AMEX SPG Personal Card With 30,000 Points Bonus

One of the few cards that I consistently use and keep despite having a $65 annual fee is the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest card. SPG points have some of the highest award nights redemption value out there, in addition to the dozens of airline frequent flyer programs that you can transfer into. Even better, when transferring into an airline program, SPG will give you a 25% bonus when you transfer 20,000 points - meaning 20,000 points becomes 25,000 miles when the transfer ratio is 1:1. Not all airline miles transfer at that ratio however, an example being United where the ratio is a measly 2:1. Regardless, this is an extremely versatile card that any miles junkie should have at their disposal.

Last summer, AMEX had an amazing bonus offer of 30,000 points upon spending $1000 within the first three months of card membership. Some were expecting this offer to come back this year, and indeed it has - although the spending threshold has gone up significantly. 10,000 bonus points will now be awarded when you make your first purchase within one year of card approval. The remaining 20,000 points will be awarded after you spend $4500 within the first three months of card membership. The bonus points are only for new cardmembers and will be deposited within 8-12 weeks after the spend threshold has been met. The annual fee of $65 is waived for the first year.

Finally, this offer seems to be only available via a referral from an existing cardholder who receives the specific email offer. I received this email tonight and can refer anyone that is interested - just email me at <milesglu@gmail.com> your first and last name as well as your email address. Full disclosure: as the referrer, I will receive 5,000 points for every approved application.

(EDIT: The general link for everyone is up now! Same offer - 10,000 points after your first purchase and 20,000 additional points after spending $4,500 within your first three months of cardmembership. Although I would definitely still be glad to refer anyone who is interested :))