Originally Posted by
swag
The comparison assumes that a MR point and a SPG point are worth about the same. Were that true, then the MR card would be the clear winner. But in my experience, a SPG point is worth a lot more. But I equate a SPG category 4 hotel (10K/night) to a MR category 5 (25K/night).
Actually your example is a good one. It provides a "rough" comparison of 1 SPG = 2.5 Marriott. And I do believe that the SPG AmEx provides 2 Pts/$ spent where the Marriott Visa provides 5 Pts/$ for hotel spend. That is the same 2.5 to 1 ratio. So it looks pretty close to me.
Now one difference is the Cat. 1-5 annual free night with the Marriott card. This is good at any Marriott worldwide. The SPG AmEx now has the "Get a 3rd night free at Sheratons" addition, but I think the jury is still out on how useful that will turn out. The Marriott free night cert pays for the Visa Annual fee all by itself and we still get the extra points for Marriott purchases, plus the elite nights. Also the Marriott Visa provides 15 nights toward status, not just 5.
But for base non-travel spending, I do agree that the SPG AmEx is still better due to the higher SPG point value. And this is the main reason I may still keep my AmEx. (Note that I do sometimes see certain vendors who will not take an AmEx but will a Visa. So that does make the Visa a little more appealing as well.)