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]
Feb 24, 2019, 6:11 pm
#3781
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA
Programs: OZ Diamond
Posts: 6,134
LAX
Feb 24, 2019, 8:03 pm
#3782
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,520
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
LAX
Feb 25, 2019, 12:06 am
#3783
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA
Programs: OZ Diamond
Posts: 6,134
LAX
Feb 25, 2019, 7:44 am
#3784
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
Same here, no confirmation email but took a screenshot of the you're registered page. I think I posted it a page back.
Feb 25, 2019, 9:58 am
#3785
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,975
New card delivery
An email received today says
Card Members will automatically receive the new Card design starting in June 2019 and over the following months.
Feb 25, 2019, 10:13 am
#3786
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: SF, NYC (Upper WS), Europe
Posts: 307
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:
After nearly a decade with SPG, I think it's time for me to cut ties.
What the pulse of the situation for you guys?....
Is there a Card option (or other vehicle) to feed into the SPG/Bonvoy Account to keep one's points from expiring?.....
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:
"After your next renewal date on or after March 28, 2019, your Card’s annual fee will increase to $125. We will send you a separate notice with additional information about this change to your annual membership fee, including when this fee change will affect you.ą"
What the pulse of the situation for you guys?....
Is there a Card option (or other vehicle) to feed into the SPG/Bonvoy Account to keep one's points from expiring?.....
Feb 25, 2019, 10:39 am
#3787
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Feb 25, 2019, 10:40 am
#3788
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: YVR SFO
Programs: UA G
Posts: 4,866
I'd like to downgrade my SPG (now Amex Bonvoy) to a no annual fee card. Am I right in thinking there is no Amex Bonvoy product without an annual fee?
Can I in that case downgrade to e.g. the Amex Blue Cash? Am I right in thinking that's the card I'll least regret downgrading to (i.e. the one least likely to have an interesting signup bonus that I won't be eligible for because I downgraded to it).
Can I in that case downgrade to e.g. the Amex Blue Cash? Am I right in thinking that's the card I'll least regret downgrading to (i.e. the one least likely to have an interesting signup bonus that I won't be eligible for because I downgraded to it).
Feb 25, 2019, 11:16 am
#3790
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,710
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.
Feb 25, 2019, 12:17 pm
#3791
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
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.
After your next renewal date on or after March 28, 2019, your Card’s annual fee will increase to $125.
Feb 25, 2019, 12:43 pm
#3792
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,720
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.
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.
Last edited by Boraxo; Feb 26, 2019 at 12:09 am Reason: corrected valuation
Feb 25, 2019, 12:50 pm
#3793
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
concur with blogger valuation of .06-.07 for Marriott points,....
Feb 25, 2019, 4:51 pm
#3794
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP; BoNVoY Tit LTP
Posts: 1,923
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).
Feb 25, 2019, 11:28 pm
#3795
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA; Philadelphia, PA
Programs: OZ Diamond
Posts: 6,134
LAX