Chase Ink Business Preferred

Apply at creditcards.chase.com. Chase has a 5/24 rule — if you've opened 5+ personal credit cards in the past 24 months, you may be auto-denied. Business cards don't count toward the 5/24 count themselves but do count if Chase reports them to personal bureaus.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred is the best mid-tier business card. $95 annual fee, 3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel, shipping, internet/phone/cable, and advertising up to $150K combined annually (then 1x). The transferable Ultimate Rewards points are the key — paired with a Sapphire Reserve at home, they redeem for 1.5-2 cpp via airline/hotel transfers. The 100K bonus point sign-up offer is regularly available and worth $1,000-$2,000.