Verdict: The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express is perfect for travelers interested in earning points for hotel stays and airway miles.

Even if you are not a Starwood Preferred Guest member, you can still take advantage of the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express. This is not your average run of the mill credit card, so you want to make sure that the benefits will suit your lifestyle.

Do you travel a lot? If so, the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express is one that you will want to keep in mind. There are many rewards cards that offer travel benefits, but not many of them are as advanced and “customer oriented” as this one.

Before you apply for a Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express you will want to learn as much as you can about the rewards, fees, benefits, and much more. This card may not be right for everybody, but there is a good chance that it would fit nicely in your wallet.

Rewards

For every dollar you spend with your Starwood Preferred Guest credit card you will receive one point; these are known as Starpoints. To go along with this, if you use your card at “participating” stores and properties you will receive double points. For this reason it is always a good idea to know which establishments are part of the system.

How long can I keep my Starpoints? As you know, some rewards programs force you to use your points within a certain period of time. With the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card this is never the case. As long as your account stays active you will have access to your points.

Once you sign up for the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card you will be ready to earn Starpoints. As an added bonus, after your first purchase you will receive 10,000 points to get you started. But wait, it gets better. If you spend $15k or more during the first six months of having the card you will receive an additional 15,000 bonus points.

When compared to other programs you will find that the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card has far fewer restrictions. Unlike many hotel programs, with this card you never have to worry about blackout dates. If you don’t want to use your points on hotel stays you are also allowed to cash them in for airline tickets. Points are exchanged at a one to one ratio for airline miles. This has led to many people using the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card to simply earn frequent flyer miles. An economy class ticket on a roundtrip flight in the continental United States will set you back 25,000 points. 

All in all, the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card rewards program is geared towards consumers who are interested in travel.

Fees and APR

The first year of carrying the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card you do not have to worry about an annual fee. After this, you will be charged an annual fee of $45. Although this may sound like a lot, when compared to fees of other rewards programs it is easy to see that you are getting a great deal.

A 2.9 percent introductory rate is available for six months for those who qualify. After that, rates as low as 15.24% are available.

Benefits

1. No annual fee the first year

2. A rewards program that offers both hotel and airline options

3. Many available bonuses

The Decision

Do you like to travel? If so, the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express is something to consider. The rewards program offers the ability to redeem points for hotel rooms and airline tickets. When you combine this with a low annual fee (none the first year) and competitive APR, you can see why so many have applied and started to use their Starwood Preferred Guest credit card.

Apply for the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express .

(7 votes, average: 3.57 out of 5)

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