U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard Review
The U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard offers unlimited 2x points on every purchase and comes with a sizeable welcome offer. Although U.S. Bank points cannot be transferred to airline or hotel partners, you can still redeem these points for an array of purchase activities. This card isn't on the same level as the Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card or Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, but it could still serve a useful purpose in your credit card toolkit. In this U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard review, we discuss the welcome offer, the earning structure and perks of the card.
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Current Welcome Offer
Here are the terms of the current U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard welcome offer:
- Earn 75,000 points after spending $10,000 within the first 120 days (4ish months) of card membership
- The card's annual fee is $195
The 75,000-point welcome offer (worth $750) is a nice welcome offer, especially since you will still earn at least 2x points on all your purchases on the way to earning that welcome offer. So at the end of the day, you end up earning at least 95,000 points. It's also nice to have 4 months to complete that spend.
U.S. Bank Application Rules You Should Keep in Mind
U.S. Bank has a few of their own application rules, similar to Chase 5/24. First, they are sensitive to too many recent inquiries. Also, U.S. Bank will usually deny people that have had more than 4 or 5 new cards opened in the last 12 months. You also have better chances of approval if you have other accounts with them, such as a checking account. Grabbing a U.S. Bank checking account when there is a bonus attached could be a prudent decision. They do like checking customers to be near their footprint though, which is something to keep in mind.
U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard Review: Earning Rate
The U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard earns points across the following categories:
- 2x on all purchases (no caps or expiration on total rewards earned)
- 2.5x on up to $5,000 in mobile wallet purchases each quarter
- 6x on hotels and car rentals booked through the Rewards Center
Keep in mind that U.S. Bank does not have transfer partners, so the points you earn with this card are not a transferable currency. You can redeem your points toward merchandise, gift cards, cash back (1 point = 1 cent), and travel via the U.S. Bank Rewards Center, among other things.
U.S. Bank points do not expire.
U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard Benefits
Benefits are scarce with the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard despite the card's $195 annual fee. The card does not have foreign transaction fees, and you can transfer your points between the Business Altitude™ Connect Card, the Business Altitude™ Power Card, the Altitude® Go Card and the Altitude® Connect Card.
ToP's Analysis of the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Card
The U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard offers a simple proposition: unlimited 2x earning on every purchase. You can also earn 6x on hotels and car rentals booked through the U.S. Bank portal, but that's not what this card is for. Besides, we recommend against booking through a travel portal whenever possible. It potentially adds more headache than it is worth should anything go wrong with your booking.
If you enjoy unlimited cash back and want a card that you can just set it and forget, then this card can be helpful. Unlimited 2x points (which can be cashed out) can be a useful tool for many. The extra 0.5x on the first $5,000 in mobile wallet purchases each quarter is also a creative bonus category that you don't usually see anywhere else.
The card's welcome offer is quite valuable at $750, and this card does not count against your Chase 5/24 count since it is a business card. U.S. Bank focuses more on cash back with their card offerings, but they do have some interesting options as you get further down the road.
U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard Review: ToP Thoughts
The premise of the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard is rather simple: unlimited 2x points (2% cashback) on every purchase. The card does come with a $195 annual fee despite scant benefits. As with other U.S. Bank cards, the points earned cannot be transferred to any transfer partners. But, for those looking for cash back, this card can be quite helpful, and with a nice welcome offer to boot.
What are your thoughts about the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Power World Elite Mastercard? Join the discussion in our Facebook group!
