Deal has expired, view more American Express deals here.
Update 10/30/18: Deal is due to expire today. A few additional things to note:
- We talk about why the upgrade offer is worth a second look here
- We confirm the $300 credit does apply in the first year
- We confirm it’s possible to get an upgrade offer and the regular bonus here
Apparently the offer is variable, reports of 50,000 and 15,000 offers as well. And reports of 0 point upgrade offers, yay!
The Offer
Direct link to offer (shows when you go to the Luxury card regular application page)
- Some existing SPG personal cardholders are seeing an offer of 100,000 points after $5,000 in spend on the SPG Luxury card.
Card Details
- $450 annual fee
- $300 in statement credits each year of card membership for eligible purchases at SPG & Marriott properties
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 6x points per $1 spent at participating SPG & Marriott Rewards hotels
- 3x points per $1 spent at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2x points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Free night award every year after your card account anniversary (can be used at any property that costs under 50,000 points per night)
- Complimentary gold elite status
- Platinum elite status after you spend $75,000 or more on the card in a calendar year
- Starting in 2019: 15 nights towards elite status (you’re restricted to getting this benefit once per Marriott Loyalty program number)
- Unlimited complimentary priority pass lounge access for you and up to two accompanying guests
- Statement credit for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85) every four years
- No foreign transaction fees
- Free, unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi access
- Free in-room premium internet access at SPG & Marriott participating hotels
- Read full review here
Our Verdict
Big question is does existing spend that was put on the regular SPG card count towards the $75,000 spend required for platinum elite status. Normally I’d think not, but it’s based on a calendar year rather than card member year so it’s possible it does. I know a lot of people have put that type of spend on their SPG card already (was a popular option when it earned 1 SPG/3 Marriott points). Update: VFTW asked this question back in April and was told that spend on the consumer card would count when upgraded. If you have questions about American Express upgrade offers, read this first.
Hat tip to @TravelonPM
