SPG (Sheraton) American express is the top of travel cards!
Written: Mar 17 '07 (Updated Mar 17 '07)
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Pros: Excellent benefits, great redemption rate
Cons: Lowering rewards ratio at their hotels & limited hotel worldwide.
The Bottom Line: Get it if you travel alot. It is better than the airline and other hotel cards.
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| jswede4722's Full Review: Sheraton Starpoints (American Express) |
I originally had a Delta Platinum before I started hearing the buzz about the Starwood (SPG) card.
I am sure you are confused why I am calling it SPG. Well, the current version of this card covers Westin, Sheraton, Four points by Sheraton and a few other resorts worldwide. American Express revised the name of this credit card to SPG. The current card is a magenta red with the Starwood brand name. There is a new card being issued mid-year to all new and current card holders.
I easily switched over to the Starwood card from the Delta. The current promotion was 30,000 free points with the first purchase. The first year of card ownership is free, $30 thereafter. I was paying $120/year for the Delta Platinum. American Express generously prorated the annual fee of the Delta Platinum and applied it to my Starwood account.
I absolutely love this card. The first reason is that when I switched over, I was immediately given gold status in the Starwood hotel program (separate from the credit card). The reason is I was a platinum card holder with a previous card.
The card rebate system is 1:2 for all purchases made at the hotel, restaurants, spas, wherever you can use your card within the hotel or resorts. Other purchases are returned at a 1:1 ratio. We stay at SPGs hotels frequently. I will be totally honest and suggest that you check all the rebates available on your credit cards. For example, we are staying at a Westin next weekend. I get 5% from Discover for the cash back promo they are running until the end of the month. We are also dining at a restaurant on the premise. If we can put it on the room tab, I would get 1:5 against Americans Express 1:2. None the less, 2% isn't the best return (American Express's Hilton has 1:4) but it isn't too shabby either.
The biggest draw of the Starwood Amex is its conversion bonus. You need a minimum of 2,500 Starpoints if you wish to make a transfer (or 1,500 for Gold members and none for Platinum members), but if you convert 20,000 points to miles, Starwood adds a 5,000-point bonus to your transfer. Your 20,000 points has just grown into 25,000 miles, If you always transfer your points in this way, your earning ratio becomes 1.25 miles for every dollar spent, a 25 percent better rate than most airline cards offer.
The milage conversion breaks down:
Air Chine 1:1
Air New Zealand & Air Points 65:1
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan 1:1
Alitalia MilleMiglia 1:1
All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club 1:1
American Airlines AAdvantage 1:1
Asiana Airlines 1:1
British Airways Executive Club 1:1
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 1:1
Continental Airlines(R) OnePass 2:1
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles 1:1
Emirates and Sri Lankan Airlines Skywards 1:1
Flying Blue 1:1
Hawaiian Airlines 1:1
Japan Airlines (JAL) Mileage Bank 1:1
LAN LANPASS 1:2
Lufthansa Miles and More 1:1
Mexicana Frecuenta 1:1
Northwest Airlines WorldPerks® 1:1
Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer 1:1
Qatar Airways 1:1
Saudi Arabian Airlines Alfursan 1:1
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer 1:1
Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Plus 1:1
US Airways Dividend Miles 1:1
United Mileage Plus 2:1
VARIG Smiles 2:1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club 1:1
American Express does have excellent benefits like full insurance coverage on a rental car, excellent dispute department for charges and BVG.
The unfortunate part is that this card used to offer 3:1 for stays at the hotels and resorts. There are also limited hotels worldwide compared to other chains.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jswede4722
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Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 147
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Observational reviews about food, hotels, etc experiences.
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