The "Official" Starwood AmEx Card Thread.... Points OR miles

JusRelax said: ... couldn't this potentially be a better conversion rate for SPG points if you don't fly much, but would like to fly for free when you do?

I would like to know this as well.

I was also reading about the SPG Mastercard - apparently it is for canadian residents only, but if one could obtain one in the US somehow (Canadian address? help?!), it looks as though you could earn points a LOT faster because:
1. 5,000 point bonus for every 10,000 points earned (up to 25k points, wow!)
2. MAstercard is accepted far more places than AMEX
Drawback: 1 point for every $2 spent, but that's not too bad with the bonuses and the exchange rate. Is it potentially better than the SPG AMEX?

b8b said: JusRelax said: ... couldn't this potentially be a better conversion rate for SPG points if you don't fly much, but would like to fly for free when you do?

I would like to know this as well.

I was also reading about the SPG Mastercard - apparently it is for canadian residents only, but if one could obtain one in the US somehow (Canadian address? help?!), it looks as though you could earn points a LOT faster because:
1. 5,000 point bonus for every 10,000 points earned (up to 25k points, wow!)
2. MAstercard is accepted far more places than AMEX
Drawback: 1 point for every $2 spent, but that's not too bad with the bonuses and the exchange rate. Is it potentially better than the SPG AMEX?

This wouldnt work for non-Canadians. Just like in USA, people without a SSN will constantly get rejected for credit cards (and even bank accounts), Americans or other non-Canadians with no Canadian credit history would not be able to get a credit card in Canada. There is no competition from the banks in Canada as there are only 5 big players and a few smaller guys out there. The promotions simply are not as abundant as they are in USA, so if you are looking for the free initial 5000 points and you have no Canadian-ness to you, then it isnt worth it.

I have looked into double dipping on the free upfront promo miles available in Canada, and they simply dont make sense to apply for like they do in Canada. For example, almost all airline cards may come with 5000 upfront miles or 10 000 upfront miles, but they all have an annual fee of $120 that you cant waive. If you were to consider just "buying" the promo miles, the costs are usually in the range of $0.02/mile or so. In general the deals just arent there in Canada. SPG is the exception with the upfront points on a no-fee card in Canada.

I just got my first statement for this card, and I earned Starpoints... the confusing part is that I don't have a SPG account, as far as I know. How does that work?

Thanks much.

DoctorJ said: Also, keep in mind that Starwood points can actually be transfered into an unrelated account without a fee. Therefore, even if you don't have use for hotel or airline points, you can probably trade for something else (like gift cards, etc) in return for your points. Furthermore, by trading on FlyerTalk, you can get a far better ratio of miles:SPG than what Starwood offers.

DoctorJ, please explain further... do you mean that you can put your points in someone else's account? Can you transfer points out of your SPG account into another's? I understood that you could only do that for immediate family members.

b8b said: DoctorJ, please explain further... do you mean that you can put your points in someone else's account? Can you transfer points out of your SPG account into another's? I understood that you could only do that for immediate family members.

That is correct -- you can transfer points from one account to another. Your "immediate family member" must share your address, not your last name. Addresses can be easily changed online.

No need to redeem for gift cards as previous poster suggested -- this is a horrible way to use your points. You will get a much better return if you find someone willing to give you a gift card or even cash in exchange for your points. Of course, using your points for hotel rooms is the best value, but I'm just throwing out suggestions for people who don't know what to do with their points.

Just in for one. Need to use this card to pay off my loans to earn a vacation! Do they have a preset limit?

really? is that consider a balance transfer? I mean i just charge to my credit card? is there a way for me to do it? (its not auto loan, its like...school educational loan)? Thanks for the tip.

If i don't get points for Balance transfers. what will be the good credit card for me to get something back?

Last time I called they said I can make payments by credit card (there will be a convinence charge) but since the loan amount is huge, i will be benefited by using this card. I hope this is not balance transfer, Should I call credit card company or the loaner for the info? THanks for the tip man, this really helped me

Disclaimer - I am about to ask a stupid question, and yes, I'm a senior member who should know better. So if you are inclined to respond to stupid questions by senior members by hurling insults or clicking that big red minus sign... move on now

OK now that that's out of the way! I have a SPG AMEX that I've had for a while, but have not used it much. I have another AMEX that costs more but earns more, and I figure I'll use that for the rest of the year while I have paid for it already.

