Starwood Preferred Guest - Help me decide whether or not to renew my SPG AMEX

my renewal is coming up soon and i don't think i am going to pay the renewal fee unless i can be convinced it is worthwhile. what benefits am i losing when cancelling the card other than the obvious points for using the card? from what i understand i am still able to transfer points to airlines without having the card. am i still eligible for stays with points and cash without the card? would appreciate any input.

You'll lose the 2 stays / 5 nights toward earning elite status. You'll have to have a paid stay once every 12 months or so in order to keep your SPG account active so that you don't forfeit any Starpoints in your account.

You are still eligible for C&P awards.

You loose the 2/5 stays/nights credit. You loose the extra 2 points/$ on SPG charges to the card. And some are saying you can challenge the fee and get 3000 points if you keep the card.

C&P is not dependent upon having the AMEX.

I'm sure there are more that others will offer up. You spending habits will determine what is best for you.

You loose the 2/5 stays/nights credit. You loose the extra 2 points/$ on SPG charges to the card. And some are saying you can challenge the fee and get 3000 points if you keep the card.

C&P is not dependent upon having the AMEX.

I'm sure there are more that others will offer up. Your spending habits will determine what is best for you.

Indeed. If you aren't putting at least 10k or 20k in spend on the card annually I'm not sure it makes much sense to keep the card.

I'd look at it this way...at 20k spend per year in 3 years you'd have 60k Starpoints and have spent $195 in annual fees on the card (assuming no further increases.) That 60k could be redeemed for a 5th night free hotel award (48k for Cat 5 low season, 64k high season) or you could convert the points to FF miles and that 75k miles (after the 25% transfer bonus) could become a business class ticket to Hawaii. In either case the cash value of the awards would be far greater than $195. If you were to only put 10k in spend on the card each year you'd still be paying less than $400 for the same awards, which would take you 6 years to earn rather than 3.

Indeed. If you aren't putting at least 10k or 20k in spend on the card annually I'm not sure it makes much sense to keep the card.

I'd look at it this way...at 20k spend per year in 3 years you'd have 60k Starpoints and have spent $195 in annual fees on the card (assuming no further increases.) That 60k could be redeemed for a 5th night free hotel award (48k for Cat 5 low season, 64k high season) or you could convert the points to FF miles and that 75k miles (after the 25% transfer bonus) could become a business class ticket to Hawaii. In either case the cash value of the awards would be far greater than $195. If you were to only put 10k in spend on the card each year you'd still be paying less than $400 for the same awards, which would take you 6 years to earn rather than 3.

Or, if you convert to airline miles:

$20k for 3 years = 60k points = 75k miles which can be used for up to 3 domestic tix (not the best value) or a biz class fare US-Europe which will generally run you significantly more than $195

$10k for 3 years = 30k points = 35k miles - still a domestic roundtrip or a milesaaver ticket peak US- Europe, again, generally worth more than $195

(Please note that my mileage comparisons are AA-focused, my airline of choice, YMMV based on your airline alliance)

I'm debating this same question. If I choose to cancel, is there any way to keep the account active beyond 12 months?

...If I choose to cancel, is there any way to keep the account active beyond 12 months?

Yes. Complete an eligible stay at a participating SPG property within that time frame. ;)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

The card is only $65 a year.

For only $2,000 or $3,000 spent, you already can get a weekend night at a Cat 1 or Cat 2 room. That room probably would cost you more than $65.

I'm debating this same question. If I choose to cancel, is there any way to keep the account active beyond 12 months?

In theory, eat at a restaurant at a Starwood property (making sure that the dining activity can be charged to a room at the hotel) and ask them to credit your Starwood account.

However, this process is far from automated in my experience and may require some extensive follow-up. My last attempt to do this resulted in a customer service adjustment that dwarfed the points I would have otherwise received for the activity, but ultimately did not result in the "stay" activity I was attempting to generate which would extend the life of my Starpoints.

In theory, eat at a restaurant at a Starwood property (making sure that the dining activity can be charged to a room at the hotel) and ask them to credit your Starwood account.

However, this process is far from automated in my experience and may require some extensive follow-up. My last attempt to do this resulted in a customer service adjustment that dwarfed the points I would have otherwise received for the activity, but ultimately did not result in the "stay" activity I was attempting to generate which would extend the life of my Starpoints.

We've used the dining twice to save two different accounts from expiration. In neither case was the dining associated to a room, and in fact, the points for one of them went straight to US through a direct deposit, and it seems that they both transactions succeeded in keeping the accounts alive. Would the Lurker like to confirm that stand-alone dining is still a qualifying transaction to prevent points expiration?

