U.S. Bank Business Essentials Cards 2026: $1,000 Bonus, 5% Category & Jessica Alba Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning co-host Darren to discuss U.S. Bank’s two new business credit cards launching in late September 2026: the U.S. Bank Business Essentials Plus Card and the no-annual-fee U.S. Bank Business Essentials Card.
The Business Essentials Plus Card comes with a $295 annual fee and a $1,000 cash bonus after $15,000 in spending within 150 days. It earns 2% cash back on purchases and 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category each month, on up to $200,000 in annual purchases.
Justin and Darren also explain the card’s higher earning tiers tied to 30-day average balances in an eligible U.S. Bank business checking account. They also break down the no-annual-fee Business Essentials Card, which offers a $500 cash bonus after $5,000 in spending within 150 days, 2% cash back, and a 0% introductory APR for 12 billing cycles.
The episode compares both new cards with the existing U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Card and other major business credit card options. Justin and Darren discuss the value of the welcome bonuses, the 5% category structure, U.S. Bank checking requirements, exclusions, opportunity cost, and which types of small business owners may benefit most.
They also react to Jessica Alba appearing in the U.S. Bank launch campaign and press release, discuss whether the new cards live up to the marketing, and answer a listener question about the terms and math behind the checking-balance earning tiers.
The episode closes with upcoming travel plans and final thoughts on whether either U.S. Bank Business Essentials card is worth applying for.
Timestamps
00:00 Theme Song Intro
00:32 Episode Setup and New Cards
02:03 Jessica Alba and Press Release
05:13 Business Essentials Plus Card
09:46 Business Essentials Card
12:44 Best Pick and Alternatives
16:18 Break and Support the Show
16:50 Business Credit Card Strategy
18:57 Listener Question: Checking Account Terms
24:03 Final Thoughts and Who Should Apply
26:42 Upcoming Travel Plans and Support the Show
30:30 Closing Theme
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Rough Transcript:
Travel at low cost with points and miles. Credit card rewards bring the smiles. Many adventures, tales to be told. Make and save money, the world will unfold
Fight the war on happiness, pick up the gold. Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast breaks the mold
You’re listening to the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast. I’m your host, Justin Vacula, here to help you make money, save money, and travel the world at low cost. US Bank continues to innovate with the release of two new business credit cards at the end of September 2026. For a $295 annual fee, earn a $1,000 cash welcome bonus with the new Business Essentials Plus credit card, and [00:01:00] 5% cash back on a top spending category, including office supply stores, and 2% cash back on everything else.
There’s also a Business Essentials no annual fee card for a $500 cash welcome bonus, 2% cash back on all spending, and 0% intro APR for 12 billing cycles. Who are these cards for? Why is Jessica Alba involved? And how do these new cards fare compared to other cash back or business credit cards? Returning co-host, Darren, joins me for today’s episode, recorded October 1st, 2026.
Welcome back to the show, Darren. Thanks, Justin. Good to be back. Talking about something a little different today. We’re not going to talk about the movie Dark Angel, but we will talk-
a little bit about Jessica Alba. Idle Hands, another one, Darren. Idle Hands. You’re better than me. I had Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel mixed up, Justin- Oh … in our pre-show routine here, [00:02:00] so I’m on the right track now, though, don’t worry.
New news nearing the end of 2026 with two new business credit cards from US Bank.
These new cards might be good choices for many listeners, especially those who have been in the credit card space for some time. New cards might not be as flashy as Amex Platinums or Chase Sapphire Reserves of the world, but they can be good additions to our wallets when we’re running out of new cards to get.
And here we have new cashback cards that can, in a way, offset travel expenses that aren’t covered by miles, points, credit card benefits, and much more. There’s even a press release from US Bank
Are you gonna read it in your fun terms and conditions voice, Justin? I’ll save that one for later. Oh, okay. Okay. So listeners have to stay tuned in. But for now, the press release voice. “U.S. Bank doubles down on its commitment to support small business owners with the launch of its U.S.
Bank Business Essentials Visa card, and U.S. Bank Business Essentials [00:03:00] Plus Visa Signature card. The cards are designed for small business owners looking for straightforward rewards on their everyday business purchases. Both offer unlimited 2% cash back on eligible purchases, plus the ability to earn higher cash back when paired with qualifying balances in a qualified business checking account.
