Originally Posted by slippahs
Meaning you'll be earning the Airline miles rather than SPG points. It's been said that you can call SPG to remove the Airline Direct Deposit, but you may very well likely lose the SPG Gold status if you do so.
A couple of years ago I took the SPG deal from my AA EXP (or UA 1K?) - after finding out it was for miles - I called SPG and they switched me to points and did not drop me. Indeed, it was a smart move on their part to lure a little of my normal biz from Hilton and Mariott. I have easily requalified every year since. I probably will hit SPG plat this year...