If you’ve ever considered opening up a Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, now’s the time to do it. Through August 22, new Cardmembers immediately receive 10,000 Starpoints to redeem at more than 1,000 Starwood hotels and resorts around the world or to transfer to any of 30 different frequent flyer programs on major airlines. More goodness: If you spend $4,500 on the card in the first 3 months, you’ll earn 20,000 more Starpoints, and, for the first year, the annual fee is $0. After that, you’ll pay just $65/year and you’ll earn Starpoints for every dollar you charge to the card.
While I’m not a Starwood Preferred Guest AMEX Cardmember, I know a lot of frequent travelers who are. For example, Conde Nast Traveler editor Wendy Perrin raves about the card’s perks in her Perrin Post dispatches and magazine columns. In the July 2011 issue of the print magazine, the consumer news editor says that the SPG card is especially helpful because Cardmembers can use points to book Starwood properties — including the Westin, Sheraton and St. Regis brands — with no blackout dates.
I like that you can start enjoying free accommodations with just 2,000 Starpoints. Starwood hotels are rated in different categories from 1 to 7. With 2,000 points, stay for free on a Saturday night at a Category 1 hotel, such as North Carolina’s Four Points by Sheraton Charlotte. With 10,000 points, book a room at the Category 4 Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba. With 100,000 points, consider an entire long weekend at the luxurious St. Regis Rome, a Category 6 hotel.
The Starpoints redemption options are incredibly flexible when it comes to hotel stays. Use a bunch of points at a more moderate property in suburbia and stay for a week, or go big and blow them all on one weekend at a fancy urban locale. Or, spend just some of your points on a room upgrade, a suite upgrade, 50% off rack rates or a cash/points combo.
Really, there are so many ways to redeem SPG points, even outside of hotel stays. You can transfer Starpoints to 30 different frequent flyer programs that cover 350 different airlines. Use points to purchase restaurant gift cards, movie tickets even shop on Amazon.com.
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Redeem Starpoints at more than 1,000 hotels worldwide, including Colorado's Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek.
As if this limited-time offer to become a Starwood Preferred Guest AMEX cardmember isn’t enough (remember, you can earn 30,000 Starpoints just by applying now and using the card to make everyday purchases), American Express has partnered with The Vacation Gals to give away 100,000 Starpoints to one lucky reader!
That’s right,with the Starwood Preferred Guest Card Starpoint Travel Experience Giveaway, all you need to do is tell me in the comments how you would redeem your Starpoints. For example, with a whopping 100,000 points, you might be able to take an Amtrak train (yes, Amtrak is a redemption option) from Boston to New York City, book a weekend stay at a Times Square hotel and see a Broadway show — all on your points!
That’s just one example. You might also use your points toward a plane ticket to Paris… a Hawaii resort stay with your family… a weekend away to visit your child who just went off to college… or to pay for accommodations at that annual conference you’ve long wanted to attend.
For inspiration, here’s the directory of worldwide hotels for which you can use Starpoints, and a list of other ways you can use your points (check out, in particular, the “Redeem with Partners” option – iTunes, Gap, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Williams-Sonoma… heck, with the winter holidays looming, you could always spend points on gifts, in addition to enjoying some fabulous travel perks).
You may comment below with your plans for 100,000 Starpoints once daily through Wednesday, August 24, 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. I will select a random comment number via random.org and announce the winner that evening. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only; immediate family members of The Vacation Gals may not enter. The winner will be enrolled in the SPG Rewards program to receive the 100,000 Starpoints; he or she will not receive (nor need to apply for) a Starwood Preferred Guest AMEX Credit Card.
Good luck! And remember, if you’d like to take advantage of the limited-time offer to new SPG Cardmembers, apply now through August 22. (Note: This offer is only available to new Cardmembers; if you’re already an AMEX Cardmember, the bonus points at sign-up don’t apply.)
