Jun 12, 2015, 7:15 pm
Last edit by: KENNECTED
This thread is for discussion of the new benefits & fee structure announced in June 2015. For general discussion of the SPG Amex, see SPG American Express [Master Thread].
Will the additional cardholders on my Starwood Business Amex account get access to the Sheraton Club lounge? What about guests in additional rooms I'm also paying for?
Will the additional cardholders on my Starwood Business Amex account get access to the Sheraton Club lounge? What about guests in additional rooms I'm also paying for?
"This benefit is for Basic Card Members only on Starpoint Eligible Rate reservations...Sheraton Club lounge access is limited to the eligible Card Member and a guest staying in the same room for the duration of the stay, regardless of how many rooms have been reserved." (See Starwood FAQs.)
Which hotel brands with the Sheraton name will offer the lounge benefit?The benefit is offered at all Sheraton-branded properties, including Sheraton Grand hotels, with the exception of any Luxury Collection property. It is not available at Four Points by Sheraton hotels.
Wiil I still get Club access if I book my stay with points or cash+points?Per Starwood Lurker in post #104, yes.
American Express and Starwood enhance cobrand credit card benefits
Jun 3, 2015, 6:16 am
#1
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: SPG
Posts: 713
American Express and Starwood enhance cobrand credit card benefits
Today, American Express and Starwood Hotels & Resorts are pleased to announce a host of new benefits adding more value to the Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) Credit Card from American Express for US residents*.
In addition to existing benefits, effective August 11, 2015, SPG Card Members will enjoy the following:
· No Foreign Transaction Fees
· Complimentary, Unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi
· Complimentary Premium In-Room Internet Access
· Access to Sheraton Club Lounges for SPG Amex OPEN Card Members
American Express and SPG have created a card for travelers providing Card Members with an enhanced luxury travel experience, both domestic and international, for business or pleasure. The card enhancements complement existing benefits including:
· Earn up to 5 Starpoints® on purchases at participating SPG hotels
· Receive credit for 5 Nights and 2 Stays toward Elite status each year
· Upgrade to SPG Gold status after you spend $30,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year
With the enhanced product benefits, the new annual fee will increase from $65 to $95 effective August 11, 2015. The first year of Card Membership is free and $95 annually thereafter.
For more information on the Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) Credit Card from American Express, please visit
www.americanexpress.com/newSPGCardbenefits
*Includes consumers residing in the fifty (50) states comprising the United States of America and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Republic of Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Alexis Lhopital
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
In addition to existing benefits, effective August 11, 2015, SPG Card Members will enjoy the following:
· No Foreign Transaction Fees
· Complimentary, Unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi
· Complimentary Premium In-Room Internet Access
· Access to Sheraton Club Lounges for SPG Amex OPEN Card Members
American Express and SPG have created a card for travelers providing Card Members with an enhanced luxury travel experience, both domestic and international, for business or pleasure. The card enhancements complement existing benefits including:
· Earn up to 5 Starpoints® on purchases at participating SPG hotels
· Receive credit for 5 Nights and 2 Stays toward Elite status each year
· Upgrade to SPG Gold status after you spend $30,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year
With the enhanced product benefits, the new annual fee will increase from $65 to $95 effective August 11, 2015. The first year of Card Membership is free and $95 annually thereafter.
For more information on the Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) Credit Card from American Express, please visit
www.americanexpress.com/newSPGCardbenefits
*Includes consumers residing in the fifty (50) states comprising the United States of America and the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Republic of Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Alexis Lhopital
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Last edited by Starwood Lurker IV; Jun 3, 2015 at 6:28 am
Jun 3, 2015, 6:36 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP; BoNVoY Tit LTP
Posts: 1,921
Hallelujah! My multiple interviews with American Express (responses to their surveys) have been answered! This is great.
Jun 3, 2015, 6:38 am
#3
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: South America
Programs: Accor LeClub Platinum, IHG Platinum, SPG Platinum, Club Carlson Gold Elite, Aegean Gold, AA Platinum
Posts: 27
Finally, been waiting for no foreign transaction fees!
Jun 3, 2015, 6:48 am
#4
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 8,460
Meh. I was looking for more points from Starwood purchases.
Boingo is garbage.
No FTF is good but I already have several cards that have that so not necessary here.
Sheraton Lounges, don't use them.
Certainly not worth the extra $30 bucks. Will definitely be cancelling now when year is up.
Boingo is garbage.
No FTF is good but I already have several cards that have that so not necessary here.