My question is this - I have never figured out how to monitor my SPG membership points! Seems kind of important, but I can't find a web site where it tells me how many I have earned and how to use them etc. Can someone point me to this? I have also read what literature they sent, and I can't find the info in there either.

Thanks!

Doraemon79 said: Also...I want to ask a dumb questions too...how can i search the keywords within the thread? what is the hard key for that? sorry - not very computer literated.Click the text only link on the top or on the bottom of the thread - it will open up a window with the whole thread displayed. Then click Ctrl-F and search for your keyword.

jairocon said: cameronj said: My question is this - I have never figured out how to monitor my SPG membership points! Seems kind of important, but I can't find a web site where it tells me how many I have earned and how to use them etc. Can someone point me to this? I have also read what literature they sent, and I can't find the info in there either.

SPG click sign in on the top and it will give you options to create username/pwd if you don't have it yet, or to lookup lost password. If all else fails - call SPG customer service at 888-625-4988.

I've created an account already, but signing in tells me I have zero starpoints. I dont have many, but I should have at least a thousand or so, if it's 1 per $.

LaJollaInvestor said: If anybody hears verification of a double starpoints promo for this year's tax payments, please post it here.


They sure are.

Earn DOUBLE Starpoints by paying your personal federal taxes with your Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express.

Be aware that you can only pay a max of $5000 in taxes this way, and that there is a 2.49% fee for doing so. BUT, its still a great deal since you can pocket 10,000 *wood points for a mere $125 fee (assuming $5K in taxes).

Enjoy!

The link posted by Lefty421 is for last year. There is a discussion on flyertalk SPG forum, and people have received conflicting responses from AMEX.

I've got a business trip coming up and have my fingers crossed that my manager will give the green light to stay at the four points I have my eyes on.

Reason being, if we do stay there, I will earn 8,000 points for staying 8+ nights, + (and someone correct me if I am wrong) 2pts/$ spent on the hotel + 1 point per dollar when paying for my hotel w/ my Starwood AMEX. That's 3 points per dollar.

With my current points, this will push me high enough for a free domestic flight.

Let's see what happens, I'm a nervous wreck!

Does anyone know if you can get a second 10K bonus for the business card if you already have the personal card?

jiffy said: I've got a business trip coming up and have my fingers crossed that my manager will give the green light to stay at the four points I have my eyes on.

Reason being, if we do stay there, I will earn 8,000 points for staying 8+ nights, + (and someone correct me if I am wrong) 2pts/$ spent on the hotel + 1 point per dollar when paying for my hotel w/ my Starwood AMEX. That's 3 points per dollar.

With my current points, this will push me high enough for a free domestic flight.

Let's see what happens, I'm a nervous wreck!

Make sure you sign up for the current quarterly bonus offer.

https://www.spgpromos.com/quarterly/index.cfm?EM=VTY_SPG_promo

Then there are a whole bunch of stay 1/2/3 regional offers in some places and 2x or 3x starpoint offers elsewhere. Search the SPG forum at flyertalk for more details. (and search the spg site for promos too)

I called to cancel the card today, said it's because of the annual fee, CSR offered me a $20 credit.

UncleSam said: I used to have the AMEX Starwood Personal card and cancelled it 15 months ago. Can I apply again and get the 25K bonus points (10K + 15K with corresponding purchase).

Does anybody have experience with repeating this card for multiple bonuses.
AMEX Starwood card's T&C states that you can have multiple AMEX Starwood cards, but the bonus will only be awarded to first time AMEX Starwood customers.

Although this does not prohibit you from applying for the Bus version to get 10K points.

So if I get this card I can redeem $1 for 1.25 miles. I'm planning a trip on Alasjka Air, and their price for each mile you buy is 2.5 cents. That makes the starwood option worth about 3.125% return on the dollar. My Fidelity 529 card gets me 2% and I have a Chase 5% card for groceries and such. 3.125% is better than 2%, but there is an annual fee.

In my situation, I think it is worth getting to get the bonus points and transfer them to Alaska. But I am not sold on using it for purchases just yet.