As I covered in the live blog for the Marriott merger, some of our worst fears have been confirmed.
The programs will start the integration process on 8/1 and all points will be combined. Starpoints will convert into Marriott points at a 1:3 ratio.
Currently the Starwood AMEX cards earn 1 Starpoint per dollar, which is equal to 3 Marriott points per dollar.
Unfortunately this will be cut down to just 2 Marriott points per dollar (0.67 Starpoints per dollar) effective August 1st. Marriott sugar-coated it, but I won’t. That is a massive 33% devaluation for everyday spending on the SPG AMEX cards. This is exactly why I was fearful of this merger process.
I’m thrilled that Marriott will retain the value of my existing stash of Starpoints. However they have just killed the value of putting everyday spending on my Starwood card.
Frankly, I’m surprised that AMEX allowed Marriott to do this. This card will no longer be competitive with other more lucrative everyday spending cards unless you’re gunning for SPG elite status via credit card spending.
There are some new sweet benefits that will make it worth keeping the card open. But my spending patterns are going to shift even more towards the Chase Quadfecta.
The Starwood AMEX will continue to have a $95 annual fee. Starting on 8/1, it will earn 2 Marriott points per dollar everywhere and 6 Marriott points per dollar at Marriott hotels.
In the good news department, the card will come with a free anniversary night at hotels that cost up to 35K Marriott points.
Starting in 2019 the card will give 15 nights towards earning elite status, but a member can only get 15 nights no matter how many different credit cards they have.
The Starwood AMEX will also come with Silver elite status for free. The annual spend threshold for Gold status will increase from $30K to $35K starting in 2019.
The Starwood Business AMEX will also still be $95/year. However it willl lose its Sheraton lounge access benefit.
It will have all of the benefits of the Starwood consumer AMEX, but it will also earn 4 Marriott points per dollar (1.33 Starpoints per dollar) on US restaurants, US gas stations, US wireless phone services, and US shipping charges. It will also get a free anniversary night at hotels that cost up to 35K Marriott points.
In August a new Starwood AMEX Luxury card will launch with a $450 annual fee. It will earn 6 points per dollar at Marriott hotels, 3 points per dollar on US restaurants, 3 points per dollar on US airfare, and 2 points per dollar elsewhere.
With the luxury card, you will get free Gold status and can earn Platinum status with $75K in annual spend.
The card will also award in $300 annual statement credits at Marriott and Starwood hotels.
The luxury card will come with a free anniversary night at hotels up to 50K points. Priority Pass lounge membership with 2 free guests will be included. Global Entry/TSA Pre-check will be included as well.
The signup bonuses for these cards has not yet been announced.
Head spinning? Here is a quick chart highlighting the new card offerings:
| Starwood Consumer AMEX | Starwood Business AMEX | Starwood Consumer AMEX Luxury Card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $95 | $95 | $450 |
| Points earned on everyday purchases | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) |
| Points earned on US airfare | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) | 3 (1 Starpoint) |
| Points earned on Marriott/Starwood hotels | 6 (2 Starpoints) | 6 (2 Starpoints) | 6 (2 Starpoints) |
| Points earned on US restaurants | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) | 4 (1.33 Starpoints) | 3 (1 Starpoint) |
| Points earned on US gas stations, US wireless service, and US shipping | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) | 4 (1.33 Starpoints) | 2 (0.67 Starpoints) |
| Free elite status level | Silver | Silver | Gold |
| Elite night credits | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Elite status with annual spending | Gold for $30K (2018) Gold for $35K (2019) | Gold for $30K (2018) Gold for $35K (2019) | Platinum for $75K |
| Anniversary free night | Up to 35K Marriott points (11,667 Starpoints) | Up to 35K Marriott points (11,667 Starpoints) | Up to 50K Marriott points (16,667 Starpoints) |
| Annual Marriott/Starwood hotel credit. | None | None | $300 |
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit | None | None | Full credit every 4 years. |
| Foreign transaction fees | None | None | None |
| Unlimited Boingo WiFi and in-room premium WiFi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority Pass lounge membership | None | None | Yes, with 2 free guests |
Stay tuned for more analysis of the merger…
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90 Comments On "3 Starwood AMEX Cards In The New Marriott Program: A Comparison Chart Of The Good, The Bad, And The Horrific"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
The good news is I don’t have to feel bad about cancelling when the AF comes due
I actually think the opposite might be true. The card is worth keeping for the anniversary night. But my everyday purchases probably won’t be made with it anymore.
