The Starwood Preferred Guest Card, issued by American Express (NYSE:AXP), is just the card to get if you are someone who likes to stay at Starwood hotels and resorts, and would like to earn rewards in return for making Starwood and everyday purchases. What I like most about this American Express Starwood card is that it gives you access to a diverse collection of hotel brands worldwide, including Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin, Le Meridien, St Regis, The Luxury Collection, element, aloft, and Four Points by Sheraton. This card’s Starwood Preferred Guest program lets you earn points which can be redeemed for free stays at Starwood hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries around the world, or for free airline tickets on hundreds of airlines. Here I will do a detailed review of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, one of the best credit cards for hotel rewards.

Things We Like About This Card

Pay no annual fee for the first year. The first year’s introductory annual fee is $0 for new card members, thereafter the annual fee will be $65.

Earn up to 25,000 Starpoints as a new card member. You will receive 10,000 points after your first purchase, and when you spend $5,000 in 6 months, you will receive another 15,000 points. These 25,000 points can be redeemed for 6 nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel.

1 point for every eligible $1 you spend and up to 5 points for Starwood purchases. Here’s the breakdown of the 5 points: For every eligible $1 spent at SPG hotels & resorts, you get 2 Starpoints on the Card, plus 2 Starpoints as an SPG member (you will automatically be enrolled under the Starwood Preferred Guest program), and you get 1 more Starpoint with SPG Gold or Platinum status.

Use points for free stays and upgrades at participating Starwood hotels and resorts in 95 countries with no blackout dates and availability restrictions. You can get free weekend nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel for as low as 2,000 points. This is a good deal if you enjoy staying at the Starwood brand of hotels and like to get free stays as rewards.

Use points to travel to your next destination. With your points, you can use SPG Flights to redeem free flights on over 350 airlines without blackout dates.

Convert points into airline miles. You can transfer your points – nearly always on a 1:1 basis – to frequent flyer programs of over 30 major airlines. You don’t have to worry about the airline going broke, because if an airline discontinues its frequent flyer program, you can easily transfer your points to a different airline. With this incredible offer, you’ll earn 1 mile for every point you earn on your card, which is every $1 of an eligible purchase. Also, if you convert 20,000 points into miles all at once, you will earn 5,000 extra bonus miles.

No expiry date for the points you earn, thus allowing you to accumulate as many points as you want and not having to worry about using them all at once for fear of them expiring and going to waste. As long as you don’t leave your card account dormant for a year or more, you won’t have to worry about your points expiring or being revoked.

Free travel accident insurance (up to $100,000) and car rental insurance, which protects you in case of any accident or damage to the vehicle you are renting.

Our Least Favorite Things About This Card

$65 annual fee. You don’t pay any annual fee for the first year, but thereafter, you have to pay $65 yearly. Considering all the privileges offered to Starwood cardholders, this fee is very minimal considering the extra benefits.

Points take from 8 to 12 weeks to be added to your account. If you’re planning on accumulating points for a trip, make sure you take into consideration this lag time and plan well ahead in advance.

Our Verdict: 4.5/5 Stars

The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express is a rich rewards card for those of you who love traveling, like to stay at hotels and resorts under the Starwood Preferred Guest program, and have good to excellent credit score. I would recommend this card since it gives you points whenever you spend on your card, which you can accumulate to later redeem for free hotel stays or free flights with SPG Flights, or convert them into airline miles. Plus, you get to earn up to 25,000  bonus points with their welcome promotion. This bonus promotion is one of the best in the market, so apply now to qualify for it!

Set up recurring payments with the American Express Bill Pay to ensure your credit card bills are always paid on time.  As long as you use this card frequently and especially in Starwood hotels in order to earn more points, you will be able to earn a huge amount of points, thus enabling you to travel and stay in Starwood hotels and resorts for free or at very low prices.

You also get to enjoy all the exclusive cardholder benefits from American Express such as extended warranty, Purchase Protection Plan, Return Protection, and more, with no annual fee for the first year. Apply online for the Starwood Preferred Guest Card, and you can get a decision in less than 60 seconds.

Click here to go to the American Express official website to apply online for the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card now.