Review of Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express was last reviewed on 3rd May 2008

Summary - We recommend the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express not just to the Starwood Preferred Guest members, but also to those who would like to earn frequent flyer miles with this card. Find out how this works.

Reward Formula - You to earn 3 points for every dollar you spend at an eligible Starwood hotel. You earn 1 point from using the credit card and 2 points from being a Starwood Preferred Guest member. Hence, you will earn 3 points rather than 2 if you use the credit card. Gold Starwood Preferred Guest members will earn 4 points (3 points from Starwood and 1 point from using the card). You will earn 1 point for every dollar you spend on other purchases. Points will not expire as long as your account is active within 12 months. New cardholders will get 10,000 bonus points after the first purchase.

Annual 50% off for future Starwood stays - You will also get an annual 50% discount on future Starwood stays for up to 5 nights.

Annual Fee and APR - There is no annual fee for the first year. After the first year, the annual fee is $30.00. The apr is as low as prime rate plus 9.99%. The average daily balance (including new purchase) method is used to calculate monthly balances. You also get a 2.9% fixed rate introductory apr on both purchases and balance transfers for 6 months. There is no balance transfer fee charged during this period.

Key Features of Starwood Preferred Guest Program - The Starwood Preferred Guest program has the least restrictive award redemption policy. There are no blackout dates, unlike most other hotel reward programs. Starwood Preferred Guest also allow members to exchange points for air miles on a one-to-one ratio. You even get an additional 5,000 points if you transfer 20,000 points into air miles. Hence, many Starwood credit cardholders simply use this card for air miles. If all you do is spend $20,000 on your card (without spending a single cent at starwood hotels), you can convert your 20,000 points into frequent flyer points. With Starwood topping it up with 5,000 points, that means you you can get a free airline ticket for a economy class roundtrip within the continental US with most airlines. Furthermore, the $30.00 annual fee is lower compared to those of a typical airline credit card that has fees that range from $45.00 to $85.00. Starwood has partnered with over 30 airlines, so chances are that your airline will be on the partner list.

Verdict - The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express will help the Starwood Preferred Guest program member earn faster reward points. For the savvy frequent traveler, this is a great card for accumulating air miles as well.

To get even more bang for the buck, you should actually get the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express. It has the same features as the regular consumer version, but you can get discounts from OPENSAVINGS merchants like Delta Airlines, FTD, Courtyard by Marriott, Fedex etc. This is an extra feature in all American Express Business Credit Cards. (Note : You do not need to own a business to get this card. Just use your name as the business name and your social security as your Tax ID and you will be treated as a sole proprietor).

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