UPDATED TO ADD: When you comment, please make sure you are not replying to an existing comment. Those get labeled with 201.5, 201.6 comment numbers. I cannot enter “decimals” into random.org, so you need to create a NEW comment with a whole number comment number to be entered.
Disclosure: I will receive 100,000 Starpoints in exchange for working with American Express to promote the Starwood Preferred Guest Card Starpoint Travel Experience Giveaway.
London to see the “Games” next year!
Travel across Canada on a train ride.
Stay at Monte Carlo and drive the famous rode shown in the movie.
Fly to Hawaii and stay on the Big Island!
St Johns Island would be a lovely place to go back to with my family.
I’d like to visit New Zealand and see the places the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.
I would love to take a trip down the Amazon River….
Transfer to AA to make LTG.
Hawaii for a third honeymoon!
Travel through Europe next summer.
I would give my friends a vacation who just had their second baby!
I would transfer them to Delta miles and book some international tickets.
Would love to bring my family to Hawaii for a week long vacation when Boston is covered in snow!
We are thinking about taking a trip. These Starwood miles would cover at least part of the hotel stay, if not all of it
anywhere starwood is great!
Spain!
Pacific Northwest including Canada still the tops.
I would go to Santorini, Greece for my honeymoon
I would tour Tuscany
I would go to Barcelona and Nice
i would use the points to go to the bahamas!
Use points to spend Friday nights at the ‘Aloft Austin at The Domain’ while building a new house in Austin. (Use our 100k of SWA point to fly back and forth…)
Will go to Hawaii
Love to go to Europe
i would exchange for hawaiian miles
I’d use my points to help get my wife and me an anniversary trip to Florence and Paris! They’d go a long way toward some great stays I’d never otherwise be able to make (St. Regis Florence, perhaps?). Thanks so much for the promotion!
Really want to take a trip so I will xfer the miles to US Airways.
Maybe I will go to Moana Surfrider. Now, maybe Westin Rome??
I would go transfer to airline miles, fly to Hawaii, AND stay at the Royal Hawaiian!
I’d take a roomette on the Amtrak Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Random number generator magnet ***************
Hope to get miles and transfer to AA to get lifetime status.
Would love to travel to any of the many different places on my bucket list
Want to fly someplace warm durng the cold months!
Pick me please! Pick me please!
I’d like to use them for an awesome resort hotel on upcoming trip to Asia
I would probably use them for a trip to Hawaii!
Birthday in a few days – would be a wonderful present!
Lots of time exploring the cities of Europe!
I’d love to take my family to Eroupe next summer
my point will go toward lodging
Re-entry for the last day
I just signed up for my Starwood Card and loving it. Along with the 30,000 bonus, I would use the 100,000 points to take a trip with my girlfriend to Peru. I’ve been absolutely dying to hike Machu Picchu. 60,000 points would be enough AAdvantage miles for two tickets, with enough leftover to relax at a Starwood property in Lima before going home
my points would go toward Amazon purchases
i’d go to australia!
I’d go to Greece and enjoy some sand and surf!
Thanks for the great contest!
bahjeep@aol.com
Would take the family to Italy!
I would live it up in Croatia.
Great contest, looking forward to winning a stay in Hawaii.
I’m ready for a vacation anywhere there is a Starwood resort.
Ireland…green and peaceful.
Room at the St. Regis, Kauai !
Here today, gone to Maui…
Singapore!
I’d use the points for a stay in NYC!
Will go to Monaco!
I would use my StarPoints to stay at the Sheraton in Dallas!
brandi.westmoreland(at)gmail(dot)com
Moscow!
Japan and Korea!!!
I would fly to NJ and stay the weekend to see a sporting event. I couldn’t afford the hotel stay let alone the plane flight, so this would be great!
I would love to take a trip to NYC. See some Broadway shows, do some shopping and dine at some great eateries. And of course, stay at a wonderful SPG hotel with the 100k SPG points!
