Jun 12, 2014, 11:11 am
Last edit by: CodeAdam10
For discussion of the now expired offer for a 35K signup bonus, see Amex SPG 35,000 business and personal cards-2016 [No referral offers in this thread.]
USA-issued card benefits changed on August 11, 2015. (Announcement & extended discussion at American Express and Starwood enhance cobrand credit card benefits.) The benefits are slightly different for personal and business cards:
Public Links:
- The Annual Fee is $450.
- Earn 6x at Marriott properties; 3x on restaurants and airfare; 2x on all other purchases.
- Enjoy up to $300 in statement credits each year of Card Membership for eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- FREE NIGHT AWARD: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel.
- COMPLIMENTARY GOLD ELITE STATUS: Enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status with your Card. Earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status after making $75,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Other Highlighted Benefits: Priority Pass Select Membership, Global Entry credit, No Foreign Transaction fees.
- $125 Annual Fee (If application received before 03/28/19, $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95)
- Earn 6x at Marriott properties; 4x at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services & on U.S. purchases for shipping; 2x on all other purchases.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel.
- Complimentary Silver Elite Status
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Other related discussion:
USA-issued card benefits changed on August 11, 2015. (Announcement & extended discussion at American Express and Starwood enhance cobrand credit card benefits.) The benefits are slightly different for personal and business cards:
Public Links:
- Personal [Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card]: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/marriott-bonvoy-brilliant
- The Annual Fee is $450.
- Earn 6x at Marriott properties; 3x on restaurants and airfare; 2x on all other purchases.
- Enjoy up to $300 in statement credits each year of Card Membership for eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- FREE NIGHT AWARD: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel.
- COMPLIMENTARY GOLD ELITE STATUS: Enjoy complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status with your Card. Earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status after making $75,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Other Highlighted Benefits: Priority Pass Select Membership, Global Entry credit, No Foreign Transaction fees.
- Business [Marriott Bonvoy Business Card]: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...s-credit-card/
- $125 Annual Fee (If application received before 03/28/19, $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95)
- Earn 6x at Marriott properties; 4x at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services & on U.S. purchases for shipping; 2x on all other purchases.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at a participating hotel.
- Complimentary Silver Elite Status
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Discussion of Amex "one bonus per lifetime" policy (personal & business cards)
- Annual fee retention bonus for Starwood Amex Card
- American Express and Starwood enhance cobrand credit card benefits
- How to keep SPG points from expiring after 12 months of account inactivity
- New Card Art for the US Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
SPG American Express [Master Thread]
Jan 3, 2014, 6:44 pm
#2206
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,396
The referral program available publicly is a completely different program from the affiliate program the bloggers are on. The bloggers make cash, not points, for their referals. It appears to be fairly lucrative, too.
Jan 4, 2014, 6:56 am
#2207
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
I am brand new to Starwood, just got the AX card; have been a Hilton Diamond for 13 years so understand redemption rates. I signed up for the AX with the intention of converting 20k to 25k AA miles which I value at .04 we go to Europe every summer in J ($4000 RT is conservative) so every year I need to earn 200k AA miles. So now I'm thinking maybe it woud be more judicious to use them for Starwood stays; after 13 years one kind of gets tired of the same hotels - so I checked a few Starwood hotels in London which had rooms for 20k points or in my parlance $800. What a shocker who would ever use $800 worth of points for a $375 hotel; I am obviously missing something here? Hilton points as many of you know have become much less valuable, probably around .01 so this card will be great for boosting AA. Does any one use their points for actual hotel stays?
Jan 4, 2014, 8:15 am
#2208
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,016
Be very careful before using this card in Australia! Starwood hotels there add a 1.5% foreign surcharge in addition to the 2.7% foreign surcharge fee. Making it a total of 4.2% on each charge - absurd!! I'd say it's never (not once) worth using this card as you'll be hard pressed to redeem for better than 4.2 cents per.
Jan 4, 2014, 8:20 am
#2209
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,016
I am brand new to Starwood, just got the AX card; have been a Hilton Diamond for 13 years so understand redemption rates. I signed up for the AX with the intention of converting 20k to 25k AA miles which I value at .04 we go to Europe every summer in J ($4000 RT is conservative) so every year I need to earn 200k AA miles. So now I'm thinking maybe it woud be more judicious to use them for Starwood stays; after 13 years one kind of gets tired of the same hotels - so I checked a few Starwood hotels in London which had rooms for 20k points or in my parlance $800. What a shocker who would ever use $800 worth of points for a $375 hotel; I am obviously missing something here? Hilton points as many of you know have become much less valuable, probably around .01 so this card will be great for boosting AA. Does any one use their points for actual hotel stays?
