Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express

For $125 a year, the Bonvoy Business card is the best-balanced Marriott card for a small business: a Free Night Award each year after renewal good for up to 35,000 points, complimentary Gold Elite status, and 15 elite night credits. The earn table is what separates it from the personal cards, paying 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, U.S. wireless providers and U.S. shipping providers, 6 points at Marriott Bonvoy hotels, and 2 points on everything else, so ordinary overhead actually produces points. The welcome offer is 125,000 points after $9,000 in purchases in six months, a serious spend requirement that only makes sense if you already run that volume through a card. The second Free Night Award sounds generous but takes $60,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year, which most small accounts will never reach. A 7% discount on standard-rate bookings made directly with Marriott and no foreign transaction fee round out a card that is easy to keep.