In late August 2018, American Express launched an exciting new product: The Amex SPG Luxury Card.
The card offers some splashy perks, but is it worth getting?
Today, we’ll go over the Amex SPG Luxury Card signup bonus review to help you see if this card is right for you!
Amex SPG Luxury Card Signup Bonus Review
Currently, the Luxury card is offering a signup bonus of 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. This offer is set to expire at the end of October 2018 – and there’s no word what the signup bonus will be after that. (note: there’s also a targeted offer for 125,000 points, but not many people will qualify).
Keep in mind that 100,000 points on an SPG are not as good as it sounds: since the SPG-Marriott merger a few months back, the point values have changed. This card now earns Marriott points, which are worth about 1/3 as much as the old SPG points. So, a 100,000 point signup bonus is equivalent to around 33,333 “old” SPG points.
So, what’s the AMEX SPG Luxury Card signup bonus actually worth? That depends on how you redeem it! Depending on where you like to stay, 100,000 points could be worth as much as 20 free nights or as little as one night! Most people are likely to get about two to five nights free with this signup bonus. Check out the Marriott award chart for details.
Amex SPG Luxury Card Review
So, how does this card stack up otherwise? Here are the basics:
- Annual fee is $450, not waived the first year
- $300 annual statement credit for Marriott/SPG purchases (can be used on room rates)
- Annual free night certificate for hotels up to 50,000 points (starts on the second year)
- Priority Pass and TSA PreCheck credit
- Gold Elite status
- 2x points on all purchases; 3x points on restaurants and flights; 6x points on Marriott/SPG purchases
Our Review:
This card is worthwhile for people who stay at SPG/Marriott properties frequently and can make use of all the benefits. It also may be worthwhile if you don’t have any other premium credit cards. A lot of benefits (Priority Pass, TSA PreCheck, etc.) overlap with benefits offered by other cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Given the overlap, we don’t recommend carrying both cards.
The American Express SPG Luxury Card signup bonus is decent, but not great. Compared to other cards with high annual fees (CSR, Amex Plat, etc.), the overall value of this signup bonus is lacking.
For budget travelers, this card is likely not the best option. For luxury travelers who enjoy Marriott/SPG properties, the card is worth picking up. Conde Naste Traveler calls this one of the best travel credit cards – we don’t quite agree with that, but it’s a solid card nonetheless!
What do you think of the SPG Luxury Card? Let us know in the comments!