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]
Jul 18, 2014, 9:41 am
#2401
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SC USA
Programs: Delta, AA, Hilton, Priority Club, USAir, American Express Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rew, United
Posts: 503
Take the 1,000 Goodwill SPG points and let it go.
Realize that it is the business establishment that controls when a charge posts. For example (I'm not saying this is what happened), if the $700 charge on July 12 was a mail order/internet order item, then the $700 was authorized on July 12 when the order was placed. However, the business would not have put the final charge of $700 through to Amex until the shipping date, perhaps July 15.
The business is in control of putting the charge through. Amex has no incentive to delay the posting of a charge.
Realize that it is the business establishment that controls when a charge posts. For example (I'm not saying this is what happened), if the $700 charge on July 12 was a mail order/internet order item, then the $700 was authorized on July 12 when the order was placed. However, the business would not have put the final charge of $700 through to Amex until the shipping date, perhaps July 15.
The business is in control of putting the charge through. Amex has no incentive to delay the posting of a charge.
Jul 18, 2014, 9:47 am
#2402
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
Well, I don't have to worry about this anymore. Crazy thing happened. The 20,000 SPG points showed up in his acct this morning. I guess SPG saw that we met the spending requirement in July an posted the points after all. I have already made the transfer to the airlines. All worked out well in the end. Don't you love it when things work out like you want them to?
Jul 18, 2014, 4:44 pm
#2403
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
I want to buy vgc from cvs to load to evolve with my spg card, so I can make student load payments (and hit my min spend faster). Is there an amount in giftcard purchases that amex will have an issue with? I know amex was a bit stern about cvs charges with VRs, but I didn't know if their view of VGCs varied.
Jul 25, 2014, 9:58 pm
#2404
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,498
Any recent reports on whether adding an authorized user/employee card on my SPG biz incurs a hard pull? I see a report from 2011 that it did, but wonder if anything has changed.
Aug 6, 2014, 10:38 am
#2405
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 589
This was not answered clearly on the WIKI:
1. Can Amex SPG loaded into Serve and be considered for the Minimum $5K Spend?
2. When Loading Amex SPG to Serve will that trigger an F\R from amex like AP?
Thanks-
1. Can Amex SPG loaded into Serve and be considered for the Minimum $5K Spend?
2. When Loading Amex SPG to Serve will that trigger an F\R from amex like AP?
Thanks-
Aug 6, 2014, 4:48 pm
#2406
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 9
To add a more current experience:
I called and asked to have the fee removed from this month's bill and was told a definite no. I then tried to encourage a point offer by saying that "I would therefore like to cancel the card". Well, instead of a point offer, the CSR gave me the fastest and easiest credit card cancellation that the world has ever seen! No kidding, in under 30 seconds my card was cancelled and the CSR was saying "Have a nice day!"
It's just my luck, every other credit card that I have tried to cancel in my life turned into an hour long struggle of convincing a dozen people that I really didn't want the card anymore, and then the one time I don't really want to cancel is the one time that they don't give me any hassle!
Oh well, I'll wait a few months and then apply for a new one. Maybe I'll even get another sign-up bonus.
I called and asked to have the fee removed from this month's bill and was told a definite no. I then tried to encourage a point offer by saying that "I would therefore like to cancel the card". Well, instead of a point offer, the CSR gave me the fastest and easiest credit card cancellation that the world has ever seen! No kidding, in under 30 seconds my card was cancelled and the CSR was saying "Have a nice day!"
It's just my luck, every other credit card that I have tried to cancel in my life turned into an hour long struggle of convincing a dozen people that I really didn't want the card anymore, and then the one time I don't really want to cancel is the one time that they don't give me any hassle!
Oh well, I'll wait a few months and then apply for a new one. Maybe I'll even get another sign-up bonus.
Aug 7, 2014, 8:26 am
#2407
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: DFW
Posts: 67
Aug 8, 2014, 3:29 pm
#2408
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: 212
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 502
I only recently applied for an SPG Amex card. I just got my first statement.
One of my first expenditure on the card was a stay at a Four Points. According to spg.com, I got 242 points for the stay. But Amex gave me 316 starpoints for the same stay.
So it's pretty obvious Four Points only gave me points for the base room rate and not anything else, such as tax and parking. Amex gave me double points for everything the hotel charged me, including tax and parking.
I'm not complaining about this. I see an opportunity to do my best to game the system.
So, everything that's on the hotel statement will be awarded double points from Amex? What else can I put on the hotel statement that I'd otherwise charge separately to my card and only get 1x points?
Tax and parking are pretty much default. I hate eating at the hotel restaurant, but the food and tip can be room charged, right? I tend to have incidental-free stays, but I may reconsider on that. Can you buy at the hotel gift shop and room charge?
One of my first expenditure on the card was a stay at a Four Points. According to spg.com, I got 242 points for the stay. But Amex gave me 316 starpoints for the same stay.
So it's pretty obvious Four Points only gave me points for the base room rate and not anything else, such as tax and parking. Amex gave me double points for everything the hotel charged me, including tax and parking.
I'm not complaining about this. I see an opportunity to do my best to game the system.
So, everything that's on the hotel statement will be awarded double points from Amex? What else can I put on the hotel statement that I'd otherwise charge separately to my card and only get 1x points?
Tax and parking are pretty much default. I hate eating at the hotel restaurant, but the food and tip can be room charged, right? I tend to have incidental-free stays, but I may reconsider on that. Can you buy at the hotel gift shop and room charge?
However, as you pointed out, the SPG Amex card will give you 2x points on all of the above. Just don't spend more than you would have otherwise (ie, order $17 club sandwich from the hotel restaurant or pay 20% room delivery charges when you would have gotten a $5 Subway from across the street).
Aug 9, 2014, 12:09 pm
#2409
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
2. I have heard of people doing AP with SPG with no problems. Sometimes I think these FRs are more a result of a combination of factors and not simply from the use of AP. That being said since you are not earning points from serve and the fact that its capped on the amount you can load with a credit card per month I don't see why amex would get all crazy about it as long as your not paying off your amex card with serve as well.
Aug 16, 2014, 1:33 pm
#2410
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: STL
Posts: 22
I have had my personal amex SPG card for 11 months and am planning to open up a business card for the 25k signup bonus. When I apply, should I list my existing Starwood account number or leave it blank so they create a new one?
I don't travel much and am slowly banking up points for a Disney trip next year (Dolphin or Swan) and wish to avoid the annual fee.
I don't travel much and am slowly banking up points for a Disney trip next year (Dolphin or Swan) and wish to avoid the annual fee.
Aug 16, 2014, 2:12 pm
#2411
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,959
Aug 16, 2014, 3:32 pm
#2412
In memoriam
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Chicago, IL (ORD), Phoenix AZ (PHX)
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Starwood Platinum, a nothing in several others
Posts: 5,176
Use you existing SPG account for the new card and the points will post to your SPG account.
Aug 16, 2014, 4:14 pm
#2413
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: STL
Posts: 22
Thanks mia and gfowler-ord-1k
Aug 20, 2014, 8:56 am
#2414
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 60
just got approved for the Amex spg, looking forward to using it :-)
Aug 25, 2014, 12:57 pm
#2415
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
nevermind
Last edited by bobert24; Sep 3, 2014 at 9:32 am