What's Covered by the SPG Luxury Card's $300 Credit?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
The SPG Luxury Card is now the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. See this post for information on what counts toward the $300 credit on the Bonvoy Brilliant.
The Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card opened for applications just two weeks ago and is a solid option for Marriott and SPG loyalists. TPG reader Jonathan wants to know what purchases are covered by the new card's yearly hotel credit...
[pullquote source="TPG Reader Jonathan"]Does the $300 annual credit cover the cost of a room or only anything else you'd spend in the hotel?[/pullquote]
Many high-annual-fee cards offer annual travel credits, which can cover things like incidental airline fees or can go toward stays at resorts — and if you take full advantage of them, they help offset a card's annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a $300 annual travel credit that automatically applies to nearly every travel purchase, while The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a total of $200 in Uber credits each year and $200 toward airline incidentals every year.
Like many other premium credit cards, the SPG Luxury Card comes with a $450 annual fee (See Rates & Fees). Fortunately it offers a $300 credit toward purchases at SPG and Marriott hotels. More specifically, Amex says that cardholders will "enjoy up to $300 in statement credits each year of Card Membership for eligible purchases at participating SPG® or Marriott Rewards® hotels."
But what does "eligible purchases" mean specifically? Does it apply to the cost of a room or just hotel incidentals like room service? Marriott has confirmed with TPG the $300 credit will in fact cover the cost of a stay. So, the cost of booking the room itself will be covered by the credit, as will other incidental charges.
The credit card's terms and conditions further explain how this credit works:
Eligible SPG or Marriott Rewards property purchases must be made directly with the participating SPG or Marriott Rewards property and charged to your Starwood Preferred Guest® American Express Luxury Card account for the benefit to apply. Incidental charges (including charges made at restaurants, spas and other establishments within the hotel property) must be charged to your room and paid for with your Starwood Preferred Guest®American Express Luxury Card at checkout in order to be recognized as SPG or Marriott Rewards purchases.
After paying for the stay itself, make sure that you charge any other incidentals to your room and then pay your bill at checkout with the SPG Luxury Card to ensure the credit applies. You'll earn 6x Marriott points on all purchases made at Marriott or SPG hotels, plus a 25% bonus points on paid stays as a Gold elite member — a complimentary benefit of the Luxury Card.
If you plan on staying at least one or two nights a year at an SPG or Marriott hotel, it'll be quite easy to get the full $300 from this credit — making the effective annual fee on this card $150. You can extract even more value if you maximize the card's annual free night award (up to 50,000 points) and stack it with a paid or points-powered stay.
Amex says it could take 8 to 12 weeks for the credit to appear on your statement, but TPG readers report that it's visible just days after making an eligible charge.
Bottom Line
Like with other high-end travel cards, the SPG Luxury Card's effective annual fee becomes much lower after factoring in its yearly travel credit. Travelers can squeeze even more value out of it considering the current 75,000-point welcome bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months and annual free night award.
Thanks for the question, Jonathan, and if you're a TPG reader who'd like us to answer a question of your own, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or email us at info@thepointsguy.com.
For rates and fees of the SPG Luxury Card, please click here.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.