The card launch also debuts Jessica Alba, an experienced small business owner and actress, as the bank’s new small business spokesperson. Alba rose to public prominence as an actress in the early 2000s, but she is equally famous for her work as an entrepreneur and philanthropist. She will appear in digital and television ads.
Jessica is an ideal representative for our Business Essentials cardholders, as she embodies many of the traits we celebrate among small business owners, including a tireless work ethic and the knowledge of what it takes to grow a business.” That’s from the [00:04:00] release. Jessica Alba, straightforward rewards.
Do you think it will really be straightforward?
Straightforward probably not. But maybe this time.
You never know, Justin. Hope springs eternal in the human breast, as the saying goes. And it is an interesting approach bringing in Jessica Alba. Maybe that’s to foil the Capital One spokesperson, Jennifer Garner. What do you think, Justin? Yeah, we’ll see if it’s straightforward. I think we’re going to have a few America loves math moments here and some terms and conditions We know US Bank.
Shaquille O’Neal’s everywhere promoting things. Samuel L. Jackson was also a promoter. Yeah. Jessica Alba wants in on this. She’s ready, so good for her. Looking forward to see what she can bring to the table. Can it be straightforward with the US Bank setup? You just have to pay the main account, not the secondary one, even if you’re a business of one.
Yeah. It’s interesting how different banks set these up, and when I say interesting, what I really mean is [00:05:00] confusing and there’s no reason for it, but- Yeah … hey I’m sure somebody decided it was a good idea. It just wasn’t me. Str- straightforward rewards, but maybe not a straightforward payment method and balance, but some little negatives.
We have some positives. The US Bank Business Essentials TM plus, plus, Darren, Visa Signature card. Earn $1,000 cash back after spending $15,000 in the first 150 days of opening your account. This is a $295 annual fee card, so we’re netting, because America loves math, $705 on just the welcome bonus minus the annual fee.
Here’s some more about the card. Earn 2% cash back on all spending and 5% cash back on, as they put it, your top eligible spend category each month automatically up to $200,000 spent annually. Office supply stores is one of those categories, and [00:06:00] others include accounting and tax services, airlines, cellphone providers, dining entertainment for your business, and more.
If you have high balances as a US Bank business checking account holder, or as they call it, qualifying balances in a qualified business checking account, maybe not so straightforward, you can earn increased cash back on all spending, 2.5% if you have more than $15,000, 3% if you have more than $75,000, and 3.5% if you have more than $150,000 in a qualified US Bank business checking account.
I’m liking the welcome bonus, but the annual fee will likely lead to a cancellation or a downgrade in year two, if that’s possible. The 5% office is nice, but this competes with the Chase Ink Cash 5X.
Another US Bank business card, the Triple Cash, is offering 3% at office supply with no [00:07:00] annual fee. And several other cards might be comparable. Heavy office spenders can especially like the 5% cashback here with a very generous spending cap.
Maybe you can downgrade this card to the no annual fee Business Essentials card. We’ll talk about that later. That’ll be in year two if you’re able to downgrade, but this looks like a solid win in year one. Year one, a winner. Year two, a performance review business decision. 2% cashback isn’t anything special, but it’s better than just getting 1% while working on a welcome bonus or other cards just giving 1x after the welcome bonus.
The increased cashback isn’t very interesting to me. I wouldn’t park $15,000 in a checking account, likely earning little to no interest just for an extra half percent. If someone used a US Bank business checking as their main checking, they’d get a little bump in earnings, but nothing major. For the average person, the entire conversation might sound [00:08:00] wild.
You opened a business card, you spent 15,000, you went to Staples multiple times per week, you move money around, you compared checking account tiers, calculated opportunity cost. Welcome to the hobby. Welcome to the hobby indeed. It’s good to have you here. Pull up a chair. It’s a fun, fun little game we play.
Just don’t put $150,000 into a business checking account at essentially zero APY, annual percentage yield, for what will turn out to be one and a half percent. That’s not a good use of your $150,000. There are much better investments out there. I think just keeping the 2%, like you said, Justin, on a Visa card, so there are certainly some stores like some of the big box stores that prefer Visa cards in store.
