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]
Oct 21, 2016, 10:07 am
#3001
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SNA
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, National EE
Posts: 1,204
Oct 21, 2016, 10:10 am
#3002
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Oct 21, 2016, 10:25 am
#3003
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,767
Yes I did. I literally added up each charge AFTER January 1st, thru the last statement.
That number does not match with what AMEX online Year To Date number even after taking out the unbilled for current cycle from the online YTD number.
And it does not match from what the chat rep told me either!
The difference is over a couple thousands, as the AMEX YTD and the number from the chat rep were higher than the number when I added each transaction. Hence I am very puzzled and actually troubled by that.
The bonuses are NOT included in my calculation. I only counted those from spend.
Yes, you do need to subtract the statement credits from AMEX Offers as those Directly Reduced the SPG pts you earned in that period - i.e. the spend is REDUCED by the statement credit.
Correct. The statement credits should be subtracted from the total spend tally. No question about that.
There are rounding errors in the calculation of how many points earned. They always have a few points discrepancy.
I am looking at the $ figure from 3 different sources - AMEX Online YTD activity, Chat Rep, and the transferred pts at $1 per pt to SPG which should closely match with what AMEX shows minus the rounding errors. None of the 3 matches to each other, and the AMEX numbers are a few thousands HIGHER than what SPG shows. What SPG shows come very close to what I manually add up the charges line by line for the whole year, minus the AMEX Offer credits.
What bothers me most is, the AMEX Online figure and whatever the chat rep looks at, are a few thousands HIGHER than the actual spend. Should I rely on the AMEX figures I would be missing the target!
That number does not match with what AMEX online Year To Date number even after taking out the unbilled for current cycle from the online YTD number.
And it does not match from what the chat rep told me either!
The difference is over a couple thousands, as the AMEX YTD and the number from the chat rep were higher than the number when I added each transaction. Hence I am very puzzled and actually troubled by that.
Yes, you do need to subtract the statement credits from AMEX Offers as those Directly Reduced the SPG pts you earned in that period - i.e. the spend is REDUCED by the statement credit.
I'm also "going for Gold" via spend. First off, the AMEX offer credits did not earn Starpoints on my last statement so it appears they should be subtracted.
Second, at the very bottom of "SPG Points Earned" portion of my statement it says:
"Your qualifying Year-to-Date spending on your Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express is $xx.00.To qualify for Starwood Gold Preferred Guest® Status, you need to have $30,000 in qualified spend by December 31st."
That is what I will go by.
Also, my "points earned for eligible spend this year" is six points more than "qualifying Year-to-Date spending". Just my most recent statement gave me 2 pts more than eligible spend. I don't know why but I'm not a CPA so I don't feel a professional obligation to reconcile.
Second, at the very bottom of "SPG Points Earned" portion of my statement it says:
"Your qualifying Year-to-Date spending on your Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express is $xx.00.To qualify for Starwood Gold Preferred Guest® Status, you need to have $30,000 in qualified spend by December 31st."
That is what I will go by.
Also, my "points earned for eligible spend this year" is six points more than "qualifying Year-to-Date spending". Just my most recent statement gave me 2 pts more than eligible spend. I don't know why but I'm not a CPA so I don't feel a professional obligation to reconcile.
There are rounding errors in the calculation of how many points earned. They always have a few points discrepancy.
I am looking at the $ figure from 3 different sources - AMEX Online YTD activity, Chat Rep, and the transferred pts at $1 per pt to SPG which should closely match with what AMEX shows minus the rounding errors. None of the 3 matches to each other, and the AMEX numbers are a few thousands HIGHER than what SPG shows. What SPG shows come very close to what I manually add up the charges line by line for the whole year, minus the AMEX Offer credits.
What bothers me most is, the AMEX Online figure and whatever the chat rep looks at, are a few thousands HIGHER than the actual spend. Should I rely on the AMEX figures I would be missing the target!
Nov 2, 2016, 8:49 pm
#3004
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
Points posted as SPG AX DEFAULT
Since 10/21/16, I've received SPG points posted to my SPG account on five separate occasions with the description SPG AX DEFAULT. With the exception of one posting of approximately 1,000 points, the other four have had less than 100 points each. I've checked my online purchases to see if the amounts correspond to any purchases, but they do not.
At first I thought they were the bonus points associated with the Amex Small Business promotion, but the T&C of that promotion indicate the bonus points will be posted within 10-12 weeks after the end of the promotion.
Has anyone else had such points posted to their SPG account? If so, do you know why?
At first I thought they were the bonus points associated with the Amex Small Business promotion, but the T&C of that promotion indicate the bonus points will be posted within 10-12 weeks after the end of the promotion.
Has anyone else had such points posted to their SPG account? If so, do you know why?
