FYI, If you already have an SPG AMEX, just sign into your AMEX account, and scroll down to the "Amex Benefits and Offers" section to see an offer to upgrade to the Lux card and pocket a 100,000 bonus. Saves you from re-applying, though they'll probably do another credit pull.
Expires 10/31/18.
Here's what the offer says.
Lisa, upgrade to the Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card today!
Upgrade your Starwood Preferred Guest (ending -44005)
It's Simple - just select the "Request an Upgrade" button below. Your account number won't change. Plus, any Additional Cards you already have will also be upgraded.
$300 SPG or Marriott Rewards Statement Credit
Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits for purchases on the Card at participating SPG® or Marriott Rewards® hotels.‡
Points - 6x, 3x, 2x
6 points for each dollar of eligible purchases at participating SPG® and Marriott Rewards® hotels.
3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines.
2 points on all other eligible purchases.‡
Free Night Award
Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card account anniversary. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 points) at a participating hotel. Select hotels have resort fees.‡
Complimentary Gold Elite Status
Enjoy complimentary Gold Elite status with your Card.‡ Earn Platinum Elite status after making $75,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.‡
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I agree that it's probably not worth the fee given the devaluation of SPs. I'm much more likely to spend the $300 on travel to offset the Chase Sapphire Premiere card per year than $300 at SPG hotels.
Two positives worth mentioning:
- You'll get complimentary gold status with this card (e.g. you won't have to spend $35k like the old card) And if you spend $75k per year, you'll get platinum status! (Yeah, I know. That ain't gonna happen with us either.)
- It doesn't appear that they're going to charge $75 for additional users.
After mulling over both options, I went ahead and signed us each up for the new Chase MR card to pocket the 75k bonus. Sadly, I missed the 100k offer. First year was free and $95 after that. I think that'll work better for us. Marriott has been my go-to hotel recently because Starwood doesn't have much of a presence in non-major cities, so I'll probably keep the Chase MR card for the free night, which offsets the annual fee. However, the bulk of my spending will still be on the Chase Sapphire because the benefits are so much better. I've held on to the SPG Amex 2 years longer than I wanted to because they keep waiving the annual fee when I call, but it's unlikely that I'll do that again. I never use it anymore, which is a shame because at one point it was my go-to card.
I am really going to miss the great benefits of the old SPG program coupled with the SPG AMex. Back in June, I used up 12,000 of my last 100,000 SPs to stay at the Sheraton deMedici hotel in Rome. I cannot tell you what a treat it was to stay there after staying in non-SPG hotels for the bulk of our Trafalgar tour of Italy. I don't know what Italians have against soft beds, but I could have cried when I crawled into my soft bed with clean and soft sheets at the Sheraton. The room was easily twice as big as others I stayed in...and the AC actually worked! I told our tour mates from Australia that they can rib us all they want about our politics, but we Americans know how to build great hotels! I mean, the Westin reputation is what led me to owning WKORV back in the day.
-Tom