And yes, I redeem for hotel stays solely - and use 3 cents as my lowest redemption amount (but look for more where possible).
Jan 4, 2014, 10:17 am
#2210
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
Well seeing as there are numerous,bloggers in the game I would say so.
Jan 4, 2014, 10:40 am
#2211
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: TUL
Programs: AA EXP 2MM; Marriott Titanium; Hilton Diamond; Hyatt Explorist; Vistana 5* Elite; Nat'l Exec Elite
Posts: 6,177
Be very careful before using this card in Australia! Starwood hotels there add a 1.5% foreign surcharge in addition to the 2.7% foreign surcharge fee. Making it a total of 4.2% on each charge - absurd!! I'd say it's never (not once) worth using this card as you'll be hard pressed to redeem for better than 4.2 cents per.
Since a customer would receive two Starpoints for each dollar of charge at a Starwood hotel, the imbedded cost, using the scenario you provide, would be 2.1 cents per and not 4.2 cents per.
Jan 4, 2014, 11:14 am
#2212
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,016
Even though I agree with the premise of not using the SPG Amex on any foreign transactions, I believe you have a computational error in your pricing when it comes to using the card at Australian Starwood hotels.
Since a customer would receive two Starpoints for each dollar of charge at a Starwood hotel, the imbedded cost, using the scenario you provide, would be 2.1 cents per and not 4.2 cents per.
Since a customer would receive two Starpoints for each dollar of charge at a Starwood hotel, the imbedded cost, using the scenario you provide, would be 2.1 cents per and not 4.2 cents per.
Jan 4, 2014, 11:38 am
#2213
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,528
Be very careful before using this card in Australia! Starwood hotels there add a 1.5% foreign surcharge in addition to the 2.7% foreign surcharge fee. Making it a total of 4.2% on each charge - absurd!! I'd say it's never (not once) worth using this card as you'll be hard pressed to redeem for better than 4.2 cents per.
The surcharge is NOT specific to Starwood hotels or foreign credit cards.
Jan 4, 2014, 5:03 pm
#2214
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Western US
Programs: WN CP, WN A-List Preferred, AS MVPG 75k, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 554
Is there anyway to get a points advance from Amex for SPG points? I'm short a few thousand for a big award trip. If I remember correctly it was a feature for MR at some point, but it might not be anymore.
Jan 4, 2014, 5:36 pm
#2215
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,134
Jan 5, 2014, 3:24 am
#2216
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: LAX, SIN, CGK
Programs: UA, AA EXP
Posts: 201
Redeeming 20,000 points for a $375 night would be a poor use of points. However, not all redemptions have such a low redemption amount. Still, to find better than 4 cents per, you'll likely have more luck with the Cash & Points option (which for example, I've found at 6 cents per). You can also find 4 cents if you redeem for 4 nights and get the 5ht night free. Those would be your best options when seeking redemptions at 4 cents and above.
And yes, I redeem for hotel stays solely - and use 3 cents as my lowest redemption amount (but look for more where possible).
And yes, I redeem for hotel stays solely - and use 3 cents as my lowest redemption amount (but look for more where possible).
cheers
Jan 5, 2014, 11:02 am
#2217
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: AA PLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,405
N00b alert: as SPG Gold, do you earn 3 points per dollar on cash & points redemptions or no? Example: for a 6000 points + $110/night, will I earn 330 points per night on the $110 spent? I looked through the Gold pdf guide and there's a small footnote which may have the explanation, but I can't find it! Appreciate it!
Jan 5, 2014, 11:46 am
#2218
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,034
N00b alert: as SPG Gold, do you earn 3 points per dollar on cash & points redemptions or no? Example: for a 6000 points + $110/night, will I earn 330 points per night on the $110 spent? I looked through the Gold pdf guide and there's a small footnote which may have the explanation, but I can't find it! Appreciate it!
Jan 5, 2014, 11:58 am
#2219
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,016
Jan 5, 2014, 9:40 pm
#2220
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 728
poster in different thread on FT indicated that 50k and even 75k offers pop up for this card. Is this correct and if so how often, any idea when last one was? Thanks