About the card

The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card is issued by American Express.  It is a reward card that allows you to earn Starpoints that can be redeemed for stays at any participating Starwood hotel or resort.

The basics

• Variable APR of 14.99% for purchases, 2.9% introductory purchase APR for first 6 months
• 19.99% for cash advances
• When initiated within 30 days of opening the account, 2.9% APR on balances transfers for 6 months
• $45 annual fee
• 20 day grace period on purchases
• Late fee:  $19 for balances under $400, $38 for balances of $400 or more
• $35 over the limit fee
• 3% transaction fee on cash advances ($5 minimum and no maximum)

The perks

• Earn one Starpoint for every dollar worth of purchases
• Earn 10,000 bonus Starpoints on your first purchase within one year of opening the account
• Earn 15,000 additional bonus points when you spend $15,000 within the first six months of opening the account
• Transfer points to the frequent flyer program of over 30 major airlines
• Earn double points  when you use the card at participating Starwood hotels and retail locations
• Use points to get free room upgrades at participating Starwood hotels and resorts
• No blackout dates
• Annual fee waived for the first year
• Includes travel insurance of  up to $100,000 accidental death or dismemberment
• Account management tools include online account access year end summary that allows you to sort charges by merchant, category, and date.
• Comes with emergency services such are card replacement and Global Assist.  Global Assist will help with medical, legal, financial, lost luggage, and more when you travel more than 100 miles from home

You will like this card if you enjoy stays at Starwood hotels - Preferred Guest, SPG, Starpoints, Sheraton, W, Four Points, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Westin, and Le Meridien.

You won’t like this card if you are unable to pay the entire balance of the card at the end of each month.  At 14.99%, interest charges can add up quickly.

Credit card review

The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express allows you to earn points on your everyday and not-so-every purchases.  The points can be redeemed for overnight stays at any of the 860 participating Starwood locations.

I have got to be honest.  Ever since I fell in love with the beds at the Westin hotel, I have been kind of partial to Starwood locations. So… I really like the thought of earning a free stay.

However, unless you are a big spender, it may take awhile to earn a stay.  It takes about 2,000 points to earn a free night.  And at the swankier Starwood properties, a room can run 35,000 points.  That’s a lot of points, but earning the 25,000 bonus points can get you closer to the free luxury stay.

Though I bask in the thought of a free night at the Westin, there are a few things about this card that gives me reservation.   I have this thing about interest rates that are higher than 10%… I don’t like them.  So as you can imagine, a 14.99% interest rate makes me cringe.  But if the balance is paid in full each month… then it’s not so bad.  I also don’t like annual fees.  There are too many other cards out there that don’t charge an annual fee.  Also, the rewards are limited. The points can only be used at Starwood hotels.  What if I wanted to stay at the Hilton… well then I guess I’ll just be out of luck.

Overall rating

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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