Questions and Answers

I don’t travel as much as Lucky or many of you, but I do try to max my rewards. I have had an SPG personal AmEx for quite a while and it is my “main” card. When AmEx recently offered the 35,000 mile bonus, I picked up an SPG Business card, too. With the merger approaching, I am more concerned about the devaluation of my SPG points than I am about elite benefits. Do you think that it would be wise to cancel the SPG Business card and get a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve? Also, is it too soon to close the SPG Business account?

If you haven’t had it a year yet, I wouldn’t close it. Just wait until the annual fee is due before you do anything. Since it is a business card I don’t know if they’ll let you downgrade it to a no-fee card or not.

I’ve seen reports of Amex clawing back Membership Rewards points when people open the card, get the bonus quickly and then close the card. But they own the MR program and they don’t own SPG’s program so I don’t know if they could do that or not. But it’s not hurting anything to be open for a few more months.

If you’re under 5/24 and can meet the minimum spend for the Reserve then by all means go for it. We don’t know how long this 100K offer will be around.

With blog rumors that the Starwood card isn’t going to be around by late 2017, what advice do the points veterans have? If we have no compelling current use for the points, and this card product changes to a Chase card, will we be foregoing the signup bonus for whatever that new product happens to be, meaning we should move the points soon?

Hi
Given the recent developments ib the Statwood Marriott merger, do you think its worth starting to collect SPG points, applying for a card etc? Or is it better starting with Marriott?

[USER=1876]@Mongolianhippo[/USER] @mawr9 — If there’s a new program, any new credit card will count as a new product, so you don’t have to worry about forgoing bonuses.

Both programs are still going to be around for at least a year, so that’s plenty of time to keep collecting points regardless!

I read an interview with heads of SPG and Marriott rewards program. Sounds like nothing is going to change at least until 2018, and from the way these folks talked, and what they did with the transfer out of the box I don’t believe anyone needs to worry. A little known bonus from today is now you can transfer SPG to United for a great return. SPG had been is 2:1 making it a non-starter. Now you can exchange 1 SPG for 3 Marriott then exchange Marriott for UA at 2.24:1 (Starting at 56K Marriott points). So 20K SPG to 60K Marriott to UA = 26,785. A normal SPG transfer is 20K=25K. So now with United you get an additional 1,785 points meaning 34% bonus instead of 25%. PLUS if you have lots of SPG points (90K) you can convert them to 270K Marriott points and get the Miles and Nights package where for the 270K you get 7 nights in a Marriott 1-5 category hotel PLUS 132,000 UA Miles. That is a FORTY-SIX percent bonus plus 7 free nights!