...Would the Lurker like to confirm that stand-alone dining is still a qualifying transaction to prevent points expiration?

Has been and always will be as far as I know.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

We've used the dining twice to save two different accounts from expiration. In neither case was the dining associated to a room, and in fact, the points for one of them went straight to US through a direct deposit, and it seems that they both transactions succeeded in keeping the accounts alive. Would the Lurker like to confirm that stand-alone dining is still a qualifying transaction to prevent points expiration?

Thank you for clarifying what I apparently failed to adequately communicate in my original post.

Well i used my card to purchase a lot of things over the past couple of years and to me purchase protection extended warranty lost luggage coverage and a lot of the other bennies that the card offers justifies the 65 annual fee.For me just over the past year, it has saved me more then 1000$ and that is without counting the points i get for spend

so buying points or transfers from membership rewards wont keep your account from cancelling?

so buying points or transfers from membership rewards wont keep your account from cancelling?
No, those are not activities to keep your SPG account from getting closed.

so if i just buy a beer at an spg property and give the bartender my spg # that will extend my account?

so if i just buy a beer at an spg property and give the bartender my spg # that will extend my account?

Yes, IF the beer is at least $10 before tax/tip AND you are not in the few states that prohibit SPG points for alcoholic beverages.

Yes, IF the beer is at least $10 before tax/tip AND you are not in the few states that prohibit SPG points for alcoholic beverages.

. . . and the general rule of thumb that the on-site hotel permits the restaurant to add its charges to the hotel bill. Apparently, some independent restaurants located at Starwood hotels do not participate in the Starwood program.

Yes, IF the beer is at least $10 before tax/tip AND you are not in the few states that prohibit SPG points for alcoholic beverages.

well based upon their point expiration policy alone i give the SPG program a big :td: based upon all i have learned in this thread. im not going to renew my card and i will either transfer to airlines or spend $10 at a restaurant prior to expiration date. i wish they offered a card with no annual fee similar to the hilton amex i have.

well based upon their point expiration policy alone i give the SPG program a big :td: based upon all i have learned in this thread.

What? Did something change in the Terms and Conditions you agreed to when you joined the program? :rolleyes:

ok here is another question regarding expirations. my points expire 6/1/12. my wife's expire 11/1/11. i just transferred her 30,000 points into my account. will those 30,000 still expire on 11/1/11 or will they assume my expiration date of 6/1/12?

ok here is another question regarding expirations. my points expire 6/1/12. my wife's expire 11/1/11. i just transferred her 30,000 points into my account. will those 30,000 still expire on 11/1/11 or will they assume my expiration date of 6/1/12?

The transferred points would assume your account's closing date. Remember, points don't actually "expire." They get forfeited if your account gets closed due to inactivity.

What? Did something change in the Terms and Conditions you agreed to when you joined the program? :rolleyes:

Answering a question you put to someone else to make a point, but.... SPG has changed the T&Cs multiple times since I've been a member, usually for the worse (dilution of the points I had earned). And in terms of the SPG Amex, they increased the annual fee by 44% the week after I got the card last year.

Answering a question you put to someone else to make a point, but.... SPG has changed the T&Cs multiple times since I've been a member, usually for the worse (dilution of the points I had earned). And in terms of the SPG Amex, they increased the annual fee by 44% the week after I got the card last year.
The policy for inactive accounts has been the same for many years. There's a possibility that they've become more diligent about it, but I don't know that there's been any study to say for sure. I continue to wonder weather people are just in a tizzy about the whole point "expiration" situation with SPG. We're not exactly flooded with threads asking about how to reinstate points.

I don't think that I've ever gotten an answer (and don't expect that I ever will) about whether they'd inactivate an account that has no activity in 12 months but that is holding a reservation for 17 months out. But it simply doesn't make sense that they would. I'm not going to volunteer my account to test my hypothesis, though.

. . . and the general rule of thumb that the on-site hotel permits the restaurant to add its charges to the hotel bill. Apparently, some independent restaurants located at Starwood hotels do not participate in the Starwood program.

....and the bartender/waiter knows how to handle a request for Starpoints. This isn't done often so there's a good chance it'll be a hassle to get it done correctly. :)

well based upon their point expiration policy alone i give the SPG program a big :td: based upon all i have learned in this thread. im not going to renew my card and i will either transfer to airlines or spend $10 at a restaurant prior to expiration date. i wish they offered a card with no annual fee similar to the hilton amex i have.

Hilton has expiry rules too. This isn't unusual. If your intent is simply to convert all of your Starpoints to airline miles (a suboptimal use of points except in extremely rare cases), then you are better off canceling the SPG card and using the HH Amex.