American Express Starwood BIG BONUS IS HERE! 30,000 Points!

I’ve been waiting months for this big sign up bonus from American Express Starwood Preferred Guest…30,000 points! If you have been thinking about getting this card, I’ve never seen a bonus offer bigger than this so now is the time to jump on it. If you don’t know about the great advantages and the bonus of this card read about how to fly free and get free hotel stays sooner.

If you are an existing American Express Starwood Preferred Guest cardholder you can refer as many friends as you would like and get 5,000 points for each person who is approved for the card. Just log into your Amex account (not your SPG account) and follow the instructions for referring a friend. When your friends get the email, they will get the 30,000 points offer and can follow the link and apply online. (They MUST follow the link in the email invitation for you to get the referral points.)

If you do not know an existing cardholder and want to apply for the deal, there are numerous links online from American Express directly or from travel credit card gurus like ThePointsGuy, MillionMileSecrets and FlyerTalk, to name a few. (Or even better, send me an email at info@cheaptrickstotravel.com and I will be happy to refer you.)

Here is the offer that I got via email today…referred to me by my husband who will get 5,000 points for referring me!!

Apply today and for a limited time, you can earn up to 30,000 bonus Starpoints — enough for 7 Free Nights¹at the The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta or any other Category 2 hotel.

• Earn 10,000 bonus Starpoints with your first purchase on the Card²
• Earn 20,000 bonus Starpoints when you spend $5,000 in the first six months on the Card.³

As a Cardmember you can:

• Earn up to 5 Starpoints on stays at hotels and resorts participating in the SPG program.⁴
• Redeem Starpoints at over 1,000 participating hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries and for flights on more than 350 airlines with SPG flights, all with no blackout dates.⁵
• Receive credit for 5 nights and 2 stays toward SPG elite status each year.⁶
• Enjoy an introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year — then $65.⁷

Don’t miss out on this limited time offer to earn up to 30,000 bonus Starpoints. This offer expires September 4, 2012 so apply today.^{8 More terms and conditions are listed in the email.}

Here’s What I LOVE About the Starwood AMEX

There are several great things about the Starwood American Express card–

• You can transfer 20,000 points to a frequent flier account with more than 30 airline partners, like American Airlines, Delta, British Airways, etc, and get 5,000 bonus miles. (This is not my favorite use of the card but if you really need to fly then this is a great way to get some bonus miles just by transferring points into miles.)
  
• Stay at extremely reduced rates at Starwood properties around the world using “Cash & Points.” C&P is a great way to stretch your points and stay in luxurious hotels for a fraction of the standard rate. For example, we stayed at the Westin in Kuala Lumpur for 2800 points and $45 per night instead of $170 per night. A reader of this blog said she stayed in Bali for 4,000 points and $90 per night instead of $500 per night–now that’s a great use of C&P!
  
• Stay for free with points only. If you are short on money and long on points, you can use points for free stays at Starwood properties around the world. We stayed at the FourPoints Sheraton in NYC for 10,000 points per night when the regular rate was $350. And, If you stay 4 nights with points only you get the 5th night free!

During our around-the-world trip, Starwood points were a lifesaver to our budget in ultra-expensive locations like Sydney, Australia and NYC. We used cash & points for 21 nights on the trip to inject a little luxury into our otherwise budget travels. Now is the best time to take advantage of a terrific bonus point opportunity to stretch your travel budget as far as possible!