SPG 30K offer is back for limited time

[Open123]

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@09Lexie wrote:
@scenery_guy

Congrats and thanks for the info!

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+1

Congrats!  

30K SPG points is a great offer and will always come in extremely handy.  Thanks for the recon, which has helped me ponder in advance which of my revolvers I'll close.

[armbenderc]

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@scenery_guy wrote:

Just got an email for the limited time 30K point SPG card. It's 10K after first purchase and 20K after $5K spend in 90 days six months. Offer goes live tomorrow (or so says the email) and expires 10/3/2013. 

I know Open123 has been waiting for this offer. Anyone else going for it? I'm not in the spot I need to be, just received three cards in the past 30 days. Yes, I know a new app for AmEx would be a SP if declined but my score was getting back to high 700's. I will ponder it for a while as I hold the business version. 

Anyway enjoy, it's a great everyday spend card and the points are great for airline transfers!

Edited to correct the $5K spend period from 90 days to 6 months!

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OMG, I just got app'd for CITI.. and now I want THIS!!!

[scenery_guy]

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@Open123 wrote:

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@09Lexie wrote:
@scenery_guy

Congrats and thanks for the info!

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+1

Congrats!  

30K SPG points is a great offer and will always come in extremely handy.  Thanks for the recon, which has helped me ponder in advance which of my revolvers I'll close.

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I can't believe I beat you to the jump. I read a post here earlier where a member says they have 5 revolvers with AmEx. Perhaps you are grandfathered or get lucky? I was not aware of that maximum in advance so it threw me off my game (that and telling me there was an issue). Good luck and keep us posted. 

I'm rethinking my spending thru the end of the year now. I have hit maximum return on both my Delta cards for MQM and mile bonuses for spends so there is no use in using them for the mile per dollar return. I will use them only to purchase tickets on Delta. I think I will try to hit $50K spend on my new SPG to pad my SPG account with points. I love the bonus points for airline transfer so 80K points can become 100K miles. I'm sure there is a yearly max I can redeem right? 

[CreditScholar]

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@HiLine wrote:

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@Open123 wrote:

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@scenery_guy wrote:

If you are considering a new card and travel at all this might be the best all around card out there. The additional 5K points is a great offer and if you do travel it might be the best everyday spend card. 

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+1

For non bonus spending and for those who value travel rewards, this is the best card to use, in my estimation.  The only downside is that it's much more difficult to acquire and harvest SPG points.

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The only other downside I can think of is the foreign transaction fee.

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+1. This is my biggest problem with the card, otherwise it'd be great.

[Open123]

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@scenery_guy wrote:

I can't believe I beat you to the jump. I read a post here earlier where a member says they have 5 revolvers with AmEx. Perhaps you are grandfathered or get lucky? I was not aware of that maximum in advance so it threw me off my game (that and telling me there was an issue). Good luck and keep us posted. 

I'm rethinking my spending thru the end of the year now. I have hit maximum return on both my Delta cards for MQM and mile bonuses for spends so there is no use in using them for the mile per dollar return. I will use them only to purchase tickets on Delta. I think I will try to hit $50K spend on my new SPG to pad my SPG account with points. I love the bonus points for airline transfer so 80K points can become 100K miles. I'm sure there is a yearly max I can redeem right? 

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Not sure, but I'll find out when I app.  If I run into the same issue, I'll just close the BCP to make room for this one.  I'll probably wait until mid week, to pass the 1 year mark on a series of inquiries, though I doubt it would make a difference once way, or the other.

You know, good question.  I'm not aware of a yearly max you can transfer.  Maybe it's unlimited?  Wouldn't suprise at all if there were no caps.

[Open123]

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@CreditScholar wrote:

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@HiLine wrote:

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@Open123 wrote:

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@scenery_guy wrote:

If you are considering a new card and travel at all this might be the best all around card out there. The additional 5K points is a great offer and if you do travel it might be the best everyday spend card. 

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+1

For non bonus spending and for those who value travel rewards, this is the best card to use, in my estimation.  The only downside is that it's much more difficult to acquire and harvest SPG points.

