Citi AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard

For a small business that flies American regularly, the value here is the free first checked bag for you and up to four companions on the same domestic reservation, which can cover the $99 annual fee on a single trip with employees or family. Citi waives that fee for the first 12 months and pairs it with 65,000 bonus miles after $4,000 of spend in four months, plus Group 5 boarding and 25% off in-flight food, beverages, and Wi-Fi. The everyday earn is business-flavored rather than generous: 2x on American Airlines purchases, car rentals, gas, and telecom or cable providers, and 1x on everything else. The companion certificate sounds appealing but requires $30,000 in purchases each cardmembership year, so treat it as a stretch goal rather than a reason to apply. No foreign transaction fees make it reasonable for overseas business travel, but if you rarely fly American, the bag benefit is the whole argument and it disappears.