Even when you have sooooo many starpoints will you pay $95 annually just to get a free night?
I use Starpoints for everything from airline miles to throwing out the first pitch at the World Series.
I’ll take free nights as well.
But you would pay for it $95 so it’s not free
AMEX Offers, retention bonuses, etc, etc.
Moving towards the chase trifecta
Rumors put the new signup bonus with the horrific
what about the 5th night free on redemption stays?
Staying.
1.33 PPD at gas stations sounds interesting
Yup
will it be Capped?
Not really when the business ink gives 3 points which is effectively 3.75 at minimum…
Huh?
Which business ink gives that??
Ink cash. Just like it does for Amazon 🙂
Wake me up when Ink Cash gets me 3x at my Costco gas station.
You can’t use Amex at Costco
Who said it did?
Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, and on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.
That’s not gas.
Ink Business Cash gets 2 points per dollar at gas stations.
That’s not 3.
My mistake ,I thought it included gas.
Thank you for the post. Will the luxury card have a business card option that will allow me to earn platinum status with 75k spend
No.
The automatic SPG gold status perk from the AMEX Platinum card just lost its value, no one knows if they will keep that or not
They are keeping it.
If we currently have the SPG consumer Amex we won’t have to apply for he new offerings with anniversary night?
Correct.
So in Early 2019 they will have a new name… in the meantime they’re introducing new SPG cards ?
Indeed.
If I planned on selling my SPG points I guess I should sell it asap otherwise the value will decrease after 8/1. right?
No, the value of existing points will go up if anything.
Did they touch the packages at all?
Not yet.
if i currently have the Spg card open for few years when will i get the annual free night ?
Is the 20k/25k airline transfer dead as of August?
No.
Just to confirm, If I want to book airline flights after 8/1 it will still be 1 – 1.25 bonus? the change is that the value of points earned per dollar (regardless of the flight transfer) decreases after 8/1?
So makes sense from now till August to spend everyday spending on spg to get more spg points?
Looks like it. Unless you have other prorities (min spend, etc) on other cards.
The million dollar question: should we signup now before the new sign up changes goes in affect?
Are Starwood hotels still valued on the same points system or will they be reduced according to this new system?
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/marriott/comparison-chart-marriotts-august-2018-february-2019-award-chart-compares-current-spg-marriott-award-charts/
Spg hotel that’s now 10,000 night will be 30,000 in August?
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/marriott/comparison-chart-marriotts-august-2018-february-2019-award-chart-compares-current-spg-marriott-award-charts/
Will the starwood business also have a free anniversary night or just personal?
Look at the chart?
This is really a bummer for all Starwood card holders who spend on the card for the sole purpose of making transfers to Alaska (like me), for redemptions on JAL and the other Alaska partners that have excellent premium class point redemptions. A 70k first class ticket LAX-NRT on JAL is now essentially 91k miles, right?
Right.
For the serious points collectors, points are about best way to collect and best way to redeem.
They just made it harder to collect (reduced by 33%) and TBD on the value to redeem. If they make redemption more expensive we will have lost on both fronts.
Everything else (benefits, lifetime, breakfast etc) is mostly noise.
trecently switched to stacking ty points. If your spending qualifies for double points on citi ty (some people I know spend millions on entertainment etc) it became so much more convenient spending the ty points. (United flights can be booked online with Singapore and elal with qantas)
Will there be a Amex SPG luxury card for business ?
No.
