Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express

For $125 a year, the Bonvoy Business gives you an annual Free Night Award good for redemptions up to 35,000 points, Gold Elite status, and 15 elite night credits, which is a lot of Bonvoy value packed under a modest fee. Its category lineup is genuinely useful for a small business: 4x at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, U.S. wireless providers, and U.S. shipping providers, plus 6x at Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2x on everything else. The current welcome offer is 125,000 points, split as 75,000 after $6,000 and another 50,000 after $3,000 more, all within the first six months, so plan for $9,000 of spending to collect the whole thing. The honest limits: Gold is a mid-tier status, the free night caps at 35,000 points, and the second Free Night Award requires $60,000 in purchases in a calendar year, which most small businesses won't hit. If your points go to Bonvoy and you can use one certificate a year, the fee is easy to justify; if you don't stay at Marriott, the 4x categories alone aren't reason enough.