UPDATE: One or more of the offers in this post have expired – check out top hotel credit card offers here.

Well…. now that things have died down a bit I thought I’d just mention the recent SPG Amex offer, which has been raised from 25,000 points as a signup bonus to 30,000 points.  A few days ago, when everyone received their affiliate links to the new card, there was a huge rush of posts about it.  This annoyed me for a few reasons, but I am over myself now, and ready to write something about it, since it is a good card, and generally speaking, is worth getting.

Card benefits

The real benefit of the card is the signup bonus.  Starwood points are generally thought of as one of the most valuable currencies, and this is the best way to get a lot of them at once, as there are no transfer parteners INTO Starwood (EDIT: Commenter Andy reminds me that you CAN transfer American Express points into SPG, but the ratios are not attractive and I generally wouldn’t recommend it)

(SEE ALSO: Starwood Preferred Guest program)

In addition to being used at Starwood hotels, you can transfer points FROM Starwood to a couple of airlines, and if you transfer in 20,000 SPG point increments, you get a 5,000 mile bonus (so 20,000 Starpoints becomes 25,000 airline miles).  Actually right now through August 31st, there is a bonus with American miles where 20,000 SPG points becomes 30,000 AAdvantage miles, though I doubt you’ll get this card bonus in time to do that.

Some other benefits include:

• Free Boingo wi-fi
• Access to Sheraton lounges as part of the business card

The real benefit of having an SPG Amex

I think the real benefit of having an SPG Amex is that it’s an AMEX!  And therefore eligible for Amex Offers as well as Small Business Saturday.

(SEE ALSO: Making money with Amex Sync Offers)

(SEE ALSO: Small Business Saturday 2014 report – $180 in free gift cards)

I actually applied for the SPG Amex personal card as part of my first signup, but closed it when I couldn’t get a good retention offer to pay the annual fee of $65 (it’s $95 now). Looking back, I’m not sure that was a wise move, as between Amex Offers and Small Business Saturday, Amex cards tend to pay for themselves.

Should you get the increased SPG Amex offer?

Well that’s up to you really.  One of my favorite things to say is “you should no sign up for a credit card because some guy on the Internet said so”.  Looking at the current credit card signup rules, you can only get one bonus on an American Express card in your LIFETIME, so if you’re going to apply, you should apply now when it’s at its highest point.

Having said that, it IS only 5,000 points more than the regular offer, so it’s not like the recent Hilton offer that’s for almost twice as much as the regular offer – this 30,000 SPG Amex offer comes around pretty much like clockwork each summer.

Where to apply for the SPG Amex

If you would like to support Points With a Crew and are interested in either those cards, I earn a commission if you apply through my links: You can check out top hotel cards here and top business cards here

Generally most of the “famous” bloggers will have links to the card, so if you want to support them, you can.

If you don’t want to support any blogger with direct credit card links, you can also find a friend that already has the card – American Express offers a referral program where your friend would get a 5K bonus for referring you.

If you want to thumb your nose at everyone, you can always apply directly at americanexpress.com!