When will the free night award be issued if i have just had my year renewed?
Will I be able to sign up for the Starwood cards after they turn into Marriot to get the sign up bonus if I’ve already gotten the sign up bonus on the current Starwood cards?
Do only the new cards come with an anniversary night, or will existing cards now get an anniversary night come August 1st?
All.
So… If I just used all of my SPG Points I’m better off using the Quadfecta going forward?
SPG is still valuable until 8/1.
Will a Cat 4 spg hotel (10k points per night) be eligible for the 35,000 anniversary night? What about a Cat 5 (12k)?
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/marriott/comparison-chart-marriotts-august-2018-february-2019-award-chart-compares-current-spg-marriott-award-charts/
Does this mean that there will no longer be a Chase Marriott card?
All card offerings will only be Amex, both personal and business?
There will be Chase as well.
Will qualifying for platinum under the $75k spend count for purposes of lifetime plat?
I am a bit clueless with these things….but why wouldn’t I just use my Chase Sapphire Preferred for all my spending at this point? If I transferred my Chase Ultimate Rewards points, they transfer to both SPG and Marriott at a ratio of 3:1 vs SPG which now is only 2:1
Is there any reason not to cancel my AMEX??
Chase to Marriott is 1:1
Sorry, you’re right 🙂 Confused with what >used to be< Chase to SPG
All things considered; which of the two cards is better reward value to focus my spending on? Any other good card worth having to complement these two (my only two rewards cards)? Thanks!
If you spend 75k on the regular cards do you qualify for platinum or is that only on the luxury card?
All you bloggers are missing the big picture in this. Where will Marriott slot all the hotels in the 1-8 levels. If they just slide existing levels over into the new slots, then we are all royally screwed.
It is currently hard to find a decent level 5 Marriott for the free night. Looks like a blood bath coming. Why do you think Marriott did not announce this now. They knew what was announced would be taken positively. Devalue points at the same time and all the other positive changes would be lost. Watch out come August.
is there a reason to keep an amex platinum AND the SPG Lux card?
Sure, very different card offerings.
worth using the new starwood card for gas stations and all of the other 4 point categories? What if those categories overlap with chase freedom 5 point categories- which is a better value? 4 Marriott points per dollar or 5 UR per dollar?
5 UR is much more valuable than 4 Marriott.
Will my current AX Business SPG card no longer include the lounges at Sheraton? And I don’t have to apply for a new card for the anniversary night?
Lounge access will end.
Existing cardmembers will get anniversary nights.
Will I get a free night from my spg in August or only once i pay my next af?
After your next annual fee.
Thanks
same question as Bmore52: will my free nite only come on my card’s 1st anniversary, or can i get it on 1st august already?
1st anniversary.
Did they announce whether or not there is a fee for adding authorized users to the Amex SPG Luxury card?
And do authorized users get their own benefits (gold status, priority pass, etc.) similar to how it works with Amex Platinum?
Nothing has been announced yet.
If I had to guess, I’d say they will be free, but won’t come with any of those benefits.
the free night can only be used on ur anniversary of the card or any 1 night in a yr?
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/starwood/starwood-marriott-merger-faqs-answers-questions-anniversary-nights-status-existing-cards/
Is there any reason for me to keep both the Marriott basic card and the basic Starwood AMEX. Why pay two AF?
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/will-able-use-chase-marriott-starwood-anniversary-nights/
What they’ve done to the SPG cars / program is terrible. Besides the devaluation in points Marriott has changed the redemption amounts on all of the Starwood properties. My family would routinely stay at Sheraton hotels near Disney for 3,000 to 10,000 points per night. Factor in your welcome gift of 500 points at check in and go green point award and some nights were as little as 2,250 points for a stay. After the merger hotels that were 3,000 points are now 25,000. Swan and dolphin which are SPG hotels on Disney property we’re 10k and 12k each. Now each is 50k per night. We’re considering switching over to Hilton Card. Anyone else out there have any suggestions?