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 6, 2007, 8:32 am
#106
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat, HH Gold, PC Plat, lots of miles but no status w/ usual *A, OW & ST suspects
Posts: 101
starwood amex - worth using as primary card?
up to until last night, i was all set on using my united mileage plus cc as my primary card. i stay at *wood hotels for business, but given the 2:1 ratio for starpoints to miles transfer, i thought it'd be more worth it to use my united card for the 1:1 $ spent per mile earned.
then i looked at united's miles redemption requirements and decided maybe using them as my primary airline wasn't the best thing (i have a bunch of miles with other airlines too), so i decided to re-focus on the *wood amex, and take advantage of their 1:1 ratio for most other airlines.
is using the starwood amex as my primary card worth it? what do you use, in conjunction with your ff programs?
then i looked at united's miles redemption requirements and decided maybe using them as my primary airline wasn't the best thing (i have a bunch of miles with other airlines too), so i decided to re-focus on the *wood amex, and take advantage of their 1:1 ratio for most other airlines.
is using the starwood amex as my primary card worth it? what do you use, in conjunction with your ff programs?
Feb 6, 2007, 8:34 am
#107
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Central Pennsylvania
Programs: SPG/Marriott Lifetime Gold, Amtrak Guest Rewards, UA Silver
Posts: 536
I guess I'm hobnobbing with the high rollers here...
Feb 6, 2007, 8:41 am
#108
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 16
up to until last night, i was all set on using my united mileage plus cc as my primary card. i stay at *wood hotels for business, but given the 2:1 ratio for starpoints to miles transfer, i thought it'd be more worth it to use my united card for the 1:1 $ spent per mile earned.
then i looked at united's miles redemption requirements and decided maybe using them as my primary airline wasn't the best thing (i have a bunch of miles with other airlines too), so i decided to re-focus on the *wood amex, and take advantage of their 1:1 ratio for most other airlines.
is using the starwood amex as my primary card worth it? what do you use, in conjunction with your ff programs?
then i looked at united's miles redemption requirements and decided maybe using them as my primary airline wasn't the best thing (i have a bunch of miles with other airlines too), so i decided to re-focus on the *wood amex, and take advantage of their 1:1 ratio for most other airlines.
is using the starwood amex as my primary card worth it? what do you use, in conjunction with your ff programs?
Feb 6, 2007, 8:44 am
#109
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 16
I use the starwood amex as my primary. I tend to find I get better value from Starwood than United. It is getting harder and harder to use FF miles these days and the lack of blackout dates on Starwood is key. Mind you, the recent catagory changes have me reconsidering, I might abandon Starwood all together.
Feb 6, 2007, 9:19 am
#110
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Atlanta
Programs: DL/PM, *Wood Platinum
Posts: 835
I will still use my Starwood AMEX for staying at *wood hotels, but I am switching all other expenses to Discover and a cash-back MC. I wouldn't do a FF mileage card in place of AMEX (I get too many FF miles the old-fashioned way). The AMEX was okay value before this devaluation, but now it just seems to make no sense...
Feb 6, 2007, 12:04 pm
#111
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 321
....
I am leaving Starwood AMEX for HHonors AMEX. No annual fees, plus more hotels worldwide.
Starwood was good before this devaluation, but now it no longer makes sense.
Starwood was good before this devaluation, but now it no longer makes sense.
Feb 6, 2007, 12:38 pm
#112
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 16
I used to be a Hilton fan, but I finally got sick of not being able to get free nights in the hotels I wanted. They might have more properties but have limited award rooms available unless you are diamond level.
Feb 6, 2007, 12:40 pm
#113
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 851
Hotel awards are often a bad value. But Starwood is the best FF card out there because of the transfer to airlines value (25,000 miles for 20,000 points).
