I only had a 3 day window to get this Starwood Preferred Guest Luxury Card with the 100,000 Marriott/SPG Point sign-up bonus offer. I applied and got approved for it yesterday. The reason I needed to act so quickly is because I would have been limited by the following restrictive language from Amex that is included with the application…
“Effective 8/26, welcome offer not available to applicants who (i) have or have had The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card from JP Morgan in the last 30 days, (ii) have acquired The Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, The Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase, or The Marriott Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 90 days, or (iii) received a welcome or upgrade offer for The Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card from Chase, The Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase, or The Marriott Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card from Chase in the last 24 months”
If the above language applies to you, you have 2 more days to secure the card with the bonus.
If the language is not applicable to you, take a bit more time and think about whether this card makes sense for you. Just make sure to apply by 10/31/18 because the bonus offer is decreasing after that date.
As for why this card makes sense for me…here are the reasons…
–I can’t get a bonus if I apply for another SPG card-I have had every other SPG card so cannot take advantage of those bonus offers for the cards.
–I love a good deal-recent valuations from others in the biz value this new loyalty currency at .9 cents per point. So the 100,000 point bonus can be values at $900. Without even considering any other card benefit, I feel like I am already $450 in the black.
–I will definitely use the $300 SPG Or Marriott Rewards Statement Credit over my cardmember year-With the card, you receive up to $300 in statement credits each year of Card Membership for purchases at participating SPG or Marriott/Ritz Rewards hotels. I have an SPG stay already booked for next winter at the St. Regis In Aspen. (um, remember I saved $26,000 (not a typo) using points on that stay). Having stayed at a St. Regis in the past in Kauai, I am fully aware how expensive incidentals are in the hotel. We usually have breakfast in the hotel when we ski and many days undoubtedly end up in the hotel lobby après-ski. We will have no trouble taking advantage of that $300 credit! In general, if you like to stay at SPG and Marriott Resorts and find yourself doing so on many of your vacations AND spending at least $300 during your stay, then you have to take this $300 credit into account when deciding if this card is right for you.
–I will definitely use the Free Night Award-With the card, you receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. The award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 points) at a participating hotel. I have a junior in high school. We will be visiting schools this coming year. With all of the hotels now available in the combined program, there will always be some level of Marriott/SPG hotel that we can stay at and take advantage of this fee night. BTW-I will always try to go for the highest redemption..the night that normally requires 50,000 points.
So even without the bonus, the $300 credit in addition to the free night will likely offset the $450 annual fee (a hotel that requires 50,000 points is likely more than $150 per night). These two features will justify that I keep the card in subsequent years. I have two sophomores on the heels of my junior who will need to look at schools too.
As for what happens after I get the card, meet the spending requirement ($5,000 in 3 months) and get the 100K bonus…
–I probably won’t use the card for spending. The card allows you to earn 3 Points per $1 spent at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. In addition, you earn 2 Points for every dollar you spend on all your other purchases.
Well my Chase Sapphire Reserve also earns 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points on dining and travel. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are way more flexible than Marriott/SPG points as I can use them to book any travel via the Chase travel (at 1.5 cents) site or transfer them to a variety of loyalty programs. In fact, Marriott/SPG are one of the programs that my Chase points will transfer to on a 1:1 basis, so the result is the same regardless of which card I use for these purchases. I may as well use the more flexible card.
As for the 2 points on all other purchases, I am happier using my Chase Freedom Unlimited card for my other purchases where I earn 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent. These points I can combine with my Reserve points and use them as above. I am choosing flexibility over that additional 1/2 point.
Another card I love using on my everyday spend (which I would use over this new card) is my American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card, where I earn 2x Membership Rewards points on all my purchases. AND NOW, these Amex points can transfer to the Marriott/SPG on a 1:1 basis too. So again, it’s is the same 2 points I earn with the SPG card, but with this card I have so many other options as to what to do with my points.
The card also has a lot of other features but most of those I already get with some of my other cards. For me, they do not enter into the equation. You can learn about more of these additional benefits here.
Will you get the card? I hope I helped you make a decision!