At 2%, like you said, it’s not really anything to get excited about. The 5% is nice. I wish there were some more options there that lined up with some of my creative spend. But yeah, office supplies, isn’t [00:09:00] awful. A decent welcome bonus, $1,000 minus the 295 annual fee, but the checking component seems really lame.
The numbers don’t lie, as the famous mathematician Scott Steiner said, and they spell disaster for you if you were to park 150,000 for some bonus earnings I didn’t realize Scott Steiner was a world-renowned mathematician, Justin, but that’s good to know. Yes. The nice thing here is if you’re looking for the signup bonus and you’re concerned about the large amount of spend here, you have a few extra days or months compared to what you might usually do for a personal card, which is usually 90 days.
So 150 days versus 90 days, couple extra months there to get that spend in.
The first card is looking decent, but there is a second card: the U.S. Bank Business Essentials Visa card. Not a minus, just no plus. This is a no annual fee card with $500 [00:10:00] cashback bonus after spending $5,000 in 150 days.
Earn 2% cashback on everything, but there isn’t a 5% bonus category. You do get 12 months of 0% APR, unlike the annual fee Business Essentials Plus. This might be straightforward, as they say, if you just forget about the checking component. You earn $500 cash, 2% back on everything, very similar to the popular American Express Blue Business Cash.
0% APR can also be worthwhile, especially if you get a high credit limit, and in many ways you can convert that credit to cash, or simply have more money parked in a high-yield checking or savings account earning about 4% APY or better. About 11 months of $10,000 at 4% APY would give about $366. 11 months because I’m sure to pay the card off before the 12 months just to be sure that they don’t hit me with a mound [00:11:00] of interest.
As always, spend responsibly, use credit intelligently. If we leverage 0% APR, the signup bonus is more like $866. No annual fee in year one, no annual fee in year two, no need to cancel the card. I think pretty decent. You can also use the $10,000 in other ways to earn more than 4% APY, so that value could go up.
The downside, the card does not have a 5% category, so there’s not as much long-term value with this card compared to others because 2% cashback is common
I agree with that. I think 2% cards are the norm or the basic level for most rewards earning cards. If you’re looking just to sign up, spend the $5,000 you need for the signup bonus and move along, not necessarily using this for creative spend or to earn more cash back that’s fine, right?
‘Cause you’re not gonna miss out on the 5% anyway. [00:12:00] Otherwise, I think this is a, I don’t know. What do the kids say, Justin? Six seven, something like that? It’s mid. It’s mid. For sure mid. I think for the signup bonus, pretty good. Long-term value, pretty low, but there will be many that will sign up for a card for one year, cancel it after a year to get the bonus, and I think this could be it.
And on the no annual fee one, then many would just decide to keep it rather than canceling it. Maybe there’ll be some spend offers in the future. Maybe it’s useful for that 2%, as it is a Visa card, not a MasterCard, not an American Express card. So if you’re shopping a lot at these big box stores or doing some other creative spending, then it could help as a Visa
Yeah, agree with that.
If you had to pick one of these cards, what do you think would be the play? For people newer to the credit card space who don’t have high office supply spend, the Essentials no annual fee card is likely the winner, especially if they would value the 0% APR. Maybe they don’t have a 2% [00:13:00] cashback card, and this could be their first one.
But for those with high office supply spend and high spend in general, the Business Essentials Plus likely wins, even though it’s not a long-term keeper card. It’s a higher spend requirement for a higher signup bonus, but the spend along the way could be bonused at 5%.
But we can add a third contender, the U.S. Bank Triple Cash. This business card has existed for some time, and it’s currently offering a $750 welcome bonus with no annual fee, 3% cashback at office supply stores, 1% on spending outside office supply stores, a $100 annual bonus on qualifying software purchases, they’re a fan of the word qualifying, and 0% intro APR.
Maybe get the Triple Cash before either of these Business Essentials cards, but if you already have Triple Cash, the Business Essentials cards can look pretty good. I think that’s funny. Maybe the Triple Cash is even better than the new cards [00:14:00] they have.
That’s not uncommon with some of these banks.
