I went through the same analysis two months ago-- use my Starwood as a primary card, so wanted a second card that earns real miles and had no fee for <$500/month. So, now I use my Starwood Amex for any domestic charge that accepts Amex, and my MBNA Amtrak for all others + international charges to save the B.S. extra Amex 2% vig. I have had a good experience so far with the card, but be careful-- they mailed me the card linked to a new Amtrak Guest Rewards account instead of my old account(I am one of six people on this site who actually takes Amtrak regularly, it seems). So, I had to call Amtrak and MBNA is in process of sending me a new card with the right link. Otherwise, have been happy, and I looked into every card that gave miles with no annual fee.