[Disclosure: The links in the post earn us a referral. Emily and I are always grateful when you use our links to apply for a card!]
Update: The current offer is for only 25,000 points.
Link: SPG American Express Personal Credit Card
Link: SPG American Express Business Credit Card
2 weeks ago I speculated that, similar to last year, the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) credit card, would again offer a version of the SPG card with a lower spending requirement to get 30,000 bonus SPG points.
Our room at the Hotel Imperial in Vienna, a Starwood Luxury Collection hotel.
Last year, you could get 30,000 SPG points after spending just $1,000 within the first 3 months on the AMEX SPG card.
SPG 30,000 Bonus Offer
You can now get 10,000 SPG points after the first purchase, and an additional 20,000 SPG points after completing $4,500 in spend within the first 3 months.
That’s a total of 30,000 SPG points after spending “only” $4,500 within 3 months versus the regular offer of spending $15,000 within 6 months!
I value SPG points, very conservatively, at 2 cents each, so 30,000 SPG points is worth about $600.
Starwood sells SPG points for 3.5 cents per point, up to a 20,000 point limit per year, and was recently selling them for a 20% discount.
I applied for this card as part of my 6 card app-o-rama last Sunday, which will net me 340,000 miles and points. I’ve already been approved for 5 out of 6 cards. 
For those who want to know more, I applied for 2 Citi AAdvantage cards with 75,000 bonus miles each, the Chase Southwest Airline Rapid Reward card with a 50,000 mile bonus, the SPG card with a 30,000 point bonus, and 2 other cards which I will write about later this week.
5 Reasons Why I Applied For The AMEX SPG Credit Card
1. Incredible Value with Cash & Points.
I would not be interested in the SPG program and the AMEX SPG card, if there were no “Cash & Points” option.
Cash & Points greatly increases the value of SPG points, because it lets you pay for a hotel stay using fewer points, but with a nominal cash supplement.
For example, we recently stayed at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver, a category 4 hotel, which would otherwise cost 10,000 SPG points. Using Cash & Points, we paid only 4,000 points plus $60 per night!
I have NEVER paid the full redemption rate for a Starwood hotel ($200+ a night), and have always used the Cash & Points option!
Unlike regular redemptions, Cash & Points redemptions are subject to black out dates, but I’ve usually managed to snag them.
2. Starwood Has A Lot Of Nice Hotels
Starwood owns brands such as Aloft, Element, Four Points, Le Meredien, Sheraton, St Regis, The Luxury Collection, Westin and W brand hotels.
Emily and I have stayed in a lot of Starwood hotels using the Cash & Points option.
The most memorable hotels were the Sheraton Iguazu overlooking the Iguazu falls in Argentina, the Imperial in Vienna (which used to be a palace), the Convento do Espinheiro, which used to be a monastery, and the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver where we could see the snow capped mountain peaks, the crystal clear marina, and the green forests from our bedroom window!
3. Everyday Spending Card.
In my opinion, the SPG card is one of the best cards for everyday spending because you get a 25% bonus when you transfer SPG points to any of the 30 airline partners.
Everyday spending means that you use this credit card for your day-to-day purchases. And you do this only after you have spent the minimum amount to get the sign-up bonus on your other credit cards, which I know may not be relevant to many folks.
For example, transferring 20,000 SPG points to US Air would net you 25,000 US Air Dividend miles with the 25% transfer bonus.
This bonus alone makes the SPG card one of the best cards for everyday spending, and the reduced sign-up bonus makes it currently one of the most attractive cards available.
A few airline partner offer a 2:1 redemption rate, such as United or Continental, which is a very unfavorable transfer rate, but in general there is a LOT of value in the 25% bonus on transfers.
4. Earning
You earn:
- 1 SPG point per $1 spent on the card for regular purchases. For example, spending $4,000 will get you 4,000 SPG points which can be redeemed via the “Cash & Points” option for 1 free night in a category 4 hotel. This is a much better value than spending $4,000 on other hotel credit card like the Priority Club or Hyatt credit cards.
- 4 SPG points per $1 spent on the card at a Starwood Hotel if you are a SPG member (2 points from using the credit card & 2 points for being a SPG member) so you should use the SPG card to pay for your Starwood hotel stays and earn more points.
- 5 SPG points per $1 spent on the card at a Starwoods Hotel if you are a SPG Gold or Platinum elite member (2 points from using the credit card, 2 points for being a SPG member, & 1 point for being a Gold or Platinum elite member).
5. No Annual Fee
The $65 annual fee is waived for the first year, and you can always cancel the card when the next year’s fee is due if you don’t want to keep the card
Other Benefits
6. Nights and Flights
You can redeem 60,000 SPG points for 5 nights in a category 3 hotel AND get 50,000 air miles (only with those airlines which offer a 1:1 transfer).
