The Starwood Preferred Guest program, or SPG for short, is one of the most rewarding travel programs available. From free stays at 5-star hotels to free air travel on almost any airline with no black out dates, Starwood Preferred has become synonymous with first class travel. And with the Starwood Preferred Guest(R) Credit Card from American Express, it’s easy to earn Starpoints quickly.
Because of the many features that the program offers, we thought a review of the Starwood Preferred Guest program (www.starwoodhotels.com) was in order. In this review we’ll first look at how to join the program and the different levels of membership. Then we’ll cover how you can earn Starpoints. And finally, we will discuss how you can use your Starpoints.
The Starwood Preferred Guest Program
Starpoints® are designed for those who travel. The program consists of three different membership levels. Each membership tier gives you rewards, beginning with valuable Starpoints®, redeemable for Free Night Awards, award flights, room upgrades and a host of travel and entertainment privileges. At each level you’re entitled to the Free Night Awards benefit with no blackouts on standard rooms. The Gold and Platinum levels increase your Starpoints earning by 50% over the Preferred level. A generous package of member privileges earmarks each tier and increases along with your stature.
Preferred
The Preferred program is the base tier level of the program. As part of our program, you will have access to exclusive benefits and redemption opportunities. At the Preferred level, you will earn 2 Starpoints per every eligible dollar spent at over 890 of Starwood’s participating properties. You can redeem Starpoints for a host of rewards, including free nights and airline tickets. With our no blackouts policy, if there is a standard room available, or a flight available through our SPG Flights program, it’s yours. Starpoints never expire as long as you have Starpoints activity at least once every 12 months.
Gold Preferred
To be part of the Gold Preferred program you have to stay at Starwood Preferred Guest participating properties at least 10 times (or 25 nights) in a calendar year. You can earn Free Night Awards faster because your reward increases to 3 Starpoints for every eligible U.S. dollar spent. This is a 50% bonus over Preferred Guests. You are entitled to an automatic room upgrade at check-in when one is available. An enhanced room includes rooms on higher floors, corner rooms, newly renovated rooms, or rooms with preferred views. You also get a 4 p.m. late checkout, when available.
Platinum Preferred
If you stay 25 times (or 50 nights) in a calendar year and achieve Platinum Preferred Guest® status. This is the highest tier of the membership and the one that offers the most benefits. Such beneifts include, but are not limited to: An increased rewards to 3 Starpoints for every eligible U.S. dollar spent — a 50% bonus over Preferred Guests, you can expect automatic upgrades at check-in, including Select Standard Suites, receive personalized service, from making reservations, requesting upgrades, redeeming awards and booking everything from opera tickets and baby sitters to getting information on local restaurants and sights and 4 p.m. late checkout, when available.
How To Get Starpoints
There are a lot of ways to earn Starpoints. Of course, the obvious way is to stay in a Starwood hotel. But there are many other options that can help you accumulate Starpoints fast:
- Buy Starpoints: Starwood let’s members purchase up to 20,000 additional Starpoints per calendar year if you have been an SPG member for at least one month. You can buy 500 Starpoints for $17.50. The Starpoint Purchase Plan is for members who need a few extra points to redeem a vacation or want to customize an online gift certificate for a travel gift.
- Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express: This Credit Card from American Express is a great way to get bonus Starpoints. The card offers 10,000 Starpoints after your first purchase, enough for up to 3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel. You can also earn an additional 15,000 Starpoints when you spend $15,000 in 6 months, enough for up to 3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel.
- Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card: American Express also offers a Starwood Business Card, which gives an additional 10,000 free Starpoints after your first purchase. If you have both the business card and the Preferred Guest card, you can get 20,000 Starwood points, which could get you 25,000 airline miles, enough for a free ticket.
- TD AMERITRADE: When you open and fund an account you can earn up to 20,000 Starpoints, depending on your initial deposit.
- American Express® Cardmembers: If you are enrolled in Membership Rewards® yo will earn Membership Rewards points whenever they stay at participating Starwood Preferred Guest hotels or resorts and pay with an eligible enrolled American Express Card. Membership Rewards points do not expire and there is no earning cap. You may also transfer your Membership Rewards points into StarpointsSM to redeem Starwood Preferred Guest awards.
- Hartmann.com: Earn 1 Starpoint for every $1 spent on the luggage and personal leather goods from the Hartmann online store.
- Earn Club Rewards® points from Diners Club® when you stay at a participating Starwood hotel or resort and pay with your Diners Club Card. Club Rewards points never expire, there is no limit to the amount you can earn, and you can transfer Club Rewards points into Starpoints.
How To Use Your Points
There are a wide variety of ways you can use your starpoints. The Starwood Preferred Guest ® program allows you to redeem Starpoints® for Free Night Awards without blackout dates or extra point charges on standard rooms–regardless of your membership level. It typically takes three stays to earn a Free Weekend Night Award. Starwood categorizes its hotels from 1 to 7, with a category 7 hotel requiring a lot more points than a category 1 hotel. To give you an idea of how it works, a minimum of 2,000 Starpoints is needed to redeem for a free weekend night at a Category 1 hotel. The number of Starpoints needed for a Free Night Award vary by hotel category.
You can also use Starpoints for flights. There are two ways to fly with Starpoints. First, you can convert Starpoints to airline miles on most airlines. When you convert 20,000 Starpoints at one time, Starwood throws in an extra 5,000 points. Second, you can use Starpoints to pay for airline travel when you book using the Starwood Amex. You can find additional details of both options here: www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/starpoints/redeem/index.html.
You can also redeem your Starpoints for products or gift certificates/cards or you have the option of donating them to one of the SPG charity partners. The charity partners include the following: Camp Sunshine, Special Olympics, The American Red Cross, The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, The Make-A-Wish Foundation and UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund. You can use your Starpoints to bid on events with the member exclusive online auction site, spg.com/moments. Starwood Preferred Guest also allows members to transfer Starpoints to Amtrak Guest Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. Your Starpoints can also be redeemed for in-hotel indulgences from a massage to dinner and more.
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