Nov 2, 2016, 9:09 pm
#3005
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Oak Park, IL
Programs: AA 2 MM LIfetime Platinum, SPG Platinum, Hilton Silver, BA
Posts: 3,585
shopsmall bonus
The posting you see is indeed the shopsmall bonus which seems to appear within a few days of the charge posting. The first one was two charges combined, but then I had a $12 charge - and within a few days the 12 points posted to my spg account. I charged 2 charges at the same store today so I will see if they combine them or post separately. I would have thought I would be waiting until the closing of the cycle - this is better as you can actually see if a purchase falls into the small shop category for extra points.
Nov 2, 2016, 9:27 pm
#3006
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
The posting you see is indeed the shopsmall bonus which seems to appear within a few days of the charge posting. The first one was two charges combined, but then I had a $12 charge - and within a few days the 12 points posted to my spg account. I charged 2 charges at the same store today so I will see if they combine them or post separately. I would have thought I would be waiting until the closing of the cycle - this is better as you can actually see if a purchase falls into the small shop category for extra points.
Nov 2, 2016, 9:59 pm
#3007
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: Hyatt Globalist No More..., Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,375
Yes. They are for the small business promo and yes they combine them. I had a combo happen today and at first I couldn't match it to an exact purchase either.
Nov 2, 2016, 10:43 pm
#3008
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Oak Park, IL
Programs: AA 2 MM LIfetime Platinum, SPG Platinum, Hilton Silver, BA
Posts: 3,585
shopsmall bonus
I had had another $40 charge and 40 points showed up a couple of days later. So you could try totaling charges per day and see if it adds up. Not all small businesses are necessarily part of the program. You would have to look up each store to know.
Nov 2, 2016, 11:05 pm
#3009
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Oak Park, IL
Programs: AA 2 MM LIfetime Platinum, SPG Platinum, Hilton Silver, BA
Posts: 3,585
In the past I have achieved GOLD through the $30K spend. This is less possible with Costco giving up AMEX. Since I get 2 stays and 5 night credit from the credit card, and award stays count I am achieving GOLD through award stays instead. Two one night weekend stays in Milwaukee. One stay outside of Detroit on my way to Toronto. 1 stay, 5 nights in London, 1 stay, 4 nights in Cancun. Tomorrow in Cleveland, the next night in Buffalo on my way to Lenox. In more than a week, a night in Niagra Falls on way to Toronto. That will give me Gold - since there is no way I could have spent $30K this year.
Nov 4, 2016, 11:40 am
#3010
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: stl
Programs: AA LT Plat/8.1mm now with 1350 miles left in my account and proud of it.. SPG LT Titanium.
Posts: 3,082
I had a problem with a charge and called Amex. Went to a call center in Asia and after 10 minutes of frustrating conversation, I hung up and called again. Same thing happened and asked for a supervisor which got me cutoff. The third time same call center and no supervisor available or ability to transfer to the states but willing to schedule an appointment for a call back.
Granted it was lunch time here, but if this is the new standard of service on this card for Amex it is a major downgrade. When I have called on my Amex Platinum, I have not had this experience.
Granted it was lunch time here, but if this is the new standard of service on this card for Amex it is a major downgrade. When I have called on my Amex Platinum, I have not had this experience.
Nov 7, 2016, 11:25 am
#3011
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: FLL / BKK
Posts: 703
For anybody using SPG AMEX during the small business promo. I am seeing some wild posting numbers pop up. Such as:
+3,000 SPG AX Default then a line item later,
-2,983 SPG Ax Base spend.
I have had this occur a few times with varying amounts. Anybody else seeing this?
+3,000 SPG AX Default then a line item later,
-2,983 SPG Ax Base spend.
I have had this occur a few times with varying amounts. Anybody else seeing this?
Nov 7, 2016, 12:03 pm
#3012
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: ORD, MKE
Programs: Bonvoy LT Gold, Hilton Silver, Hyatt Discoverist, Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 710
Yes, recently saw a +28, +181, -28, pop up on my SPG points activity. They were all on the same day, and I have no idea to what charges they relate.
Nov 7, 2016, 12:50 pm
#3013
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: EWR-SEA-IAD
Programs: UA 1P MM, AS MVP G*, SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 977
Yeah had
+1700
And
-300 next line.
Weird, seems like that would short me a few hundred...
+1700
And
-300 next line.
Weird, seems like that would short me a few hundred...
Nov 7, 2016, 1:05 pm
#3014
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: PHL / SFO
Programs: free agent
Posts: 797
Seems there's a (targeted?) promo right now for a 50% bonus on AmEx points transferred to SPG.
Just got the email this morning.
Just got the email this morning.
Nov 8, 2016, 6:17 am
#3015
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,018