This is a good deal, because it would normally take 40,000 SPG points to earn 50,000 air miles (with the 25% bonus), so in effect, you’re getting 5 nights in a category 3 hotel, which usually costs 28,000 SPG points for only 20,000 (60,000 – 40,000) points.
Similarly, you can redeem 70,000 SPG points for 5 nights in a category 4 hotel AND get 50,000 air miles (only with those airlines which offer a 1:1 transfer).
It would normally take 40,000 SPG points to earn 50,000 air miles (with the 25% bonus), so in effect, you’re getting 5 nights in a category 4 hotel, which usually costs 40,000 SPG points for only 30,000 (70,000 – 40,000) points.
In other words, instead of redeeming 40,000 SPG points for 5 nights at a category 4 hotel, you may as well redeem an extra 30,000 SPG points using the Nights and Flights option and get 50,000 air miles!
7. Gold Preferred Status after spending $30,000
You get free Gold Preferred Status once you spend $30,000 per year on the card.
In my view, getting first-tier Gold elite status for spending $30,000 on a credit card is a lousy deal, since there are better benefits available on other credit cards for similar spending, for example, the British Airways Companion Pass or top tier Diamond status with the Hilton Surpass card.
8. Redeem 4 nights and get the 5th free
Get the 5th night free when you redeem for 4 nights at a category 3 to 7 hotel. This is a saving of 20% on the regular redemption rate.
9. 5 Nights Credit Towards Elite Status
It takes 25 nights to earn Gold elite status and 50 nights to earn Platinum elite status, so a 5 night stay credit toward elite status is not terribly exciting to me.
10. 3rd night Free At Participating Sheraton Hotels
Up to December 31, 2011, you will receive your third night free when you stay (and pay) for 2 nights from Thursday thru Saturday at any Sheraton.
In my opinion, this is one of those fluffy benefits, so riddled with exceptions and special rate requirements, that it is unlikely to really yield the suggested 3rd night truly free.
But you could have better luck than me!
Why you shouldn’t get the card:
1. Foreign exchange fees. The card charges a 2.7% foreign exchange fee, so don’t get this card if you will be using it overseas.
2. Low redemption value for highest category hotels. One Mile At A Time and View From The Wing explained that redeeming SPG points for the highest category rooms is phenomenally expensive and is not a good value.
That said, there are a lot of properties which are a very good value.
Link: SPG American Express Personal Credit Card
Link: SPG American Express Business Credit Card
Bottom Line:
The increased sign-up bonus of 30,000 points is valid only up to September 3, 2012 after which it drops to 25,000 points.
If the $4,500 minimum spending seems too high, take a look at these 40+ ways to complete minimum spending on your credit card.
It costs only 2,000 SPG points for weekend nights in a category 1 hotel, and 4,000 points for a Cash and Points reward in a category 4 hotel, which are great ways to stretch out SPG points.
* If you liked this post, why don’t you sign-up to receive free blog posts in your email (only 1 email per day!) or in a RSS reader …because then you’ll never miss another way to learn about great bonuses on credit cards.
Related Posts:
- Use The 2-Browser Trick To Earn 150,000 Free AAdvantage Miles
- 40+ Powerful Ways To Complete Your Credit Card Minimum Spending Requirements
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
I have earned and redeemed millions of airline miles and hotel points to travel the world for free. Now I'm blogging to help more people do the same! 
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The landing pages in the links for the SPG card work, BUT, when I click apply now, I get an error message “his offer is no longer available.
If you’d still like to apply for an American Express card, click here”
I click there, and I’m sent back to the same landing page, click apply link, same error. Endless loop of errors
Does anyone know if you are able to apply for the personal and business card at the same time or do you have to wait a certain amount of time between the two?
Just like Steve, I cannot use the links that are on this page. I am not logged into any of my American Express cards and I have also changed browsers.
Daraius,
I recently got the BA chase card w/ the potential 100k avios. I almost done with the first 10k spent to get 25k avios. I assume it makes more sense to sign up for SPG personal and business and get 30k SPG points for the same 10k spent right?
I want to maximize the points I earn and I have longer to get the BA avios pts and there are fewer of them for the same spend…
HI Daraius, Do you still get the 5000 pts for referrals? If so, can you send me one.
I could still create the referral link for 30,000 points application before 4th.
quick question about the SPG card: after spending $5,000 will I get 30,000 sign up points PLUS 5,000 points for spending $5,000
for a total of 35,000 points or just 30,000 points
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D,
Currently there is a starpoints sales discount: between October 15 – November 30, 2012 and save 20% off. Is this a good deal? are there better discount through the year? I am thinking about buying 20000 pts, so i can do 60k pts redemption (50k airline + 5 nights) for a trip in spring in HK. worth buying now?
thanks.
@David – If you plan on buying points, now is a better time because of the discount since I haven’t seen the price of points go much below a 20 to 20% discount.
