MINNEAPOLIS, May 25, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --U.S. Bank has awarded customers $36,000 in prizes as part of the U.S. Bank Get Ahead in 2010 promotion.

Small business and consumer U.S. Bank Visa credit and check cardholders had a chance to win up to $10,000 every time they used their eligible card during the promotion, which ran from Jan. 15, 2010 through Feb. 28, 2010. Two customers won a $10,000 grand prize. Two other customers won a $5,000 Get Ahead in 2010 prize by using social media to encourage votes on their story telling on how this prize would help them get ahead in 2010. Twelve customers won a $500 prize in the weekly drawing.

The $10,000 prize winners are: Brian Elliott in Yamhill, Ore. and Vineyards Pilot Car/Escort Service LLC, in Kahoka, Mo.

Cardholders registered their eligible card by visiting the promotion website, allowing for chances to win a randomly-drawn $10,000 prize or a $500 weekly prize. Then every time they used their card, they earned an entry into the sweepstakes. Two sets of prizes were awarded - one for small business and one for consumer cardholders.

"The Get Ahead in 2010 promotion was extremely popular with cardholders," said Cliff Cook, chief marketing officer for U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions. "The social media component of this promotion proved to be very viral in that it created excitement and gave us an opportunity to reach customers in a new way. We are very pleased with the results and are proud to help all of our winners Get Ahead in 2010!"

Cardholders also had the opportunity to earn $5,000 by submitting a story on how they would use $5,000 to Get Ahead in 2010. They went on to share their story with friends via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or email and encouraged them to visit the promotion website to vote for their story. The two stories with the most eligible votes at the end of the contest period won the $5,000 Get Ahead in 2010 prizes.

The $5,000 prize winners are: Angela Lewis in Los Angeles, and Swim-n-More, Inc. in Rockford, Ill.

In the winning consumer story, Angela Lewis, an intern at Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), stated her intention to donate the prize money to the community of Fond Doux, Haiti, which was heavily impacted by the region's recent earthquake.

In the winning business story, Swim-n-More, Inc., a community aquatic and fitness center in Rockford, Ill., stated it planned to use the prize money for pool maintenance, a scholarship fund and marketing for the facility.

U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions (RPS) is one of the nation's leading payment processing and full-service issuing providers. RPS offers credit, debit, and prepaid payment solutions to consumers and small businesses through U.S. Bank and in partnership with financial institutions, businesses, governments and employers.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $282 billion in assets as of March 31, 2010, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,025 banking offices in 24 states and 5,312 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at usbank.com.

SOURCE: U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank Media Relations
Teri Charest, 612-303-0732
teri.charest@usbank.com