Originally Posted by
mikesyr18
Why are people surprised....
The only things that surprise me are:
- American Express will still issue cards with Starwood branding, rather than Marriott branding, even though earning New Marriott points. I don't see the benefit of keeping the Starwood brand alive in a token fashion. I daresay this means that the $95 American Express cards will not be considered new products, so no new account bonuses for those who have held SPG cards recently, unless applying for the $450 card. I think this puts American Express at a disadvantage with the general public, who are unlikely to think of "Starwood" when looking for a "Marriott" card.
- No cards seem to be discontinued. We were told that American Express would issue Business and Premium cards, but the $95 personal SPG card survives. We were told that Chase would issue Personal cards, but they still show Business cards -and- there is no indication that the Ritz Carlton card has been eliminated. It appears that Marriott has carefully structured the card offerings so that each American Express product has a close match in the Chase lineup.