U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business vs Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards Business: Which Is Better?
One free card pays 3% in real categories. The other pays a flat 1.5% on absolutely everything. Six rounds. Real numbers. One honest scorecard.
The verdict
U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business takes it, 5–0 on rounds.
Both cards are free, but Triple Cash Rewards' 3% categories beat Unlimited Cash Rewards' flat 1.5% for the vast majority of small businesses — the flat card only pulls ahead with spread-out spend or a relationship-bonus tier most businesses won't reach.
Choose U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business if…
- • Your spend touches gas, office supplies, cell service, or dining — nearly every small business does
- • You want a self-contained perk stack including a $100 software credit
Choose BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards if…
- • Your spend is genuinely spread out with no category either card bonuses
- • You already keep $100,000+ in combined BofA/Merrill balances
Round by round
- Round 1Annual Fee vs ValueU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business winsU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business8/10
$0/yr
No fee, plus a $100 annual software statement credit
- $100/yr software credit is real, ongoing value
- 3% foreign transaction fee applies
Source: US Bank Triple Cash Rewards dossier
BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards6/10$0/yr
No fee; unlimited flat 1.5% cash back, no caps or expiration
- Cash back never expires
- No equivalent software/subscription credit
Source: BofA Unlimited Cash Rewards dossier
This round goes to U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business.
- Round 2Welcome BonusU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business winsU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business9/10
$750
After $6,000 spend in 180 days — a 12.5% effective return
- $250 more than Unlimited Cash's bonus
- Employee card spend doesn't count toward the bonus threshold
Source: US Bank Triple Cash Rewards dossier
BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards7/10$500
After $5,000 spend in 90 days
- Shorter 90-day window to qualify
- $250 less than Triple Cash's bonus
Source: BofA Unlimited Cash Rewards dossier
This round goes to U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business.
- Round 3Everyday Rewards RateU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business winsU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business8/10
3% / 1%
3% on 4 real categories, exactly double Unlimited Cash's flat rate
- Beats the flat rate by 2x in bonus categories
- 1% base rate outside bonus categories
Source: US Bank Triple Cash Rewards dossier
BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards5/101.5%
Flat rate on every purchase, no category management
- Zero effort, works on any spend type
- Below Triple Cash's rate on 4 real categories
Source: BofA Unlimited Cash Rewards dossier
So this round goes to U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business.
- Round 4Category Caps & FlexibilityU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business winsU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business7/10
$200/txn
Only gas caps per-transaction; other 3 categories fully uncapped
- 3 of 4 bonus categories fully uncapped
- Gas bonus capped at $200 per transaction
Source: US Bank Triple Cash Rewards dossier
BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards6/10No cap
Every dollar earns 1.5%, but no category can earn more without the relationship bonus
- Preferred Rewards can push the rate to 2.62% for top-tier members
- Top tier needs $100,000+ combined BofA/Merrill balances
Source: BofA Unlimited Cash Rewards dossier
This round goes to U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business.
- Round 5Perks & ProtectionsU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business winsU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business8/10
12 months 0% APR
Longer intro APR than Unlimited Cash's 7 billing cycles
- No external banking relationship needed
- No lounge access or travel credits
Source: US Bank Triple Cash Rewards dossier
BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards4/10"May not be the most rewarding option"
- Rate boost up to 2.62% for high-balance BofA/Merrill customers
- Boost unreachable for most small businesses
Round goes to U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business. Cleaner and actually useable.
- Round 6Foreign Transaction Fees & Who It FitsTieU.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business5/10
3%
Charged on every international transaction; fits domestic category spenders
- Moderately accessible 670+ credit bar
- 3% fee on all international spend
Source: US Bank Triple Cash Rewards dossier
BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards5/103%
Charged on every international transaction; fits spread-out domestic spenders
- Fits spend too spread out for any category bonus
- 3% fee on all international spend
Source: BofA Unlimited Cash Rewards dossier
This round goes to BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards.
Which one is for you?
Spend touching gas, office supplies, cell service, or dining
→ U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business · 3% on all four simultaneously, double the flat rate
Business wanting a self-contained perk stack, no bank relationship needed
→ U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards Business · $100 software credit, 12-month 0% APR
Spread-out spend with no category fitting either card's bonuses
→ BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards · Flat 1.5% works identically on any spend type
Existing BofA/Merrill customer with $100K+ combined balances
→ BofA Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards · Preferred Rewards can push the rate to 2.62%
Side by side
- Software credit adds real value on top of a $0 fee
- Longer 180-day window to hit the spend requirement
- Covers categories nearly every small business has spend in
- No annual dollar cap on the bonus categories
- Cash back never expires
- Paid as real cash, not points
- Simplest possible structure
- 25%-75% boost tiers start at just $20K combined balance
- Software credit only applies to eligible subscriptions like QuickBooks/FreshBooks
- Smaller dollar bonus than Chase's $1,000
- Only 1% outside those four categories
- Per-transaction cap reduces value on larger fuel purchases
- 3% foreign transaction fee applies
- Offer terms subject to change — verify before applying
- Below top flat-rate competitors (many offer 2%)
- Top tier unreachable for most small businesses