Biggest Bonus Ever For Both SPG Amex Cards; Referral Bonus As Well

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The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express and the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express both saw a jump in their sign-up bonuses today!  They’ve stated it’s the largest bonus they’ve ever offered and it’s certainly the highest I can recall it being.

Both cards offer a 35,000 point sign-up bonus.  The personal card requires $3,000 in spending over the first 3 months where the business card requires $5,000 in spending.

These offers are only valid until March 30, 2016.

The SPG AMEX wasn’t the first credit card I applied for in the miles and points world.  It was my second, and I’ve held it for well over a decade now.  If I had to guess, I think I probably applied for it in the 2002 or 2003 timeframe.

35,000 points is enough for 3-5 days at mid-range to value properties.  For the really nice properties, you can spend 30,000 points to score a night at a property like the Hotel Danieli in Venice.

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express
Hotel Danieli, Venice

While you can find cheaper stays in the shoulder season, rates at hotels like this can spike above $1,000 a night in the peak season.  A great value for 30,000 points!

I have both the personal and business version of this credit card.  To me, the business version is an even better value.  The OPEN benefits are a really nice added plus that more than pays for my annual fee every year.  While I lament the fact that I can’t get 5% off my Hyatt stays any longer (yes, you could pay with your SPG AMEX and get a discount at Hyatt) the 5% off of FedEx and Hertz discounts are worth hundreds of dollars a year to me.

It’s important to note the upcoming merger of Marriott and SPG when applying for these cards.  That cuts both ways.  These cards (and the opportunity for their sign-up bonuses) could go away post-merger.  And, there’s likely to be a devaluation of Starpoints as a result of the merger with Marriott.

Maximizing sign-up bonuses is a big part of maintaining a healthy balance of points.  My advice if you’re on the fence would be to apply during this promo and have a plan to spend the points on a vacation in 2016 or ’17.  Happy to help give you inspiration on where to travel.  😉

Starwood Preferred Guest American Express

If you’re an existing cardholder you can earn 5,000 points for each referral, up to 55,000 points per calendar year.  I’ve referred a few folks this year but still have some slots left, and I’m happy for other folks to post their e-mail addresses below if they want the opportunity to refer someone looking to sign up.

To be clear, you can also apply directly without a referral, but we can all use a few more Starpoints, right?

Please be sure to indicate in your comment whether you want to apply for a new card or you want to refer people.  As consideration to others, please post a follow-up if you send someone a referral and try to rotate amongst anyone else looking to hand out referrals.  Share the SPG wealth!

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