Sheraton Lounges, don't use them.
Certainly not worth the extra $30 bucks. Will definitely be cancelling now when year is up.
Jun 3, 2015, 6:52 am
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 3,317
Psyched!!!
No forex fees. Check.
Boingo. Check.
WiFi. Check.
Yes, I got the last two from 'other sources', but now I can cancel a few other pesky cards.
No forex fees. Check.
Boingo. Check.
WiFi. Check.
Yes, I got the last two from 'other sources', but now I can cancel a few other pesky cards.
Jun 3, 2015, 6:57 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: Marriott Tit, Hyatt Diamond, AA EXP, UA Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 427
I was about to post this.
I became excited and then quickly disappointed. The only added benefit here is no FTF. The free wifi now comes for all SPG stays not booked through an OTA, so it's hardly a card benefit.
This would be useful for golds who value club access, but for plats we're really paying $30 extra for not much, especially when there's STILL no anniversary benefit
I became excited and then quickly disappointed. The only added benefit here is no FTF. The free wifi now comes for all SPG stays not booked through an OTA, so it's hardly a card benefit.
This would be useful for golds who value club access, but for plats we're really paying $30 extra for not much, especially when there's STILL no anniversary benefit
Jun 3, 2015, 7:16 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: New Orleans/South Korea
Programs: SPG Plat97, AA PLT, Delta SM
Posts: 177
Really pleased to see the FTF is going away. Will be torn every time paying now on whether to pay with AMEX SPG or Chase SPP.
Also I've wondered for a while now why it says
Shouldn't that be up to 6 Starpoints? SPG Plat 75 = 4 points + AMEX SPG = 2 points, totalling a max of 6 points? Or is there something else I am not aware of going to 5 starpoints?
Also I've wondered for a while now why it says
Earn up to 5 Starpoints® on purchases at participating SPG hotels
Jun 3, 2015, 7:21 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Toronto
Programs: AC E, *A G, Starwood Platinum, Fairmont Platinum, Porter Points
Posts: 719
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BB10; Kbd) AppleWebKit/537.35+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/10.2.1.2141 Mobile Safari/537.35+)
Hopefully a new and improved Canadian SPG AMEX is in the works
Hopefully a new and improved Canadian SPG AMEX is in the works
Jun 3, 2015, 7:32 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,844
How is the Sheraton Club benefit going to work. If we have one account with several different employees issued cards, does everybody with a card get Sheraton Club access or just the main account holder?
Jun 3, 2015, 7:56 am
#10
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: BNA
Programs: Hyatt Explorist, Bonvoy Plat, HHonors Diamond, DL Gold
Posts: 383
I applaud American Express for removing Foreign Transaction Fees for the SPG Credit Card. Now I feel better about using that card abroad for Starwood Hotels, not feeling penalized. Unfortunately, American Express is also raising the annual fee nearly 50%. The other new benefits for the personal card seem rather useless to me. Many hotels have only one tier of internet, and as Gold I get "premium tier" anyway.
For a better value proposition American Express should have added more benefits to the card in conjunction with the higher annual fee, such as bonus spend categories beyond Starwood Hotels (dining, airlines, for example) or more comprehensive travel insurance for lost baggage and trip delays.
For a better value proposition American Express should have added more benefits to the card in conjunction with the higher annual fee, such as bonus spend categories beyond Starwood Hotels (dining, airlines, for example) or more comprehensive travel insurance for lost baggage and trip delays.
Jun 3, 2015, 8:02 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,012
Great news for US card holders - these look like genuinely useful enhancements.
Now if you can just follow-up by making the UK card useful, then I would be much obliged
For now, I shall just look on enviously across the Atlantic.
Now if you can just follow-up by making the UK card useful, then I would be much obliged
For now, I shall just look on enviously across the Atlantic.
Jun 3, 2015, 8:23 am
#12
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
Programs: SPG LT Plat, Hilton G,Priorty Club G, AC E
Posts: 2,979
Jun 3, 2015, 8:41 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SAF
Programs: HH Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 674
So the lounge access is only for the business version of the card?
Jun 3, 2015, 8:46 am
#14
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,368
Welcome to even more overcrowded Sheraton lounges and probably downgrades in F&B offerings.
Jun 3, 2015, 8:50 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Los Angeles & Orange County, CA
Programs: Wouldn't you like to know?!
Posts: 23,822
This is the exact opposite of that.
Of course, leave it to the current SPG team to destroy their brands even further.