They bring out new and improved cards, and some of the best cards are the ones that are just hanging out and have maybe lost their luster for many folks, but for us still have a lot of value. So Triple Cash is a great example of that. I appreciate you digging that out.
The welcome bonus with no annual fee seems outstanding. Plus 0% intro APR if you have a big purchase that need to do a little spread out on. And shoot, Justin, you could even combine, What’s the spend on this did you say? It’s 6,000 spend for the triple cash. The nice thing about the Triple Cash is you could even combine that with the Business Essentials, the plain Business Essentials, not negative and not plus, and the combination of those two spends, 6,000 plus 5,000, would net you a higher bonus than if you just got the Business Essentials Plus to start with.
[00:15:00] If you’re newer to the credit card space, Chase and Amex business cards can also be appealing, especially the Chase Ink cards with usually high welcome bonuses, even 100,000 points, 75,000 points, and those points can be more valuable for travel if you’re combining points, transferring points with other Chase cards in some circumstances.
The Chase World of Hyatt business card can also be appealing for Hyatt status seekers. Amex also has high welcome bonuses on Business Platinum cards, Delta cards, and more on the business side. Citi AA business can also be appealing for American Airlines flyers. Wells Fargo also has a no annual fee Signify business cash card.
Very similar, $500 welcome bonus, 2% cashback, 0% intro APR. If you have lots of spending, the answer can also be more credit cards or all the above if you can get approved. Lots of competition here. Yeah, lots of competition. I think it [00:16:00] depends, like you said, kinda what are you looking for? Are you focused on cash back?
Are you focused on miles? Like with Amex, like with Chase. The advantage of those compared to personal cards may provide you opportunities for future cards by minimizing impacts on your credit.
That’s right, and with that, we’ll take a short break. If you like what you’re hearing, please support me through links at HurdyGurdyTravel.com, and by becoming a Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast supporter on subscribestar.com or YouTube. Wanna reach out with questions, tips, show ideas, or support? Email info@HurdyGurdyTravelPodcast.com.
Now back to the episode with Darren talking about new US Bank business credit cards
Yeah, we were just talking about the advantages of signing up for business cards versus personal cards and how that may keep [00:17:00] your credit report a little cleaner.
We do know that US Bank accounts don’t show on personal credit. You only see the hard inquiry, but not the opened account. It’s likely at some point that other banks will deny you for too many recently opened accounts, so this can be helpful to increase your approval chances rather than going for personal cards giving 2% cash back, a slight cash welcome bonus like the Wells Fargo Active Cash, the Fidelity Rewards Visa, and much more.
So all things equal, I usually like the business cards over the personal
I believe this is what President George W. Bush referred to as strategery, Justin. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Choosing options that don’t block us from future options is always preferred, and I think that’s the case here with US Bank business cards.
Maybe prioritize the one that you see as better first, and then go for a second or a third with US Bank. It would be interesting to [00:18:00] see if we can get both the Business Essentials Plus and the no annual fee Business Essentials in the same day with one hard pull. We just want more essentials for our business, Darren.
US Bank has been essential to everyone’s business for at least two days now, Justin, since this was announced. I would almost rather have the triple cash at 3% at office supply stores and combine that with the Essentials without the Plus card and do it that way, but I guess everyone has their different approaches.
That’s what makes this hobby and game so much fun. The correct answer is, it depends. And more credit cards. And I think in my instance here, Justin, I’m getting more, although you said you would get both the Essentials and the Essential Plus. Oh, we’ll find out January 1 or February 1st of 2027.
You’ll be ready for new applications. Right after the MGM Iconic, Justin. That’s right, MGM Iconic, definitely top of the list. But before that, let’s move on to a [00:19:00] listener question. If you support the show through subscribestar.com or YouTube at the $10 a month level or more, you will have your questions answered.
Thanks to listener Michael C. for your support. He asks, “What are the rules on holding money in a US Bank checking account for your bonus cashback? Can it be float you have in there between paying off cards, or is it an average balance?” Interesting question. Perhaps a way to sneak in some extra value in between paying off cards.
