UPDATE: This offer has expired.
I know many people are skeptical on getting cards with an annual fee as they aren’t sure whether or not the benefits are worth it, but I want to show you how you can actually earn statement credits on the card that will essentially pay for the annual fee, plus more!
If you’ve been keeping up on this blog for awhile you are probably well aware by now that I am a huge fan of making free money through the American Express statement credit offers. These promotions typically require you to spend $X amount of money at a participating merchant to get $Y amount back as a statement credit. Since these are “American Express” offers, you can only use an American Express credit card to be eligible for the statement credit. The good thing is that almost ALL American Express credit cards are valid, even if they are partnered with a hotel or airline loyalty program.
That means that both the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express (personal card) and Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express OPEN (business card) are eligible. And typically you are able to receive the statement credit on multiple cards!
While I might be an extreme case since I take advantage of these offers quite often. I personally have received $900 back in statement credits over the past 23 months. With the Amex statement credit offers alone that means I average about $450 back a year! This allows to me to justify the annual fee and helps me “earn” money on top of it! So not only does the Starwood credit card give me some nice benefits, it also helps me save money on purchases I’d be making anyways.
To check your savings to date, log into your AmericanExpress.com account, go to “Account Home”, at the bottom of the page on your cards information click “Offers For You”, and select “My Savings”. Even through I’ve been participating in these Amex statement credits since 2011, my SPG card is only tracking back to April 2014.
While I love the Starwood American Express credit card for many other reasons, taking advantage of offers to have your annual fee paid for is a great perk! It also helps with a piece of mind knowing you aren’t paying so much to have a card that you aren’t 100% sure whether or not the benefits will outweigh the fee.
*Terms Apply.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. My goal is for you to travel on a deal! As always, thanks for your support!
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
well now, that IS a creative way to put lipstick on the proverbial pig — the ever increasing annual fees from AMEX. 🙂 Fair enough, the amex offers at times have been “nice” to have around….. but hundreds? (I’d like to see your list of deals you got…) For my family, over the past few years 95% of the time, the offers are mostly for high end boutique stores of little interest to your average frugal travel hacking buff. Oh sure, there’s the many “targeted” deals — that only the blogger$ like you and a few sycophants seem to know about and get. And then AMEX killed off the real $10 deals that used to come on Small Bdnss Saturday….
Well, if it helps one rationalize keeping a stinker annual fee card in the closet, well, you’re an AMEX marketing genius. 🙂 Good for you. I prefer keeping the no fee amex cards and get the same deals. The other ones, including this SPG card, won’t make it past the first year, without some serious compensation.
And all this discussion is probably pointless anyway, as the SPG card will likely be history within a year. (courtesy the ultimate in hotel mismatched mergers)
Sounds like merger isn’t going to happen as planned… better offer on the table… SPG may remain the same after all…