I'm also very interested... I was thinking of applying on Friday, but decided to hold off to see if there was anything new this week.

Moderator Note
 

It looks like the same 25,000 point promotion (10,000 points + 15,000 after $5,000 spend in 6 months) but extended to 12/31/2012:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...gjacob/spg.png

I received a SPG Amex referral in my email, but when I click on the Apply Now link, a new window opens that says "We are Sorry. Currently our systems are not responding ..." I've tried to apply several times in the past 2 days so it's obviously the referral link that's the problem. Is anyone else having a problem with referral links?

I got a referral email on Monday, and had no trouble applying. I just clicked the link in the email again and it still works fine.

I am interested in obtaining a SPG amex. Do my nights expire if I do not use them? Do I get to plan travel through AMEX travel? I know that I will spend at least 15k per year. Which card is best for me?

CSBM

What "nights"? There are no free nights with signup (although holding the card does give you a boost toward elite status by giving you credit for 2 stays/5 nights).

Your points do expire after 1 year. For details & tips on how to prevent expiration, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...on-policy.html.

Not with the referral link but applying in general. After filling everything in and hitting apply, the wheel on screen keeps spinning until I eventually get a session timeout.

I was able to successfully apply through a referral link last night.

so what's the best deal right now? i was hoping to get in on the 30k, but would like to have my card by late august to pay the car/house insurance bills with it to help meet the $5k. any chance to 30k will come up before then or is 25k the best i will get?

For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure the 30K offer from the past two years kicked in during the first week of July. If that's right, they're clearly not sticking to that pattern this year. Whether that means no 30K offer all or just different timing is anyone's guess.

think in 2011 it ran from July 26th until August 22nd. then again around dec 1st.
in 2010 it started June 30 - July 6, 2010 and i think got extended.
i'll still wait a while.
any lurkers out there that know more?

still hoping for the 30k offer. i did notice amex is offering a 15% off sale for amex points to spg. 5100 pts will get you almost 2000 pts. in my case i have a 3000 pt hotel that rents for $150 making my deal worth about $100 which is better than a $50 gift card for the same 5000 pts. may not work out as well for you if your looking for a higher point place to stay. anybody heard any more rumors on the 30000 pts coming back?

Referral Bonus - Still waiting
 

I referred my wife to the (US) SPG AMEX, she was approved, and her first statement has been issued. I have not received a referral bonus as of yet. Does anyone have any experience as to when these are posted? I know from personal experience the AMEX Gold MR referral bonuses posted instantly, but clearly not the case with SPG referral bonus. Any data points out there?

Should within a week or two, however I've had referrals never post. Good luck trying to get them to credit :td: