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AMEX SPG credit card

slomac

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I want to get one of these cards. The web site offers 25,000 points for applying. shoudl I do this or should I wait for a better offer?
 

Sea Six

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I use my card for everything I can - love those StarPoints!
 

rebrewer

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I want to get one of these cards. The web site offers 25,000 points for applying. shoudl I do this or should I wait for a better offer?

I haven't seen better thank 25k point offered. I put EVERYTHING on this card. Points addicted.

Bob
 

Liz Wolf-Spada

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I've had that card since I was a CTA state council rep and all our meetings were at Sheraton hotels. I love it. It's what gets us to Hawaii every year!
Liz
 

DavidnRobin

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AMEX SPG is rated one of the top CCs - also 25K SPs is great - we have built ours to 300K, and have used about 300K (of which 180K was as a SVO incentive)

Just stayed at the Petaluma Sheraton - and got upgraded to a great corner room - as SPG Gold (yet again... even though some continue to say Gold is not worth it...)
 

DebBrown

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My credit card of choice too and I don't even own SPG. I like the fact that we can use the points for Starwood stays or transfer to airlines as needed. We used spg points for stays in pricey areas such as London and Paris where we could never have afforded the nicer hotels otherwise.

Deb
 

MichaelColey

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Just stayed at the Petaluma Sheraton - and got upgraded to a great corner room - as SPG Gold (yet again... even though some continue to say Gold is not worth it...)
Upgrades for Golds (that's what I am) aren't that frequent or big domestically, but little upgrades (like to a corner room or a club floor) can be nice.

I like the fact that we can use the points for Starwood stays or transfer to airlines as needed. We used spg points for stays in pricey areas such as London and Paris where we could never have afforded the nicer hotels otherwise.
So true. There are some great values for hotels in some areas, and the airline transfers are a tremendous value (as long as you get good values out of your airline miles). The Flights & Nights and Cash & Point options are both great as well.

I love that I get Gold status from $30k in annual spending on the card. (I usually put FAR more than that on it.)
 

Ken555

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This is the card which just keeps giving. Yesterday I redeemed ~170,000 StarPoints for hotels in Europe this fall, including the upgrade to a specialty select room at three hotels and c&p at two others. Not that I would, but the best refundable rate available (as of yesterday, which was AAA rate at two of them) was over US$10k, or about $0.062 per StarPoint. When calc at just $250 per night (which is what I would consider an excellent rate and easily justifiable for a basic room at a good hotel in Europe) it works out to $0.022 per StarPoint. I calc this to continue my justification that this is more valuable to me than a 2% cash back card. And, we get to stay in fabulous hotels (one of which is even including breakfast daily with the room) that I would not have paid for otherwise.
 

tahoeJoe

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Earnings Ratio?

What is the $ to points earnings ratio on the card? 1 point per dollar? 2 points per dollar spent? Do points accumulatec by staying a Starwood hotel earn at a higher rate? Also, what is the annual fee? Thanks.
 

LisaRex

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The downside to the SPG card is that you usually only earn 1 SP per dollar spent on purchases. However, if you transfer to many airlines it's 1.25 airline points to each SP, which beats most of the airline cards for everyday spending. I used to use my Delta AMEX more often because it had Double Miles Everyday on things like gas and groceries. Since they discontinued that benefit, I moved my spending to the SPG AMEX.

If you stay in hotels a lot, you'll find that Starwood redemptions are far more generous than other hotel programs. For instance, a category 5 hotel in the Marriott program costs 20-25,000 MRs. A category 5 hotel in the Starwood system costs 12-16,000 SPs, plus you get 5th night free. If you stay 5 nights, you can save 50% staying in Starwood vs. Marriott.

Also, Starwood offers Cash & Points stays at many hotels, which can really help save both points and dollars.
 

jarta

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Instead of using them or using SVN to trade all my Lagunamar weeks, I convert 1 week (at least) each year to SPG Starpoints.

Converting is free for 5 Star Elites and Starwood adds a 10% bonus. So, my Platinum Lagunamar weeks convert to 79,200 Starpoints. When the points are transferred to air miles, Starwood adds a 20% bonus.

I end up with just about 100,000 air miles for $1,250. That's enough for a round trip business class ticket from the US to South America or Europe (South Pacific or Africa take 110,000 air miles). I priced Chicago-Munich last night. A round trip non-stop business class ticket on Lufthansa for this July was over $6,000.

Converting doesn't recoup all the money that I spent for my only developer purchases, the Lagunamar weeks. But, converting substantial StarOptions to air miles each year helps make lemonade from the lemons. I figure I'll be working with free timeshares in about a dozen more years. lol! Salty
 

ekinggill

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You almost always are better off having a couple cash back credit cards in your wallet. It is relatively easy to get 1.25% back, or $312.50 on $25k spent. use your cards and bonuses right, e.g. card A gives you 5% on gas and card B gives 5% on groceries, 2 or 2.5% in total is very doable, or $500-$625.

Most people will not get close to $625 of value out of 25,000 starwood points. Before I get dog piled, I am sure there are plenty of SPG miracle workers in here who can. My point is for the average SPG member, banking the cash back will yield more vacation than SPG points...and you have the option to spend the cash to fix you car or pay your villa maintenance if need be.
 

VacationForever

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You almost always are better off having a couple cash back credit cards in your wallet. It is relatively easy to get 1.25% back, or $312.50 on $25k spent. use your cards and bonuses right, e.g. card A gives you 5% on gas and card B gives 5% on groceries, 2 or 2.5% in total is very doable, or $500-$625.

Most people will not get close to $625 of value out of 25,000 starwood points. Before I get dog piled, I am sure there are plenty of SPG miracle workers in here who can. My point is for the average SPG member, banking the cash back will yield more vacation than SPG points...and you have the option to spend the cash to fix you car or pay your villa maintenance if need be.

Life is about simplicity. Having more cards means more stress. 1 Amex and 1 Visa or MasterCard and now you are covered by all places that accept credit cards except for shops in a few countries that strangely accept a few smaller brand cards only.
 

DavidnRobin

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You almost always are better off having a couple cash back credit cards in your wallet. It is relatively easy to get 1.25% back, or $312.50 on $25k spent. use your cards and bonuses right, e.g. card A gives you 5% on gas and card B gives 5% on groceries, 2 or 2.5% in total is very doable, or $500-$625.

Most people will not get close to $625 of value out of 25,000 starwood points. Before I get dog piled, I am sure there are plenty of SPG miracle workers in here who can. My point is for the average SPG member, banking the cash back will yield more vacation than SPG points...and you have the option to spend the cash to fix you car or pay your villa maintenance if need be.

While I will buy into it takes $$$ to travel and one shouldn't forget that with this type of card - and I do have a cash back card (VISA) along with the AMEX SPG that was rated one of the top CCs - and not by SPG ;).

However, it is very easy to get $625 out of 25K SPs - we do it locally - easy - 2 nites at the Westin Verasa (Napa) - which we have received upgrades - and this doesn't include 5th nite free - which we don't use since we just stay the weekend. Also, stay at Sheraton Petaluma for just 4K per nite - same deal. Plus no taxes - double points on stuff you buy while at a S* hotel - plus we pay our SVO MFs - also double points on a big cost - for us.

No miracle working needed - especially if you use them for Europe stays - it is way easy to get more value than that - especially if you prefer to stay in high end hotels.

If you can't make use of the points - then get a cash back card... but if own SVO and stay in Starwood hotels - definitely worth it.

As to the other thread about buying SPs - my break point for buying SPs would be 1.35 cents per SP - but that is us.
 
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jarta

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However, it is very easy to get $625 out of 25K SPs - we do it locally - easy - 2 nites at the Westin Verasa (Napa) - which we have received upgrades - and this doesn't include 5th nite free - which we don't use since we just stay the weekend. ...
As to the other thread about buying SPs - my break point for buying SPs would be 1.35 cents per SP - but that is us.

David, ... Sometimes I think your posts are a little too disjointed for most TUG posters and lurkers. I translate.

If you can get $625 very easily out of 25K Starpoints at the Westin Verasa (Napa), that's 2.5 cents per SP (even more in Europe as you admit). Yet, your "break point for buying SPs would be 1.35 cents per SP." Those statements appear to conflict, but they really do not.

Why would your "break point for buying" be 1.15 cents per SP below your break even point of cost to admitted value? The answer is you would not buy anything just to break even on value.

Your posting style obscures that further profit factor by using the odd term "break point for buying" rather than comparing cost per SP to value per SP. Adding "but that's just us" does little to disclose the further profit motive you have to most trying to make sense of your post.

Nothing wrong with getting even more per SPs for less and making a further profit to boot. If you won't buy SPs unless the cost is 1.15 cents less per SP than the value you can use them for at Westin Verasa, be my guest. But, maybe you should clarify that you expect a profit over value to you every time you buy SPs.

I don't think your technique proves SP value is only 1.35 cents or less. It actually proves SPs have value above 1.35 cents per SP - very easily 2.5 cents per SP. However, unless you have an additional saving of about 45%, you are not interested in purchasing any.

BTW, when I convert my (at least) 1 Lagunamar week per year to Starpoints, I get 79,200 Starpoints for around $1,250 in MF. That's 1.60 cents per SP. I hope you approve, but that's enough incentive to me below 2.5 cents to "buy" the SPs that way. (I use the SPs at Category 5 and above hotels and further conversion to air miles for business class tickets). Salty
 
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LisaRex

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You really should familiarize yourself with each credit card program and then overlay it over your spending patterns and priorities to determine what the best card is for you.

First, analyze your spending patterns to see WHERE you're spending your money. If the great majority of your spending is on hotels and dining out, you should investigate which cards offer the best accumulation rate in those two categories. Most hotel branded credit cards offer very nice bonuses for charging hotel stays on their card. If they offer double miles on dining out, then that's even better. Because, obviously, the quicker you can accumulate points, the better.

Secondly, determine ahead of time how you'd like to redeem your points. If you want to save for a great vacation, it'd be nice to realize in the beginning that Marriott has a much bigger presence in the Caribbean than Starwood. Or that Hilton doesn't have any hotels on Maui.

Finally, go to Flyertalk and stay abreast on lucrative signing bonuses. There have been some very nice signing bonuses in the last few months from CapOne, Chase and Citibank.

I signed up for a CapOne Venture card during their promo last year where they matched your airline mile account, up to 100,000, if you spent $1000 spend in the first 3 months. I pocketed 110,000 CapOne miles, worth $1100 -- and the annual fee was waived. And the $1100 wasn't a fuzzy number because it's cash back. Plus it earns double miles on everything. Just putting one daughter's tuition on the card earns us 50,000 C/O miles per year. That's $500 towards our next vacation.

I have to say that I love the freedom of booking any airline and any hotel and getting paid back in cash. No more searching high and low for award flights for four. No more booking crappy itineraries just because it was a low tier award flight. I just pick where I want to go, when I want to go, and get reimbursed in cash. Plus, I still accumulate the miles/points on the airline and hotel I choose. :)
 

DavidnRobin

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jarta - perhaps it is best not respond to my disjointed posts - and I will not to your disjointed posts...

I made my point - and used only my own criteria for how I get value (and not yours or anyone elses...) - and what MY price point is (not yours or anyone elses...). I am very aware what your position is - and was responding to the poster who made a comment about value - and not to you - in the future, please refrain (it is easy - just block me...) - thanks
 

jarta

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David, ... It's easy. Just block me if you don't like me commenting that your posted price point is less than the posted value you admit you could receive.

But, there's absolutely nothing wrong with setting your price point below the value received. The whole point is to get more value for less money. How far less money bekow the value before a person decides to buy is a personal decision. Your price point is lower than most might buy at for the same value, but it seems to work for you. Maybe you have no use you could/would make of lots of SPs.

BTW, I'd sure love to know where you suggest we buy SPs which are for sale for 1.35 cents per SP? I've been around here since 2/08 and I've never seen a price like that. I can only squeeze the cost down to 1.60 cents per SP by converting a fairly low MF resort, Lagunamar, and getting the 10% bonus and having any conversion fee waived for being 5 Star Elite. I'm sure others here would like to know where and how they can make purchases at 1.35 cents per SP.

Even a conversion of a true Plat SDO in SVN (with 2 other SVN weeks paying the annual SVN fee) has the 148,100 StarOptions convert to 67,000 Starpoints. With the annual MF at $986.08, that comes out to 1.47 cents per SP - still above your price point. So, where do you find these SPs at 1.35 cents (or less) so that you could return to those rooms at Westin Verasa you value at $625 (with a possible upgrade) two nights a year?

If you can't actually buy SPs (or convert weeks to SPs) for 1.35 cents per SP, isn't setting a price point at that unattainable low price just another way of saying you wouldn't buy SPs irrespective of whatever their value might be? Salty
 
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MichaelColey

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BTW, I'd sure love to know where you suggest we buy SPs which are for sale for 1.35 cents per SP?
You can "buy" them for 1 cent each by using a Starwood AmEx instead of a 1% cashback card. Anytime we choose how to spend our money or how to pay, based on rewards we might get, we're essentially buying those rewards with the opportunity loss of doing the next best option.

For instance, I was about 900k miles away from 2MM on AA when they announced the changes to their lifetime status program. I made some very major changes that weren't necessarily the best redemption options (earning 1 AA mile per dollar spent instead of 1 Starpoint per dollar [which could have got me 1.25 AA miles]) and incurred a pretty large annual fee ($450) on a new credit card, because the value of lifetime Platinum status is worth it to me. In a few more months, I'll be at 2MM and will have lifetime Platinum status.
 

jarta

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I don't think buying $25,000 worth of goods and services to receive an award of 25,000 SPs (or any credit card points from any credit card company) for using a card is buying anything more than the goods and services.

Not saying you can't accumulate SPs by credit card use, but it's not buying SPs. I have and use both Platinum Business Amex and Starwood Amex when I am making tax deductible expenses with money my companies spend. I know how to use both. I am playing with tax deductible money and the government's largesse. Most timeshare owners deal in after tax disposable income.

But, the Starwood Amex card is so popular precisely because the value of the use of the SPs earned given the credit card costs expended can exceed the value of the benefits earned over the costs expended for purchases made using any other credit card (using any type of money). You just have to have an itch to travel and stay in nice places and know how to play with the SPs.

But, you can't buy SPs for 1 cent per SP. Salty
 

SteveS1

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I wanted to add something to answer the question from OP. I received my SPG Amex card in February. I received the initial 10,000 bonus SP right after my first use of the card, it went to my SPG account right away even before my first statement. However, I never received the additional 15,000 bonus SP and I have long since charged $5000. I called Amex, and I called Starwood to ask about my eligibility for the additional 15K bonus SP and they said the system shows that I am not eligible, that my bonus is only 10K I already received.

Although I didn't print the screen when I applied, I was pretty sure the promotion hadn't changed since Feb. So then I reviewed the promo carefully, looked carefully at the terms and found this statement about the extra 15K SP bonus included in the fine print:

"You must use your Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card to complete $5,000 of eligible spending by the end of your first six months of Cardmembership, based on the date of your Card approval. 15,000 Starpoints will be credited to your account 8 to 12 weeks after you reach the spend threshold. Offer not available to existing consumer American Express Card members. "

So I am pretty sure it was the last sentence of these terms that got me. I *did* have another Amex card which I canceled only after receiving the SPG card.

Just a warning, it isn't clear in the promotion, but if you have another Amex you may only get 10K SP bonus, not the full 25K bonus.

Other than that the card has been "as advertised", I did offset this mistake by getting a card for my spouse.
 
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