I originally discounted the idea entirely, but maybe there’s some hope, so I looked into the terms and conditions. As promised, I will use the terms and conditions voice. The qualifying balance is determined as follows. At the end of each day, an average qualifying balance is calculated. The balance is based on a 30-day average balance of all qualifying business checking accounts and is calculated by adding together the end-of-day ledger balances for each day in the last 30 days and dividing the total by 30 calendar days, the number of days since opening a qualifying business checking account.[00:20:00]
The Business Essentials Plus earning bonus tier that is applied to your U.S. Bank Business Essentials credit card account is determined based on the qualifying balance as described above. If your daily qualifying balance qualifies you for a tier upgrade or downgrade, you will be moved to the higher or lower tier within five business days.
This means that the bonus tier will be applied to your account that may vary in a card billing cycle. The Business Essentials Plus earning bonus is based on the purchase transaction date using the effective tier determined at the time the transaction posts. Not all purchases are eligible to earn the Business Essentials earning bonus.
Purchases classified as education school gift cards, including discount gift card sites and tax, will earn at the base of two points per dollar spent in net purchases and may not earn additional points for the Business Essentials Plus earning bonus.
Nice. Another fun read of the terms and conditions.
There’s not a lot of opportunity to let some money float in there between cards, unless it’s gonna be a lot of money. And if that’s the case, is this really, back to your original question, is this really the place you wanna put it? It’s looking worse now. Yeah. Yeah, not good. The other thing I’m [00:21:00] concerned about, and fair enough, I don’t know that business cards should be bonusing on school or education, but-
as I mentioned in my last, in our last podcast, Justin, I, tuition has been a pretty big mover of organic spend for me and has been helpful for bonusing or sign-up bonuses on a number of cards, so don’t like that. I guess the other thing that we’re counting on is US Bank has to pull this off, which I mean- Yeah, those are in- interesting terms there, all the qualifying, the end of day, the average, the last 30 days.
Yeah. Dividing the total by 30 calendar days. They said straightforward, Darren. Color me skeptical, Justin. I’ve interacted with US Bank for a lot of years on the personal side. I m- I’m skeptical. Perhaps they have hired some new folks and rolled out some new things.
And now tax is also excluded. This has been a [00:22:00] recent trend in the war on happiness, excluding tax payments. They’re noting gift cards in the terms and conditions, including discount gift card sites. That’s an interesting add.
And then you can’t get that increased cash back on those tuition payments. Yeah. I know, Justin, you and I have purchased some gift cards off discount gift card sites in the past, but I guess I’d be surprised if there’s an MCC for discount gift card sites. I don’t know. And that’s the merchant category code, for those who might not know.
Lots of, very tricky … lots of exceptions here. Yeah, lots of exceptions and a lot of math, and I know America loves math, but I’m not sure US Bank does. You’d probably have to play it straight for the most part, where you would actually park the 15,000 to get that 2.5, and then it’s probably not worth it.
But again, if it is your main account and you have a lot of money going in and out, then maybe you can get an extra half or 1% bonus. It was nice of them in the past when they [00:23:00] allowed investments to count toward increased cashback. That was the Smartly personal card, but they changed the terms on that, another devaluation, and now they’re continuing this trend of the money just has to be in a checking account, and that checking account is very likely earning zero or little APY, so probably not worth It also makes me wonder how long the 5% at office supply stores may hang around, given how quickly they have changed other terms that, initially were interesting or attractive, potentially lucrative for creative spend folks like us, Justin.
And yeah, I I’m guessing that’s gonna be on a short leash. 5% cashback on up to $200,000 spent annually, quite a high cap when the Chase Ink cash is 5X points at 25,000 annual spend 8x more opportunity.
Lots of promises, Justin, but I don’t [00:24:00] know how many paychecks we’re gonna get out of this one. I think still some interesting cards. If you’re deeper in the miles and points game, these might be attractive for later 2026, earlier 2027. Maybe you would add one or both of these to your next round of applications It reminds me, I need to sign up for a US Bank business checking account.
Throw a little money that way, see if that unlocks. I have previously tried to apply for US Bank business cards haven’t had success. I think for me, the most attractive of all of these cards might still be the good old Triple Cash. I think so.
If you haven’t had any, and you might be able to get a business checking account welcome bonus as well, maybe 400, $500 for opening the account, parking funds for 90 days. That’s usually how it goes with them.