Feb 6, 2007, 12:47 pm
#114
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA,USA
Programs: AA Plat, DL Gold, UAL Premier, SPG Plat, HH Gold
Posts: 566
My litmus test for Starwood vs Hilton has always been the two hotels across the street in New York City (the Sheraton NY Hotel & Towers vs. the Hilton NY). Before the devaluation the Sheraton was 10,000 pts for a free night vs 40,000 for the Hilton (which I understand was also devalued in the not so recent past). So at 3 Hilton points per $ spent, SPG was a better value before the valuation. Now that it's 12,000 - 16,000 it's less clear (I mostly pay for the week and use points on the weekend). I think I'll stick with SPG for now because of the no blackout dates
Feb 6, 2007, 12:58 pm
#115
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
My litmus test for Starwood vs Hilton has always been the two hotels across the street in New York City (the Sheraton NY Hotel & Towers vs. the Hilton NY). Before the devaluation the Sheraton was 10,000 pts for a free night vs 40,000 for the Hilton (which I understand was also devalued in the not so recent past). So at 3 Hilton points per $ spent, SPG was a better value before the valuation. Now that it's 12,000 - 16,000 it's less clear (I mostly pay for the week and use points on the weekend). I think I'll stick with SPG for now because of the no blackout dates
I just signed up for the HH AMEX card and will use it primarily at locations offering 5 pts. per $ like supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants, etc. I will continue to use my *W AMEX for other charges but overall the devaluation has cause me to look elsewhere when I would have been happy collecting *W points had there been no devalution.
Feb 6, 2007, 1:32 pm
#116
Moderator: American AAdvantage & Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: PHX
Programs: American ExPlat; Marriott/SPG Lifetime Plat; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 8,116
The new property categories make using Starpoints for stays at the vast majority of their nicer properties far less desirable than before.
For me, the primary benefit of accruing them at this point is the occasional stay at a very expensive property (Now, probably only in situations where rates are >$500/night), and the airline transfer option into programs that aren't my primary programs.
In my view, the 5K transfer bonus and 1:1 ratio still makes the SPG program desirable. If/when those goes away, the value plummets off the map.
For me, the primary benefit of accruing them at this point is the occasional stay at a very expensive property (Now, probably only in situations where rates are >$500/night), and the airline transfer option into programs that aren't my primary programs.
In my view, the 5K transfer bonus and 1:1 ratio still makes the SPG program desirable. If/when those goes away, the value plummets off the map.
Feb 6, 2007, 1:40 pm
#117
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: USA
Programs: HH Diamond, SPG Gold, PC Platinum Ambassador, Marriott Silver
Posts: 15,249
Feb 6, 2007, 1:54 pm
#118
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: USA
Programs: HH Diamond, SPG Gold, PC Platinum Ambassador, Marriott Silver
Posts: 15,249
In my view, the 5K transfer bonus and 1:1 ratio still makes the SPG program desirable. If/when those goes away, the value plummets off the map.
Feb 6, 2007, 2:25 pm
#119
Moderator: American AAdvantage & Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: PHX
Programs: American ExPlat; Marriott/SPG Lifetime Plat; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 8,116
Given the superiority of BA's business class product, this is a slam dunk. A BA WT+ ticket is typically in the same price range as an upgradeable economy ticket on a US airline and you've in what is arguably the best business class cabin going. For a maximum of 20K Starpoints.
Another example I've considered is moving Starpoints to Emirates in order to redeem for a trip in one of their private F cabins. I don't have miles in any other program that would make that possible.
So, it's also a rare exception for me to transfer Starpoints to an airline, but there are some high-leverage exceptions.
Feb 6, 2007, 3:26 pm
#120
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM
Posts: 2,080
I use the SPG AmEx as my nearly-exclusive card, and transfer everything to AA at the 1.25 to 1 ratio. I know some (most?) folks use Starpoints for hotel stays, but I am doing everything I can to get to lifetime Plat with AA. Another consideration is that I can pretty much afford to pay for any hotel I want to stay in -- the things in the travel world that would be totally out of reach, but for awards, are premium class international air tickets.