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The only other downside I can think of is the foreign transaction fee.

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+1. This is my biggest problem with the card, otherwise it'd be great.

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My single biggest complaint with Amex is their lack of no-forex fee cards.  Their Platinums being the only cards with the no-forex fee seems absurd to me.

[scenery_guy]

@Open123 and CreditScholar that's a good point about forex fees. I don't travel abroad often and usually reach for the Platinum or an Ink card as it's mostly business related. I wonder if we might see AmEx make some moves to add the feature to several revolvers in the future? It would be a great addition to the SPG card for sure. 

I quickly looked at the SPG transfer page and it says:

"Starwood Preferred Guests can transfer up to 79,999 of their Starpoints® per transaction per program within a 24-hour period to the frequent flyer programs listed below.¹ Plus, for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred within the same transaction, Starwood will automatically add another 5,000 Starpoints!This means that up to 94,999 Starpoints can be transferred into your frequent flyer account, with most airline partners, making a free flight that much closer.² Please keep in mind that only one airline transfer transaction per member, per airline program, is permitted within a 24-hour period." 

My plan was to move 80K points year end to an airline for travel next year and net 100K with bonuses (4x 20K at a time) but after reading that I feel inadequate as my yearly transfer would be the maximum for a single daily transfer. Sheesh. 

[HiLine]

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@scenery_guy wrote:

@Open123 and CreditScholar that's a good point about forex fees. I don't travel abroad often and usually reach for the Platinum or an Ink card as it's mostly business related. I wonder if we might see AmEx make some moves to add the feature to several revolvers in the future? It would be a great addition to the SPG card for sure. 

I quickly looked at the SPG transfer page and it says:

"Starwood Preferred Guests can transfer up to 79,999 of their Starpoints® per transaction per program within a 24-hour period to the frequent flyer programs listed below.¹ Plus, for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred within the same transaction, Starwood will automatically add another 5,000 Starpoints!This means that up to 94,999 Starpoints can be transferred into your frequent flyer account, with most airline partners, making a free flight that much closer.² Please keep in mind that only one airline transfer transaction per member, per airline program, is permitted within a 24-hour period." 

My plan was to move 80K points year end to an airline for travel next year and net 100K with bonuses (4x 20K at a time) but after reading that I feel inadequate as my yearly transfer would be the maximum for a single daily transfer. Sheesh. 

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Couldn't you move 20k one day, and then 60k points the next?

[HiLine]

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@Open123 wrote:

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@CreditScholar wrote:

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@HiLine wrote:

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@Open123 wrote:

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@scenery_guy wrote:

If you are considering a new card and travel at all this might be the best all around card out there. The additional 5K points is a great offer and if you do travel it might be the best everyday spend card. 

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+1

For non bonus spending and for those who value travel rewards, this is the best card to use, in my estimation.  The only downside is that it's much more difficult to acquire and harvest SPG points.

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The only other downside I can think of is the foreign transaction fee.

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+1. This is my biggest problem with the card, otherwise it'd be great.

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My single biggest complaint with Amex is their lack of no-forex fee cards.  Their Platinums being the only cards with the no-forex fee seems absurd to me.

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In your experience, do other creditors have a higher percentage of cards without foreign transaction fees? Asking for information here.

[Open123]

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@HiLine wrote:

In your experience, do other creditors have a higher percentage of cards without foreign transaction fees? Asking for information here.

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Of the top of my head, I can think of a few issuers with a higher percentage.

1.  Chase - far and away the most.

2.  Cap One - Ah, all of them.  

3.  Discover - Ah, all of them.

4.  Citi - TY Premier, Prestige, AA WM Elite, HHonors Reserve.

Both Barclay and BofA offer no FTF cards with no annual fees.  Some CUs, but unfortunately, my insights on them are limited, at best.

In my view, Amex's only no FTF option comes with a $450 annual fee seems a little out of touch with the marketplace.  At the very least, I think they ought to waive the FTF on the Gold cards to remain competitive with the CSP.