Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
By Alex Compton · Last verified
The most beloved card in hobby history, gone with Starwood itself.
Welcome Bonus
None
Discontinued
Spend Requirement
None
Annual Fee
$95
No FTF
Credit Score
700+
(Good-Excellent)
Common Questions
Is the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express discontinued?
Yes. Discontinued. The most beloved card in hobby history, gone with Starwood itself.
What can I use instead of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express?
The closest open alternatives we track are the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture X. Each links to our full review with its current offer and complete breakdown.
Open Alternatives
The SPG Amex is gone, but these cards do a similar job and are still accepting applications.
The flagship premium travel card, rebuilt in 2025 with a credit stack that can out-earn its fee.
The best first travel card in the game. Full transfer partner access for $95.
Premium travel with the easiest break-even math in the category.
Historical Offers Chart
Every public offer change we've tracked. Hover for details, timing your application is worth hundreds of dollars.
Last verified 2026-06-11 · spot an outdated offer? Tell us in the comments.
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Earning Rates
- 2xStarwood hotels and resorts
- 1xEverything else
Credits
No statement credits, this card wins on earn rates, not coupons.
Benefits
- ✦Starpoints transferred to dozens of airlines at 1:1 with a 5,000 point bonus per 20,000 transferred
- ✦SPG Gold status with enough annual spend
- ✦Free in-room internet and no foreign transaction fees
Why it earns its spot
- +The single most valuable everyday-spend point in the hobby's history
- +Airline transfer flexibility no bank program matched until years later
Where it costs you
- −1x base earning looked thin if you ignored what a Starpoint was worth
- −Marriott's takeover converted Starpoints 1:3 into a weaker currency
The Compound Verdict
For most of the 2000s and 2010s the answer to almost any what-card question was the SPG Amex. One Starpoint per dollar transferred to more than 30 airlines with a 25 percent bonus, which made it the best everyday earner in existence. Marriott swallowed Starwood in 2016, points merged 1:3 in August 2018, and the card was rebranded Marriott Bonvoy in 2019. No discontinued card is mourned more.
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