Same here. If it were just a straight 3 pts per $ as you go for up to 100K pts, I probably would make an effort to divert some spend to the card. However, with a $25K minimum threshold for the bonus points, it's unlikely that I would even try, especially when I have a card that earns me slightly >2.5% cash back.

LAX

That's what I will be using mine on, too. Other than that, I have plenty of other cards with a higher return.

LAX

Same here, no confirmation email but took a screenshot of the you're registered page. I think I posted it a page back.

New card delivery
 

An email received today says

I got an email today that my SPG Business Card will be converted to the new Bonvoy and a card sent in the next 3 months.

BUT they are RAISING the fee to$125!!

Are you friggin' kidding me?! It's hard enough for most of us to keep this new Bonvoy card and now they see fit to raise the Yearly Fee? Here's the quote:

When will your next annual fee be billed?

AFAIK, there is no no-fee SPG card and they don't you change partner branded cards into Amex branded cards (i.e. the Blue Cash). If anyone has successfully completed a change like this, I'd love to hear more about it.

Mine is Sept. So I have time until then to examine my options.

After March 28,2019, everybody will get hit with the new $125 fee.

Yeah when my SPG Business AF hits in June I'll likely be cancelling. The 35k certificate was *barely* enough for me to keep the card with current AF. With the higher fee totally not worth it to me now. Honestly I am wishing I cancelled my SPG business last year now. The fee came up in late June right before I would qualify for the free night cert so I got nothing, called in for a retention offer and got nothing and then basically sock drawed after several years of high spend when the new earning structure hit. The only reason I kept it was for the annual certificate which isn't worth $125 to me.

I read it differently:

I think this means your next renewal will be billed at $95, and the one in September 2020 will be at the higher cost.

Well it depends on your alternative ROI and your personal need for more Marriott points.

For us this is a good offer as we never have enough Marriott points and will need even more thanks to this year's major devaluation (esp. for former SPG Cat 5-7 properties). We have enjoyed many peak season family vacations at SPG and JW resorts here and abroad. So how do we get more points?

Until August we spent $30k+ per year on SPG Amex. After August our spend dropped to almost nil. I am sure this was the case on many accounts and hence the bonus offer.

So what is the alternative for $25k spend? We could earn 25k Chase points which I value at 2+ cents when used for business class TATL or TPAC (the same points would net only 25k Marriott points). We could earn 2% cash back = $500. Personally I concur with blogger valuation of .006-.007 for Marriott points, which brings a value of $450-525 for 75k points. By this calculation we would be better off with cash back after considering the AF? Perhaps (assuming AF is not already a sunk cost) .

But when combined with points I earn from business travel, we may be able to find a 5 night deal that brings a value of .01 per point or more. I'm willing to take that gamble but certainly not worth it for those who earn a million MR points annually. As of March, 75k points won't even buy 1 night at the top St. Regis properties so maybe better off with cash to buy lodging unless you have other ways to earn.

No doubt this is a factor, but I think the larger consideration is that this is a discontinued card, and American Express is trying to make it expensive for Chase to poach their personal cardholders.


I think you dropped a zero and mean $0.006 to $0.007.

I cancelled my not so Brilliant biz card for precisely that reason; I will keep the Brilliant with its various features that are more than enough (especially now that the nights from the two cards do not sum up).

This is what I am hoping for, renewal in 2019 for $95. After that, unless AE throws me some bonus points or statement credit to make up the difference, I will be cancelling mine at the subsequent renewal.

LAX