Originally Posted by choptliva
Gold gets you 50% bonus in points. I think that's about it.

And welcome to FT!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but by paying with the AMEX Starwood Card, don't you effectively receive the 50% bonus anyway? For example, as an SPG, you'll receive 2 points per dollar for your stay, plus 1 point per dollar spent on the Card? In other words, the 1 point you'll receive just paying with the card is equal to the 1 bonus point you'll receive as a gold.
Am I missing something?