A whole lot of spa treatments
Hawaii!
Nights and Flights to the Caribbean!
I’ve always wanted to go to Greece!
I’d take a tour of Europe, starting in Paris!
I travel often but haven’t taken a vacation of more than a weekend in the past decade. My Wife and I really need to get away from it all. I mean really far away away from it all. Therefore, I’d use the 100K points to book a week or more at the:
The Grand Mauritian Resort & Spa, Mauritius
Great reviews and enough time zones away from New York City that I can really leave work behind.
thanks for the opportunity to dream….
I would use the points toward a Europe trip to celebrate getting my doctorate!!
Today I am thinking foreign travel might be the best use of these points. This could put Europe into my family’s vacation plans!
Greece! I would take my wife to explore the dazzling cliffs, island hop, and soak up some Mediterranean rays all while being spoiled at one of the fabulous category 6 and 7 Starwood properties..
Would use this to go to Asia. Thanks!
I would take a trup to Paris!
Would love to take a tropical vacation with my husband one more time.
LuckyTJG at cs dot com
I would use them for a trip to Paris and London!
with 100k points i’d go to spain. thanks for the sweepstakes!
airfare to Italy!
I’d like to take my mother to Hawaii, she’s never been. Thanks for the sweepstakes.
I would transfer 80,000 of those points into airline miles, yielding 100,000 miles with the transfer bonus. That number of miles would allow my wife to join me on a business class roundtrip to Europe, and the remaining Starpoints will pay for a couple of free nights at a Starwood Category 4 hotel – or 5 nights if we pay a mere $60 USD per night under the Cash and Points option. Woo-hoo! Excellent value.
I think I would probably use them for a trip to NYC!
Travel to Hong Kong and Asia.
I would use the points to travel to the East Coast to visit some colleges with my daughter.
I would donate to charity!
Greece would be my choice.
India, for sure.
I would really enjoy a skiing vacation in Colorado.
Woohoo, last day to dream up my dream vacation.. Im still going to rely on some advice from the VACATION GALS to help my choose which trip I should do! The bday girls/family trip to Hawaii (me 30, sister 40, mom 60 in 2012), or a trip with my hubby to South Africa or Tailand!? “Boarding a plane and being able to get half way around the world makes the world seem so small, its all the opportunities and possibilities that excite me!” me.
Thanks again for running the contest!
Viva Italia -staying at the St. Regis in Rome to toss a few coins in the Trevi Fountain and slurp up the best Pasta Carbonara.
Napa wine tour with stay at Westin Napa
Do grand tour of China with Stays at W Beijing, St. Regis Shanghai, and W Hong Kong.
Fly to Hawaii! Relax in Maui.
Go on a tour of asia and stay at all the great (points cheap!) starwood hotels there.
I would use the starpoints so my husband and i could take our dream honeymoon trip on our first anniversary- which we’ve wanted to do and put off since we’ve gotten married.
Scuba diving is a big dream of ours – and we’d love to hit the great barrier reef, spend a few days in Sydney and then fly to Fiji for the ultimate romantic getaway- and we could do this all with starpoints! Cash and points, flights and nights – 100,000 starpoints makes it possible.
I’d go back to Hawaii where we spent our honeymoon 27 years ago!
I would take my wife to Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island!
I’d try to visit all the American Idol tryout locations!
Another idea for using Starwood points that appeals to me is a trip to Italy. I have been to many parts of Europe, but never to Italy. I would love to spend some time on a food vacation throughout the country. Staying here and there using Starwood points. I would probably stick to the lower tiered option hotels to be able to stretch out my vacation as long as possible. It would take a bit of planning and saving, but would be worth the wait.
I would love to go to Kaui and stay at the St. Regis.
I’ll go to Asia, Tokyo and Seoul.
Would love to use them for NYC hotels.
After seeing Hangover 2, Thailand!!
so many possibilities – I’d spend the 100k miles on a trip to India!