Best U.S. Bank credit cards: Earn points, cash back or build credit

U.S. Bank has a credit card for every kind of consumer, whether you're looking for a card with a 0% intro APR to pay off a major purchase or are interested in earning flexible rewards points for future travels.

There are also rewarding secured credit cards that can help you build credit, or if you spend a lot on dining, gas, groceries and other everyday spending categories, you can earn flat-rate cash back on purchases you're making anyway.

Below, CNBC Select details the best U.S. Bank credit cards on the market, along with what to consider before applying for a new credit card.

Who's this for? For those who enjoy traveling but don't want the hassle of an annual fee, the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature Card is a great pick. You can rack up bonus points on gas, dining, streaming and groceries, and it has several travel perks you typically only receive with a premium credit card.

Standout benefits: Perks include up to $100 in statement credits to cover your TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry® application fees once every four years, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement and SmartDelay. You can also enroll to receive four free Priority Pass Select airport lounge visits every year, which is an unusual benefit for a credit card with no annual fee. Plus, it also comes with a generous intro APR.

Who's this for? The U.S. Bank Smartly Visa is a strong flat-rate cash back card, but it can be even more valuable if you also have eligible U.S. Bank deposit accounts.

Standout benefits: On top of an intro APR offer and no annual fee, you'll receive at least 2% cash back on every purchase. You can earn up to an additional 2% cash back (4% back total) on your first $10,000 in eligible purchases each billing cycle. To qualify for the bonus cash back, you need to have a U.S. Bank Smartly® Savings account and a balance of at least $10,000 in consumer U.S. Bank Smartly Checking or Safe Debit accounts. To receive the maximum 4% cash back everywhere, you'll need a qualifying balance of $100,000 or more.

Who's this for? Anyone considering a larger purchase will appreciate the exceptionally long introductory APR offered by the U.S. Bank Shield Visa Card.

Standout benefits: You'll receive a 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 21 billing cycles (after that, a 16.99% to 27.99% variable APR applies). To qualify for the intro APR, you must complete any balance transfers within 60 days of opening the account. The balance transfer fee is 5% of each transfer with a $5 minimum.

Unlike most credit cards with a 0% intro APR, the Shield Visa earns rewards. You'll receive 4% cash back on prepaid airfare, hotels and rental cars booked through the U.S. Bank Travel Center. Plus, you can earn a $20 statement credit every year after you make purchases with your card for 11 consecutive months.

Who's this for? If you're looking to build credit with a secured credit card that allows you to earn rewards, consider the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Visa Card.

Standout benefits: Most secured credit cards don't offer rewards, which makes the U.S. Bank Altitude Go Visa Secured that much more special. You can earn 4X points on dining, takeout and restaurant delivery (on your first $2,000 each quarter), and 2X points on streaming services, grocery stores, gas stations and EV charging stations. Plus, after using your card to pay for 11 consecutive months of streaming services, you'll earn a $15 credit.

Who's this for? Small-business owners who want a straightforward no-annual-fee business credit card should look into the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business Card.

Standout benefits: With the U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Visa Business, you can earn a $100 recurring software subscription credit annually after making payments for eligible software services for 11 consecutive months. New accounts also qualify for an introductory APR on purchases and balance transfers.

Who's this for? The U.S. Bank Business Altitude Connect Visa Signature is a useful card for business travelers because of its benefits and $0 intro annual fee for the first year (then $95 afterward).

Standout benefits: You can earn 5X points on certain travel booked through the U.S. Bank Travel Center, including hotels and rental cars. On top of that, you'll earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined travel purchases and 2X points on dining, takeout, restaurant delivery and cell phone services.

If you want to take the edge off at the airport, you can enroll to receive a Priority Pass^TM Digital airport lounge membership with four complimentary visits per year. You can also earn a $25 rideshare credit after three consecutive months with at least one rideshare purchase.

Who's this for? For small businesses with spending priorities that shift from month to month, the U.S. Bank Business Leverage Visa Signature Card is a great choice.

Standout benefits: Automatically earn 2X points on purchases in the two categories where you spend the most each month. There are 48 categories, including advertising firms, hotels, restaurants, publishers and printers, insurance providers or computer stores. You also earn 5% back on prepaid hotels and rental cars reserved through the U.S. Bank Travel Center and 1% back on all other eligible purchases.

Who's this for? Mid-sized corporations with $10 to $150 million in annual revenue can take advantage of the features available with the U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card.

Standout benefits: The rewards you earn with this card can be customized to suit your business needs. When you opt to earn rewards, you'll receive:

• 5X points on car rentals
• 4X points on lodging
• 3X points on airlines
• 1X points on all other purchases

This account can also be set up to earn rebates. In that case, you'll earn a 1% rebate when you have at least $150,000 in quarterly spending.

Before signing up for a new U.S. Bank credit card, check your credit score using a credit monitoring service (such as Chase Credit Journey or CreditWise). That way, you can get a clearer view of your realistic chances of approval.

It's also a good idea to run the numbers against your budget and ensure you can meet any minimum-spending requirements responsibly; going into debt trying to earn rewards is not worth it. Also, make sure you can use enough of the new card's perks and benefits to justify paying the annual fee, especially if it's on the steep side.

Some card issuers might also take a closer look at exactly how many cards you already have. If you plan to apply for a Chase card in the near future, for example, its unofficial 5/24 rule can disqualify applicants who have opened five or more cards from any bank within the last 24 months.

Even if you are denied, the issuer must explain the decision, and you can usually call to plead your case, (though you may not be successful).

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 list 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. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit cards.

To determine which U.S. Bank cards offer the best value for specific categories, CNBC Select compared each card on a range of features, including rewards (e.g., cash back, points and miles), annual fees, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APR and balance transfer fees and foreign transaction fees. We also considered additional perks (e.g., ongoing travel or merchant statement credits), cardholder protections (e.g., purchase protection, $0 liability protection and travel insurance), the application process when available (e.g., is there a credit pull or required credit score) and how easy it is to redeem points (e.g., are rewards are tied to a specific brand or can you redeem for straight cash back).
 
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.   

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Information about the U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card, U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature Card, U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Secured Visa® Card, and U.S. Bank Commercial Rewards Card has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.