And if you already have to park something like $5,000, then you would only need to park 10,000 [00:25:00] additional to get that 2.5% rather than the 2%, but still, for only a half percent, not seeming so attractive. I agree with that. I think the, the parking of money for the extra half, one, or one and a half percent is…
I think there’s better options to earn interest on your money. I guess if you need a business checking account, and like me, Bank of America or some other bank no longer wants your money or your business, maybe this is the place to try. And if you’re gonna already use these credit cards or, there’s some opportunities there, but it’s not at the top of my list. How about that?
You could just ignore the checking component with this, favor the signup bonus, like the 2%, the 5%, the zero intro APR, depending on your path. I think there’s some promise here, even if the checking component is not so interesting. Agreed. Any other thoughts on US [00:26:00] Bank business cards?
I’m interested to see Jessica Alba doing her best Jennifer Garner impression, Justin. We’ll have that to look forward to. If you are looking for more office supply spend, I think this is a good card.
Sounds good. Not amazing, but I think they can be decent options for people in the space looking for some cash back in addition to their points. Or maybe if they’re looking primarily for cash back, it can still be a good option. The nice thing here is there are three options that you highlighted or and talked about, and there’s probably something for everybody.
So if you haven’t explored US Bank on the business side much it’s probably time to get in and add that to your portfolio.
Any upcoming travels for you as we get towards the end of 2026? We’re now recording in October.
We have a Christmas market trip to Germany coming up here over Thanksgiving holidays. Should enjoy that. We’re flying Singapore both ways, although only one way in business, [00:27:00] Justin.
The other we’re slumming it in premium economy, womp, womp. Sad trombone. Other than that not a lot of travel. It’s football season. I’m trying to find a way to get down to Blacksburg, Virginia, my alma mater, Virginia Tech and watch a football game down there for the year.
There’s a new football coach, and hope springs eternal, as I said. They’re 4 and 0, or at least 4 and 0 as of today, October the 1st. It’s an enjoyable time of year for those of us that enjoy watching college football.
And I used my American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts credit or hotel credits, and I’ll be in Nashville November 22nd through the 27th staying at Hyatt properties. I’ll get some Hyatt qualifying nights, food credits, and the experience of Nashville. I posted about it, and several Miles and Points people said, “Hey, let’s meet up.”
So if you’re in Nashville or will be in Nashville for November 22nd through the 27th, [00:28:00] 2026, we can meet for breakfast or something else Yeah, Nashville’s a good time. Down to Broadway, check out all the honky-tonk bars, Justin. I know that’s right up your alley, right? The honky-tonk man.
The airport might also be renamed to Dolly Parton International or some kind of variation of that. Yeah. That would be exciting. I think there’s a lot of whiskey currently subsidizing that airport, so I guess we’ll see whether they switch that to Dollywood and Dolly Parton.
But either way, I think you’ll enjoy going to Nashville if you’ve not been before, and sounds like it’s gonna be a great trip and great meetup. There is the metal band Job for a Cowboy. I’m not sure they’ll be there, though. And then some future endeavors might be 2027 going to Montana, an interesting Small Luxury Hotels of the World resort with Hilton, so maybe more leaning into the cowboy theme.
As far as travel [00:29:00] goes for us, in December with my recently transferred Bilt to Amtrak points, we’ll likely be taking the train likely to New York City. My kids have gone up by themselves the last couple years.
They like to go to, of course, the big Christmas tree, maybe try to do some ice skating, walk around a little bit and enjoy that. We’ll get that booked. And then my wife and I have gone up the last couple years in December, January and walked around the city, usually go see a show, dinner, try to use that Bilt $25 dining credit maybe this time, Justin.
We’ll see. Ride a helicopter. It’s gonna have to be in November or December while I still have my Bilt Cash Bilt up, but no pun intended there, ooh, I like that.
Bilt up, yes. Bilt up. We could take the train to Newark International Airport, and then the Blade helicopter into Manhattan. It would be a fun, fun experience. Some back and forth sounds interesting to use the credits. Why not? Yeah. And then of course take the train back I think helicopter [00:30:00] rides are usually pretty fun.
Thanks a lot for coming on today. Always a pleasure to catch up, Justin and today was no different. Appreciate you having me.
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