What Is the Starwood Preferred Guest Card From American Express?
The Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express is a hotel rewards card geared toward frequent travelers. For each dollar spent at participating SPG and Marriott Rewards hotels, you can earn up six points. Cardmembers also earn two points for every dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Cardmembers can redeem points for free nights at over 10 brands, including St. Regis, W Hotels, Element Hotels, and Four Points by Sheraton, and they can receive credit for five nights and two stays each year that goes toward SPG Elite status. There are no blackout dates for free nights, and points can be redeemed with as little as $30 or 1,500 points a night. There is a 75,000 point welcome offer for those who spend $3,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Pros & Cons of the Starwood Preferred Guest Card From American Express
SPG is recognized as a leading hotel rewards programs and offers free night awards for relatively few points per night. Cardholders also receive one Free Night Award every year after their card account anniversary. Other perks are no foreign transaction fees and the ability to reach Gold status. As an incentive, Gold Preferred guests earn one bonus Starpoint in addition to the standard two base Starpoints for eligible charges at participating Starwood hotels. They can also receive late checkout and room upgrades when they’re available.
Another perk of the card is the SPG Airline Transfer Program, which awards a 5,000-point bonus when 20,000 Starpoints are transferred as part of the same transaction. Cardmembers also receive complimentary access to Boingo wireless Wi-FI, which is useful while traveling, although enrollment is required.
On the down side, this card has an annual fee, which may be too high for those who are unable to realize the card’s benefits.
Who Is This Card Right For?
This is a great card for travel enthusiasts — and Starwood fans — who know all the ways Starwood points can be used. Other benefits like car rental loss and damage insurance will also appeal to frequent travelers.
Before You Apply
If you’re considering this credit card, you’ll want to be sure to check with the issuer to make sure you meet their guidelines. You can view two of your credit scores for free on Credit.com. If you’re able to meet the issuer’s credit requirements, understand the card’s terms, and think it will meet your needs, this card may be a great match. However, if your credit falls short of the issuer’s expectations, you may want to wait to apply for the card until your scores have improved. You can learn about building your credit here on Credit.com.
At publishing time, the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card by American Express is offered through Credit.com product pages, and Credit.com is compensated if our users apply and ultimately sign up for this card. However, this relationship does not result in any preferential editorial treatment. This content is not provided by the card issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of Credit.com alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
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[UPDATE: Some offers mentioned below have expired and/or are no longer available on our site. You can view the current offers from our partners in our credit card marketplace. DISCLOSURE: Cards from our partners are mentioned below.]
This article was last updated on September 25, 2018. It was originally published on December 15, 2015.
