U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®

In-Depth Review: U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard® is a lucrative travel rewards card for companies that want to maximize their business trip rewards. The card earns up to 5X points on eligible purchases, with a $0 introductory annual fee (and $95 per year after that), lounge access, and no foreign transaction fees.

Who Can Benefit from the Business Altitude Connect?

Business cards like the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard® are ideal for companies issuing multiple employee cards. That’s because cards like the Altitude Connect are perfect travel companions – no matter where business takes you. The card’s robust rewards apply to multiple travel-centric categories, meaning your employees can earn bonus rewards on the things your company spends heavily on.

How to Get the Card            

Credit Needed

Most U.S. Bank business cards, including the Business Altitude Connect Card, require a good to excellent credit score, typically a FICO score of 670 or higher or a VantageScore of 661 or higher, for approval.

Application Information

When applying for the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®, you will need to provide the following information:

• Personal Information: Name, address, date of birth, Social Security number/ITIN, and personal income.
• Business Information: Business structure, Employer Identification Number (EIN), legal business name, country business was formed in, year business started, business physical mailing address, business gross annual revenue, and industry type.
• Co-owners Information: Name, address, date of birth, and Social Security Number/ITIN of individuals with at least 25% controlling and/or financial interest in the business.
• Employee Cards Information: If applicable, information for each additional employee card requested, including name, date of birth, Social Security Number/ITIN, and anticipated monthly spend on the card.

How to Earn Rewards

60,000-Point Welcome Offer

The welcome bonus with the Business Altitude Connect is lucrative. New accounts earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 on the Account Owner’s card in the first 180 days of opening the account. That bonus has a cash value of $600 and is a fairly easy task for any company that plans to use this card.

Earn Up to 5X Points

The Altitude Connect business card may look similar to the personal Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® (in terms of appearance and rewards structure), but make no mistake—this travel card is designed for companies. Businesses earn up to 5X on travel expenses in critical categories: hotels and car rentals.

The 5X points per $1 spent on hotel and car rental bookings apply to booking directly in the U.S. Bank Rewards Center but are an excellent perk for companies who plan to issue multiple employee cards. Rental cars and budget hotels are a way of life for many business road warriors, so offering such a huge tally is a welcome sight. That’s because these two categories amount to most business travel expenses.

While hotels and car hires are the two heftiest business travel spend categories, airfare is another major expense for companies on the go. Companies earn 4X points on travel, including airfare, hotels, gas, and E.V. charging stations on the first $150,000 combined annual spend, then 1X points after that. Not to worry – the Connect Business Card also earns 4X points per $1 spent on all other travel purchases with the card – even if you don’t book through the Rewards Center.

Finally, companies earn 2X points on dining, takeout, restaurant delivery, and cell phone services and 1X points on all other purchases. Points in the U.S. Bank Rewards program never expire if the account is active and open.

Earn Additional Rewards with the U.S. Bank Rewards Center Earn Mall

Companies also have access to the Rewards Center Earn Mall. The Earn Mall offers an easy way to earn additional points while shopping online at over 1,100 stores using your U.S. Bank card.

How to Redeem Rewards

Redeeming points with U.S. Bank is straightforward. Rewards are redeemable for the usual awards, including merchandise, gift cards, cash back, travel, and more. Claiming rewards as a U.S. Bank Rewards Card requires at least $25 in cash back rewards.

Travel Benefits

As the Business Altitude™ Connect is a travel card at heart, you’d expect it to provide some decent perks – and you’d be correct. Despite the low annual fee ($95 per year, waived for the first year), the card provides Priority Pass Select digital membership, with four free passes each year. The Priority Pass program provides airport lounge access to more than 1,300 VIP lounges worldwide, with a visit usually costing around $45. This perk is a $180 per year value for employees.

Even better, employee cards are free of charge, so you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank to equip your team with the necessary credit cards. No foreign transaction fees are another great travel perk, as those annoying charges can seriously harm the overhead of international business.

U.S. Bank Benefits

Other noteworthy features of the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect include transferring points to/from the Account Owners to a personal U.S. Bank Altitude® Go or Altitude® Connect card. This unique feature lets you amass points – and redeem for awards – faster. Companies also enjoy the typical U.S. Bank features of the card, including:

World Elite Mastercard® Benefits

Businesses also enjoy Mastercard Business World Elite protections and perks. World Elite is the premier tier in the Mastercard payment network, offering companies the very best features, including:

Comparison

Here’s how the U.S. Bank business card compares to competitors:

What We Like About the Card

Affordable Luxury Perks

The card provides affordable luxury perks for employees, ensuring that it doesn’t strain their budget. One of the standout benefits is the four complimentary visits to Priority Pass Select lounges, which offer a much-needed respite from the chaos of airports. These four trips are a modest yet valuable perk that doesn’t justify an increase in the annual fee. It strikes the perfect balance between cost and benefit.

No Foreign Transaction Fees

Another nice feature of the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Mastercard is no foreign transaction fees. This feature can save your company considerable money when using the card abroad, especially as most cards charge a foreign transaction fee of around 3% of the transactions made in U.S. dollars.

Things to Consider

Annual Fee

When it comes to the annual fees for this credit card, it’s important to note that after the first year, there is a $95 fee. This fee is higher than the average annual fee that you would typically find among new credit card offers. So, it’s something to keep in mind when considering this card for your financial needs.

U.S. Bank Ratings

How does the U.S. Bank rate as a lender? Here is a selection of expert reviews for U.S. Bank and its credit card products:

Should You Apply for the U.S. Bank Business Altitude™ Connect World Elite Mastercard®?

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Mastercard is a versatile business rewards card for companies that want robust spending controls and lucrative rewards in one package. The flexible reward earning rate is solid, enhanced further by the lack of foreign transaction fees and four complimentary lounge visits each year through Priority Pass. The $95 annual fee is somewhat annoying. Still, for companies that issue multiple cards and plan on business trips abroad, the card is a no-brainer.