For all those looking for BVG!!---AmEx Starwood Preferred Guest Card--6000 pts first purchase, first year free WITH BVG

For all those always asking about BVG. Haven't seen this mentioned anywhere and thought some might find it useful. Rate positive if you like for others.

Self Explanatory Link

More Details

Earn 6,000 Starpoints with your first purchase*
Earn another 6,000 Starpoints when you stay at Starwood hotels and resorts
Enjoy a 5,000 mile bonus when you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to miles
Get 1 Starpoint for every eligible dollar you charge with the Card for any purchase
Earn 3 Starpoints for every eligible dollar you charge at Starwood's over 750 participating hotels and resorts

You can get a free night for as little as 2000 Starpoints. You also get a coupon for 50% off one night's stay.


Other features:

Benefits of the Card
The first year of Cardmembership is fee free, with an annual fee of just $30 per year thereafter. There is a six-month 2.90% introductory APR on purchases, then Prime plus 9.99%, a grace period up to 20 days, and a line of credit up to $100,000. Additional cards are fee-free, so you can share virtually all the benefits and services with family members and watch those Starpoints add up even faster!3

Transfer Balances Fee-Free

Dedicated Customer Service

Your Year End Summary: Now Available Online

Access Your Account Online

Buyer's Assurance
With the Buyer's Assurance Plan you can shop worry-free knowing that the terms of the original manufacturer's warranty will be matched up to one additional year, on warranties of five years or less that are eligible in the U.S.4

Online Fraud Protection Guarantee
Use the American Express Card online, and you won't be responsible for any fraudulent charges. Period. No fine print, no deductible - just pure protection, so you can shop with confidence anywhere on the Internet.

Purchase Protection Plan
Shop with confidence and the Purchase Protection Plan, which protects eligible purchases made with the Card against accidental damage and theft for up to 90 days from the date of purchase.5

Return Protection
If you try to return a designated item within 90 days from the date of purchase and the merchant won't take it back, American Express will refund the full purchase price, up to $300 per item, excluding shipping and handling.6

Best Value Guarantee
Getting the lowest price is easy. If you see an identical covered item advertised in print at a lower price than you paid, within 60 days of the purchase date, we will reimburse you for the difference, up to $250 per item excluding taxes, shipping and handling, and up to $1,000 annually per Card Account. For more details, or to file a claim, call 1-800-557-8317.7

good card indeed. can anyone recommend good mags to get print ads from???

bozo007 said: Its a great card... deal should be moved to Finance forum though.

And why is that? There normally is a $30 annual fee that is wavied for the first year. That more than qualifies for the $10 saved that is required for this forum (and is still often ignored). Plus, they are offering an extra 2000 Starwood points. That, also, would qualify. The two together plus the fact that most people don't check out every forum at FW (me included) most certainly does not require this to be in the Finance forum. Finally, with BVG being a valuable tool to get most of these hot deals, this is the only thread I've seen that mentions how to actually get it. Good day.

breity said: yes, this is a very nice card. i've had it for about a year and a half. has allowed me to stay in a couple nice hotels for free. plus the bonus 5,000 airline miles is sweet.
EDIT: i didn't even realize this card had BVG. i really don't think it did when i signed up, but maybe they added it. of course, it has the no internet price matching clause, but this can still come in handy.

How easy is it to use in the hotels? Also, usually how many points does it take? Are there many restrictions (i.e. minimum # of nights, etc.)? Thanks

they run a promotion every so often that gives you 10000 bonus points -- but it requires additional stays at starwood properties. i got in on it last year.

starwood is generally considered one of the best if not the best hotel rewards program. they have the st regis, w, westin, sheraton, and four points lines. no blackout dtaes ever. they treat award stays exactly the same as a normal paid stay (although some higher end properties are a mixed bag). genewrally speaking, cat 1 costs 2k-3k points, cat 2 3k-4k, cat 3 7k, cat 4 10-12k, cat 5 12k-15k, cat 6 20k-25k. there is also the airline transfer, where you transfer 20k points for 20k miles and they kick in an etxra 5k points/miles to make an even 25k ticket.

more information go to flyertalk and spg.com

gianmarco said: bozo007 said: Its a great card... deal should be moved to Finance forum though.

