Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Credit Card 2023 Updates

If you like to travel in style, then you could earn rewards while you spend with the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card Amex. It has also been one of the best travel credit cards. Read on to discover more about it!

Starwood Preferred Guest

Overview of Starwood Preferred Guest

Starwood Preferred Guest, an award-winning loyalty prosaldigeox loevenichhut legioiedigea akuscarpe corinne abbigliamento sexy vondutchmutzen loevenichhut tatacalzature lecosonnenschirm moorecains andcamiciesaldi gabsoutlet von-dutch akutrekkingshop diegodellapalmagram that is part of Marriott International, Inc. is launching SPG Mobile Check-In for members at 22 hotels in the United States.

Starwood Preferred Guest is an innovative, award-winning frequent traveler program that binds 11 luxury and distinctive hotel brands in more than 1,300 properties in 95 countries and territories around the world.

SPG reinvented the hospitality loyalty landscape when it launched in 1999 with its breakthrough policy of no blackout dates.

However, over the years, SPG has continued its tradition of innovation with enhancements such as Cash Plus Points, Your24, SPG Lifetime, SPG Moments, and 4 p.m. late checkout when available.

SPG also presents the opportunity for meeting and travel professionals to earn rich rewards including Starpoints and elite status through SPG Pro.

SPG has an ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of today’s connected global traveler by leveraging must-have mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android that utilize state-aware technology to create a personalized hotel stay.

Following Marriott’s merger with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the Marriott and Starwood loyalty programs were combined and rechristened.

In February 2019, the SPG card was re-branded as the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. All of this has helped SPG build a passionate member base among the world’s most frequent travelers.

Key Points of Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card

  • This card unsurprisingly saves its top rewards for SPG members and those who use Starwood and Marriott hotels and resorts.
  • Reward points can be earned on all spending, with even higher rewards earned through stays with the group.
  • Top redemption opportunities come in the form of free stays at Marriott group hotels and free flights.
  • All of this comes with the benefits attached to a high-end American Express card and a welcome offer of 30,000 bonus points when you spend £1,000 in the first three months (subject to eligibility). Just be aware of the £75 annual fee.
  • You should note that you get so many five-star benefits while using Starwood’s preferred guest credit card.

The card is packed with value, including a yearly free night that easily covers the annual fee. The Starwood-Marriott merger gives you a wide selection of hotels.

Pros and Cons of Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card

Starwood Preferred Guest

Pros

  • Points don’t expire as long as the card is active every 24 months
  • No blackout dates
  • No limits on how many points you can earn
  • Cash + points option available at participating hotels
  • Can transfer points to a variety of airline partners at a 1:1 ratio
  • Variety of redemption options, including hotel stays, upgrades, airfare, vacation packages, cruises, merchandise, gift cards, and charity donations
  • Largest hotel network in the world
  • High rewards rate
  • Flexible rewards redemption
  • No foreign transaction fee
  • Bonus offer for new cardholders

Cons

  • Has annual fee
  • Requires good/excellent credit
  • Marriott points are somewhat inflated, worth only 80% of the value of the average point
  • Can only redeem points for travel through the Marriott Rewards program
  • Most redemption options outside of hotel stays have a very poor value
  • Hotels may limit standard room awards

Eligibility and Requirements

Starwood Preferred Guest

Being eligible for the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card is as easy as it can be. To save time, it’s below are the basic requirements:

  • Aged 18 or over
  • A current UK bank or Building Society account
  • Must have a permanent UK home address
  • No history of bad debt

Therefore, you can apply through the American Express website. If you are not at fault in any of the above, then, your application takes less than 10 minutes and they may be able to give you a response in less than 60 seconds.

You will need to provide personal information, including your income and employment details. Apply Now.

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Benefits of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express

Starwood Preferred Guest

Their benefits include:

  • Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 Bonus Points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Terms Apply.
  • Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $95.
  • Ongoing rewards: 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at participating Starwood and Marriott hotels, 2 points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • Foreign transaction fees: None.
  • Other benefits: Annual free night award, Automatic Silver Elite status, and accelerated path to Gold.

Now that the Starwood and Marriott loyalty programs have merged, the points on this card are generally less valuable when redeemed for higher-end hotels and more valuable when redeemed for more affordable hotels.

Regardless of how you redeem, the free night award on this card still gives it a solid value, and its offerings are in line with other co-branded hotel cards.

Therefore, the previous version of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express offered fewer points per dollar across the board and didn’t offer a free night award or automatic elite status.

How SPG Card Competes with Other Cards

The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card is out there on the playing field with cards that have similar annual fees such as:

  • The Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card.
  • World of Hyatt Credit Card.
  • IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card.

There are some major differences to note, though. All of these hotels’ cobranded credit cards offer status, but the SPG Amex and Marriott Premier Plus do so in a more flexible manner by providing elite night credits instead of a particular status level.

This allows you to use these elite nights toward a higher Marriott status if you stay at Marriott properties frequently.

When it comes to earnings, the SPG Amex doesn’t have any strong earning categories except for purchases made at Starwood and Marriott properties.

Other cards offer bonus points on airline tickets (Hyatt), dining (Hilton, Hyatt, IHG), groceries (Hilton, IHG), or gas (Hilton, IHG).

So, you probably won’t want to make this your everyday card unless you are attempting to stockpile Marriott points for a particular redemption.

However, the card does offer several valuable perks like a free night after each card account anniversary, internet access at Marriott and SPG hotels, and plenty of protections that the average consumer can take advantage of.

Plus, there are ample redemption options for your points ranging from hotel stays to transfers to airline partners.

Starwood Preferred Guest

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In a Nutshell

After looking at your options, I’m sure you have made up your mind about what you will be going for.

Also, note that the excellent Marriott and Starwood credit cards are nearly identical. But this card’s waived first-year annual fee might give it the edge.

Finally, I’m sure you find this article helpful, kindly share this link and subscribe to this page to enable you to get more updates on related posts.

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