Any1 know if serve spending/purchase of VGC counts either as points for eligible spend or towards the $3K minimum? Please let me know!

Is there any other benefit to getting the SPG card than the 30k points? I'm thinking along the lines of a SPG level like gold or platinum, something for more benefits during Starwood stays.

Also, I've got 60k MR points burning a hole in my pocket but it only transfers to 20k Starwood points. Is that still an efficient use of MR points?

Benefit of PERSONAL card are here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...ards-learnmore

Buried in the terms:

Benefits of the BUSINESS card are here:

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/s...ac-starwood-lm


In addition to all the benefits of the personal card there is:

Answered explicitly in the wiki, with a helpful link to the separate FT thread relevant to the pseudo-elite status in question.

While I liked the redemption value of Starwood vis a vis Hilton and Marriott**, the fact that I would never charge $30,000 and therefore would always pay for breakfast was a big deal breaker for me. (Hilton confers gold status with ANY spend, and Marriott gives you a free hotel night every year, both way more than their annual fees.

With no additional perks that we can use (I don't even know what Boingo is), and with the uptick to $95, we just felt, sadly, that Starwood no longer fits into our big picture.

**although I increasingly realized that the points accumulation was proportionate...H and M wanted more points per room, but earned you a much higher multiple both through stays and through their CC bonuses.

Boingo is a WiFi roaming service. Read discussion of this benefit here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ingo-wifi.html

We're thinking along the same lines...I'm not interested in free foreign trans fees or free wi-fi, I'm looking for room upgrades or free breakfast. If I get the SPG Amex, it would be for the 30K points and then I'm out.

I guess the HHonors Signature Visa would be a better long term card for me? I think I get Hilton upgrades and breakfast with that card.

I just put a big spurt on my spg amex to get me up to 12,000 pts...one night at 12 or 2 at 6,000 + 110 C&P and I'm happy.

Yes, I knew that Boingo was some sort of wifi, but almost every H or M property has free computers for guest use.

We are not your typical patrons who are on business, where the company will pay for breakfast and anything else you need to charge...we are retired, and the most simple perks (breakfast - nothing we hate more than falling out of bed and going someplace or paying for it) are most important to us.

Just providing our perspective.

That's fine as long as you never plan on leaving the hotel.

Bumping after 10 hours? A little impatient, eh?

Like four days from approval. Got it same day I activated card.

Didn't want it to get lost in the other conversations.

Thanks.

Yes, they do, but Serve does not earn additional SPG points, just counts toward minimum spend.

What an interesting thing to say. When I go on vacation I'm not glued to a device, checking e-mails or adjusting reservation en route can easily be done in a few minutes in the morning or evening. Remember, we're retired and are not on call every minute. Just pointing out the differences in how people travel, not everyone is the same.