U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa review: Get airport lounge visits with no annual fee the first year

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude^® Connect Visa Signature^® Card is a business card well-suited for business owners who travel occasionally. It has a reasonable $95 annual fee that's waived for the first year, yet still provides access to airport lounges, a perk generally reserved for premium credit cards.

Overall, this is a solid business travel card with a strong welcome bonus, but if you're looking for loads of valuable perks, there are better options. Below, we take a look at the benefits, rewards and cost of this card to help you decide if it's a good fit for you.

After you're approved for the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect card, you can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 with 180 days from account opening.

Keep in mind that only the spending you make with the primary account owner's card qualifies for the welcome bonus. Purchases made with employee cards don't count toward the $6,000 you need to spend to earn the bonus.

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature offers a handful of benefits that can enhance your travel. You can take advantage of:

• Rideshare credit: Receive a $25 statement credit after making at least one rideshare purchase per month for three consecutive months. You'll earn the credit the month after you make your third rideshare purchase, and you don't earn credit toward this benefit for that month. You can earn the $25 credit up to three times in 12 months.
• Airport lounge access: Enroll to receive a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership and get four complimentary visits per year.

Credit card insurance perks can be valuable when things go awry. The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature offers most of the standard shopping and travel coverages you expect from a card with a sub-$100 annual fee, including:

• Rental car coverage
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Travel accident insurance
• Roadside dispatch
• Travel and emergency assistance
• Purchase security
• Extended warranty protection

You can also take advantage of Visa-specific perks such as the Visa SavingsEdge program, which offers discounts at participating merchants when you enroll, and a complementary 1GB 15-day GigSky global data plan (available through Nov. 15, 2027).

Earning

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature earns points at the following rates:

• 5X points on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the U.S. Bank Travel Center
• 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined annual travel purchases (including gas stations and EV charging stations; excluding discount stores, supercenters and wholesale clubs)
• 2X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery
• 2X points on cell phone services
• 1X points on all other eligible purchases

Redeeming

The points you earn with this card work just like cash back rewards. You cannot transfer your points to travel programs, but you can redeem them for:

• Statement credits
• Direct deposits to eligible U.S Bank accounts
• Gift cards
• Merchandise
• Travel

You can also enroll in U.S. Bank's Real-Time Rewards to instantly redeem rewards toward eligible purchases. With this option, you set the minimum redemption amount for each purchase category, and then receive a text anytime you make an eligible purchase. When you receive a text letting you know you've made a Real-Time Rewards-eligible purchase, simply reply "REDEEM" and you'll receive a statement credit.

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then a $95 annual fee applies. It has no foreign transaction fees.

U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card vs. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) has the same $95 annual fee you'll pay with the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect (although it's not waived the first year). For the same annual cost, The Ink Business Preferred provides several key advantages, especially for business owners who travel.

The Ink Business Preferred can be much more rewarding. It earns transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points, which can be worth far more than 1 cent each. It also earns 3X points on up to $150,000 in combined annual spending on a broad spectrum of business expenses, including internet, cable, shipping, phone services, travel and advertising (with social media and search engines).

It also has several insurance benefits that the U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect lacks, such as trip delay reimbursement and cell phone protection.

U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card vs. U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business

If a no-annual-fee credit card makes more sense for your business, the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa® Business Card could be a better fit.

The card offers an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, which isn't available with the Business Altitude Connect, and earns 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas and EV charging stations (transactions of $200 or less), office supply stores, cell phone service providers and restaurants (*excluding discount stores/supercenters and wholesale clubs). Similar to the Business Altitude Connect, it also earns 5% back on prepaid hotels and rental cars booked through the U.S. Bank Travel Center.

For business owners who don't travel, the benefits of the Triple Cash Rewards card may be a better fit. For example, instead of a rideshare credit, you can earn a $100 credit after making recurring software subscription purchases for 11 consecutive months.

The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature doesn't have the travel perks or rewards you'll want if you're a frequent business traveler. However, if you travel once or twice a year, this card starts to look more appealing. It earns easy-to-use rewards and comes with enough airport lounge visits (four complimentary visits per year) to satisfy the occasional flyer. And with an annual fee that's waived for the first year, there's no cost to trying the card out for a year to see if you like what it offers.

You'll really want to think about what benefits you'll actually use; it's not a straightforward endeavor to offset the Business Altitude Connect's annual fee with its perks. The rideshare credit is tricky, and there aren't any other benefits that provide reliable savings.

Business owners and freelancers who want a credit card with no annual fee will appreciate an option like the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business. It offers similar rewards and redemptions, and you can earn its annual software subscription credit from the comfort of your home or office.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X to stay up to date.