Updated on December 14, 2023

8/11/15 Update: Publicly available SPG Amex 30K Offer

THE SKINNY

Unlike many offers circling the web that requires $5k spend, this post reveals a superior offer that only requires $3,000 spend (within the first 3 months) to score the 25,000 bonus Starpoints.  The best part is that this is not an affiliate link (aka I don’t get paid anything), but rather a Refer-A-Friend offer where there referring SPG Amex card-member earns a 5k referral bonus.

Note: You cannot get the bonus on the Business card if have or had it in the past 12 months.  For the Personal card, you cannot get it if you ever had it before. See the terms below.

GETTING THE OFFER (As an Applicant)

If you don't have friends who can refer you, feel free to leave a comment below with 1) your first name, 2) your email address and 3) whether you want the personal or the business version.  I will be happy to refer you.

REFERRAL INSTRUCTIONS  (for Current SPG Amex Cardholders)

• Go to SPG.com and log into your account on the top right
• Scroll down a bit and select this REFER A FRIEND banner on the right:

• Next page looks like the pic below.  Click either the right or left button depending on whether you have a personal or the business version of the SPG Amex.  Note: SPG Personal Amex cardholders cannot refer friends for the SPG Business Amex card (and same vice versa)

• Log into your Amex account and you should see the following bonus terms for friends you refer:

• Refer away!  Up to 11 friends for a total of 55,000 bonus SPG starpoints from referrals

CARD OFFER TERMS

Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card (Personal Card)

Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product.

25,000 Starpoints^®  To be eligible to earn 25,000 bonus Starpoints, you must use The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card to complete $3,000 of eligible spending by the end of your first 3 months of Card Membership, based on the date of your Card approval. Bonus points will appear on your Starwood Preferred Guest statement 8-12 weeks after you reach the spend threshold. Eligible purchases can be made by the Basic Card Member and any Additional Card Members on a single Card account. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. In rare instances, your period to spend $3,000 may be shorter than 3 months if there is a delay in receiving your Card. Also, purchases may fall outside of the 3 month period in some cases, such as a delay in merchants submitting transactions to us or if the purchase date differs from the date you made the transaction. (For example, if you buy goods online, the purchase date may be the date the goods are shipped). For questions regarding your Card account, please call the number on the back of your Card. American Express reserves the right to modify or revoke offer at any time.

Starwood Preferred Guest^® Business Credit Card

Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have or have had this product within the last 12 months.

25,000 Starpoints^® To be eligible to earn 25,000 bonus Starpoints, you must use The Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card to complete $3,000 of eligible spending by the end of your first 3 months of Card Membership, based on the date of your Card approval. Bonus points will appear on your Starwood Preferred Guest statement 8–12 weeks after you reach the spend threshold. Eligible purchases can be made by the Basic Card Member and any Additional Card Members on a single Card account. Eligible purchases are purchases for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, or purchases of other cash equivalents. In rare instances, your period to spend $3,000 may be shorter than 3 months if there is a delay in receiving your Card. Also, purchases may fall outside of the 3 month period in some cases, such as a delay in merchants submitting transactions to us or if the purchase date differs from the date you made the transaction. (For example, if you buy goods online, the purchase date may be the date the goods are shipped). For questions regarding your Card account, please call the number on the back of your Card. If your application is not approved by 11/1/2016 because it is incomplete or in pending status, you will not be eligible for the 25,000 bonus Starpoints offer even if your application is subsequently approved. American Express reserves the right to modify or revoke offer at any time.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

If you were a previous SPG Business Amex cardholder, there must be a 12 month grace period from your cancellation date or else you will not be eligible for the 25k bonus.  If you were a previous SPG Personal Amex cardholder, you do not qualify for the 25k bonus – Amex recently revised its signup bonus rules for the worst for personal cards only (once per lifetime).

Another reason you may want to hold off is the potential that Amex may increase the signup bonus from 25k to 30k.  In the event this happens, I have found Amex to be quite agreeable to match the increased offer – but you may not want to risk it.