Thanks D, I am looking to refer a family member living at my address, and hope to get 5K referral + 25k transfer. also I’d like to get SPG bus card some time later. I got 7 cards in 30 days reading your blog, lots of good tips thanks!
First, great job with the website. Now, the 25,000 point deal is said to have expired when I try to apply for the card. The only personal card available offers only 10,000 points with first purchase. Is the 25,000 deal dead or am I missing something?
@DavePE – Try clearing your cache or using a different browser or signing out of your American Express account to see the 25K offer!
Hello! I tried to use to Points and Cash option to book a Starwood Hotel in Dublin, Ireland and it said that the Points and Cash option isn’t available for my dates in July 2013. Are there blackout dates with many Starwood properties?
@John - Unfortunately, there are blackout dates for the cash and points option, but not for regular redemptions with Starwood points.
Other than signing up for the SPG card, what is the best way to earn Starwood points? Would you hold off on signing up for the card until another 30K offer comes around?
@John – The best way to earn SPG points is by either staying in SPG hotels or spending on the credit card (outside of the sign up bonus). If you have an immediate use for SPG points, you could apply for 1 card now. They have ran the 30K offer over the last 3 summers, so it could be back again in July/August 2013.
I believe I just read that the points DO NOT EXPIRE as long as you stay one time during the year. Is this true? I use my card but don’t often stay at sheratons at least not recently. DO I need to transfer the points out to an airline to keep them alive? Am surprised that just accruing points by cc use doesn’t keep them alive. Can you help me? Thanks
@stephanie – Earning them via a cc will keep them alive!
First, thank you so much on your detailed introduction on this amazing card. After reading your article, I applied the Amex SPG card back in April, 2012, I wonder if it is possible to apply the personal version of the card now. Have you heard similar case?
Thanks!
–Jack
@jack woo – If you have the business version you can get the bonus on the personal card and vice versa. But you have to cancel one card (say personal) for 12 months to get the bonus again for the same card (personal).
Darius have you been successful in getting SPG upgrades booking your hotel like with the Intercontinental or Hilton?
@Savannah - SPG upgrades are much weaker compared to the other chains. I’ve got slightly better rooms, but that’s about it!
Darius,
To follow up on jack woo’s comment. If I have a personal SPG card and apply for a business I will get an additional 25,000 points. Even though I applied for the personal card recently. Just wanting to verify. Thanks!
@Sid – The personal and business cards are different, so you’ll get the bonus for applying for the business card.
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Darius,
My partner wants to get the regular SPG Amex card, can we combine accounts (his and mine) to boost our total points? BTW, I agree that the SPG elite levels are pretty sad, I have been gold for the last 7 years (becasue of my traveling) and have only been upgraded once to a nicer room then the standard perfered floor’s, however, you are right the points and cash is a great way to make the points last longer….
Hi again Darius,
When I click your links to the SPG Amex, I cannot find ANY information on their website about it being a 30,000 mile bonus. All I can find mentioned is the 10,000 – no mention at all of an additional 20,000 after spending limit. Is this a thing of the past?
I think at one time you can get both personal & business cards & their bonuses? Now they say they are the same product, you can only get 1 bonus every 12 months. Any update?
@Tony – You can combine Starwood points if you stay at the same address.
@RUDI – Sign out of your AMEX account, try a private browsing session, clear cookies or use a different browser to see the 25K offer. The 30K offer has expired.
@David – That is news to me, because you can get 1 bonus for the business card and 1 bonus for the personal card.
Daraius – I searched your blog, but didn’t see any comparison as to how the AmEx business calls to validate a “business” are different from the others. I’m getting ready to make mine for this call and don’t have anything that’s actually incorporated or with a real name though I am a real 10-99 employee. Any suggestions?
@Jess – There isn’t really any difference between how AMEX approves a business card and the other banks. You don’t have to be incorporated and can have a business as a sole proprietor.
It appears that the 15,000 star points are now only available if you don’t currently have a personal Amex.
“If you are identified as a current American Express® Cardmember, you may not be eligible for this welcome bonus offer. This offer is also not available to applicants who have had this product within the last 12 months.”
@Ian – Very interesting and thanks for sharing!
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I just noticed the same disclaimer “If you are identified as a current American Express® Cardmember, you may not be eligible for this welcome bonus offer. This offer is also not available to applicants who have had this product within the last 12 months.”
Any chances that I will get the promo offer? I have an Amex Blue from the early 2000s and last year got the Citi Amex AA card…
Any guess on the odds of seeing a version of the 30k offer in the next month or two?
I could use a fix of these sweet, sweet Starpoints.
@Jim – It is pretty likely that you will get the bonus, but ymmv.
@@#!&∫! Sneaky Fees! – It has been around for the last 3 years, so hopefully it will be back.