Woo hoo applied on-line 2 days ago, got the card today! I was worried about what the credit limit would be but we got $10,000 - more than I hoped for. Of course everything is not glitch free - we had requested an extra card for me (husband primary because he has the SPG account) and of course only one card came, but they said they'd send mine right out. I'm still not crazy that it's an AMEX rather than a more widely accepted MC or Visa but that's ok. Our Citibank AA MC is almost up for its $85 renewal so now we can get rid of that, and keep our Citi AA bronze with half miles for the few times we can't use the SPG Amex.

SPG renewal
 

Hi my renewal fee of $45 just hit this week. I got the card for the first year free. We got married in a starwood resort so we charged the entire reception and most of the wedding on our charge. I would say we put probably close to $45-$50 on our card last year, $35K which was spent directly at Starwood. We were never late paying it off every month. When I call customer service to ask about the renewal what is the max in SPG points I could ask for? I have no idea how this game works as I have never done it before.

tHanks!

I've heard that this card includes a benefit that allows you to book a room for half off the rack rate once a year. But I can't see anything like that on the AMEX website. Can anyone clarify this for me? Thanks.

Yes, I just got this info today with my new card:

"Upon each annual renewal of your Card Account, Starwood will send you a certificate that offers 50% off regular rack rates for a stay of up to 5 nights in a row at participating Starwood hotels and resorts. You cannot use the certificate for a discount on room tax, gratuities or service charges.

Also, the certificate is subject to:

- blackout dates
- availability of rooms at the time of reservation, and
-additional terms and conditions specified on the certificate"

Cool. Thanks.

I spoke with AMEX and searched this thread, but still unsure of my question. Does anyone know what or if there are any perks when you book any travel (air or hotel) through the travel portion of AMEX with your AMEX SPG Card?

None, as far as I am aware of.

regarding the SPG50 deal - can i combine? i mean for one stay can i get 5 days 50% off and the sixth (and so on) at a regular rate?

Or the 6th, etc. free on points? I guess only someone who has reached their renewal can see what the restrictions are on the certificate.

Please note that the 50% Certificate is off the RACK rate. Sometimes that ends up being less than the BAR, but sometimes it is still more. I have actually never used one of the certificates.

pre-approved for SPG card?
 

has anyone ever receive a pre-approval from AMEX for the SPG AMEX card?

Also, the availability of these rooms sometimes can be very slim. I have no idea what one of these is worth but I'd sell mine for pretty cheap. Tried to use it at several hotels in Europe and it was a no go. :td:

When I applied on-line we got the response in no joke 10 seconds. We do have another Gold AMEX card (which we only use at Costco since it doesn't give us any points, but there's no annual fee so we keep it anyway).

Is this true? I just applied for the biz card from this page https://www143.americanexpress.com/a...landingCode=10

and here are the T&C regarding the bonus points:

1. To be eligible to receive 10,000 bonus Starpoints, you must make your first purchase with the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card within one year of Card approval. Bonus points will appear on your Starwood Preferred Guest statement 8-12 weeks after your first purchase. Bonus Starpoints are for first-time Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Cardmembers only. Bonus Starpoints can only be received once per Cardmember, regardless of the number of Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card accounts the Cardmember may have or had.

2. You must use your Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card to complete $15,000 of eligible spending by the end of your first six months of Cardmembership, based on the date of your Card approval. 15,000 Starpoints will be credited to your account 8 to 12 weeks after you reach the spend threshold.

No distinction is made here between personal and biz card for bonus points.

Yes, of course. Just make 2 reservations - one for the first 5 nights and the other for night 6. There certainly is no prohibition on doing so. Whether you get quadruple points for all 6 nights will depend on HOW the hotel posts the stays.