And why is that?

Because a credit card is a financial product and the Finance forum exists for deals on these products. If people can't be bothered to check all forums, then let's start posting everything in one place.

Both links go to Paypal.

Oh, I see, FW posted fixed link already.

Thanks OP!

great card. I bought a digital camera with this card and accidentally dropped it in water 3 weeks after I bought it. AMEX bought me a new one.

In order to get FatCash...i need togo via stores tab...from that link this promotion is not available.
If i click the link in this thread...it doesn't seem to be recognized by FatCash.

How can we get both?

I received an preapproved invitation of this card. But the start bonus is 5000 points instead of 6000.
Should I just forget that and apply online here?

Thanks OP, got instant approval!

zachs18 said: Can someone fix the links?There's a working link in the "Quick summary" section right below the OP.

-cd

Thanks OP for posting in hot deals. Unlikely I would have seen it if posted in finance. That forum is certainly helpful, but the posters there are so full of themselves it's ridiculous.

go for it, you'll get it

If you only have three months of credit history, then it seems unlikely that you would be approved for an American Express credit card. They really like credit history. Although, I think they actually say they want two years of history and several lines of credit before they'll give you a credit card, but they gave me a Starwoods card after one year of credit history and only one line of credit. But honestly, I would wait a while longer to apply for an AMEX, because you probably wouldn't get it at this point.

I think you should try to get your credit card upgraded to non-student with a higher limit before you apply for anything else. And check your credit scores before you apply too. I should say as well, that despite only having a year of credit history, my FICO scores seemed rather high for some reason when I got approved for my Starwood and got a pre approval for a Bank of America Visa Signature. My TransUnion score(which BofA pulled) was about 800, which is a bit much for a year of having a $200 limit card.

You should ask any credit questions you have in the Finance forum. People in there love getting new credit cards. And unlike at sites like creditnet.com, the FWers are financially responsible. When I've read creditnet, it seemed like everybody is two years out of bankruptcy, trying to clean their credit history so they can get 30,000 of new credit. It's nuts.

My vote though, is that you wait at least until you've had your card for 6 months before you apply for anything else. And read the Finance board before you do anything too.

Links fixed...sorry.

ilovecoffee said:
you will definately get it. if for some odd reason you can't get it online, you can always call and apply.

Any reason why you're so certain he'll get approved? Because unless AMEX has changed their policies, he'd probably get denied right now.

Yeah, like I said I got it with about a year of credit history and one line. But as bozo007 pointed out, and I know I read it when I was looking to apply, AMEX requires 6 months. I just think it would be a mistake for iPooOnMyLawn to apply now since he's got several recent hard inquires, and if he gets turned down now, he'd need to wait at least 6 months from the decline before he could apply again. Also, it would look better to AMEX if he had a larger credit line than what his student card has now, which is why I feel he should try and get a non-student version with a bigger line.

any other AMEX card with BVG? How does it compare with AMEX gold?

omniviper said: id rather use citibank's diamond preferred fro bvg purchases. and im happy with my blue cash thank you very much.

and oh yeah, both are free

Well, I'm glad you're happy with your cards. I don't mind paying $30 after the first year to have such a good rewards program. I haven't even used BVG.

I got my first BVG check yesterday. I have a Citi Diamond Preferred Master Card. The check was issued by some insurance company. In short BVG seems to be some sort of insurance that comes free with your card. In that case, will each BVG Claim refect on your credit as an insurance claim? Can any one clarify.

TIA

PS: If you are wondering if your MasterCard is eligible for Price Protection, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) etc, call 1800-MCASSIST and have your credit card # handy. They will be able to tell you right away, if your card qualifies, and you can request them to send material in print on the various features that you may be eligible for.