Thanks everyone for replying!
I did get an SPG card just recently with the 30K bonus after $1000 spend. Got it for both my husband and I with future plan to combine all the points into one account.
Volvic- thanks for your suggestion! That's why I decided to stick with SPG card vs. United card.
Thunderroad and Ariyo15- I like US,I have flown their economy a few times with my daughter, and I had good experiences. It's just from what I have been reading on here Im under the impression it's not all that good.
Would you recommend me joining US and using the miles withing Star or going AA route? That's one question I cant figure out for now.