to $200,000 annually, but charges a $295 annual fee. Meanwhile, the standard Business Essentials card offers no annual fee and a 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months for qualifying new cardholders.
For businesses that value simple rewards, expense management tools, and a closer connection between credit card spending and business banking, the new lineup offers two options worth comparing. The best choice will depend on annual spending, qualifying account balances, welcome-offer eligibility and whether the Plus card’s additional rewards justify its annual fee.