Basic background
This card is used as a hotel’s joint credit card, and the points earned by the card will be directly accumulated into the corresponding SPG account. If you do not have an SPG account, you can apply directly on the official website. The advantage of being a new member of SPG is that a high probability will receive a new offer in the first two months (for example, staying for 4,500/7,500 SPG points or one free room coupon)
Consumption return
If you don’t consider the AE cards in Canada (which is not accepted in many small-volume consumption), this card is especially suitable for those who use “one card flow”. Many people ask the question “What is the best credit card in Canada”? It is nothing more than asking which card has the highest rate of return without brain brush – then it is the card.
This card can accumulate 1 Starpoint (or SPG points) for every $1 spent on daily consumption. If you spend at Marriott Starwood brand hotels, you will have double returns. Considering the current high value of SPG points (I estimate at least 3 cents per Starpoint value), this card has an average return of at least 3%.
Point value
For any credit card of the credit , I don’t think it makes sense to consider the consumer return separately but not to analyze the value of the credit. The point value of different people is bound to be high or low. Here I will briefly mention some usages of the highest value of SPG points. It is important to realize that SPG points and Marriott and Ritz-Carlton scores can be converted to each other in a 1:3 ratio without loss, while SPG points can be converted to most mainstream air miles.
After 9W Starpoints, convert to 27W Marriott Points in a 1:3 ratio, and redeem the 7-Day Marriott Hotel room voucher and airline miles (120,000+Bonus part) of category 1-5 – commonly known as “The Marriott Gift Pack.” This is currently accepted as a method of maximizing the value of SPG points. Of course, the better part is that this 7-day room voucher and air miles can be sold out. The current market price of 7-day room voucher is generally above $500, and the value of air class is because of the airline you choose. The actual mileage will be slightly different. In general, the value of direct sales is almost 13,000 RMB+. With such a simple calculation, the value of every 10,000 SPG points is also more than 1800 RMB.
2. It is NOT difficult to get enough 9W Starpoints. Imagine that you can open American Personal Platinum Card, Commercial Platinum Card, Personal SPG Card, and Commercial SPG Card for a total of 30,000 SPG (60,000 MR), 37,500 SPG (75,000 MR), 20,000 SPG, 20,000 SPG. Already have more than one Marriott gift package, and your annual fee is 499+399+120+150 CAD=1168 CAD. Many people look at the annual fee and stop, but do not know the maximum value of the points after the return is stable and far beyond the annual fee!
3. In addition to the BUG-like redemption method, SPG points have a simple but practical conversion method: in most cases, every 20,000 SPG points can be converted to 25,000 corresponding air miles. This method of using points is suitable for people who do not have too many SPG points and who need temporary air miles at the same time. The picture below shows all of SPG’s aviation turnkey partners.
4. For hotel point, the most essential usage is to redeem the hotel directly. To put it simply, if SPG points are to be redeemed for a hotel, I recommend switching to Marriott Points before redeeming to Marriott.
5. In addition, there is a redemption option like SPG Moments: use certain SPG points to redeem concerts, tickets for sports events, and more. There are many choices in this section. If you happen to catch up with the activities you are interested in, you may wish to compare the required points and the actual market value to decide whether to redeem. This redemption can be viewed directly at this URL.
Equity and insurance
This card is a high-reward credit card, and the insurance component is actually enough to meet daily needs. I personally feel that the necessary delay insurance (individual or baggage delay), extended warranty, and car rental insurance are covered, basically in line with the AE Gold Rewards of $150 annual fee and Visa Infinite of the five major banks that are consistent with the $120 annual fee. In particular, the AE series of car rental insurance covers 85,000 MRSP cars, while the five majors only guarantee 60,000 MRSP cars, so I always use AE issued cards to pay for the car rental.
In terms of equity, this card has two highlights, which need to be “activated” by satisfying a certain amount of consumption:
1) You can get an SPG Gold Card for $30,000 in the calendar year, which is equivalent to the Marriott Gold Card. If you don’t have AE Platinum and want to get a premium member of the hotel quickly, this is a good choice.
2) Spend $40,000 in the calendar year to get a SPG hotel global free coupon for Level 1-4. Only this one is enough to return the annual fee…
Comprehensive review
Overall, this card is still standing today after a series of rumors that it is about to exit the market in 2017, and there is a high probability that it will continue to exist in 2019 or even in the future (but it is likely to change its face). In terms of consumer return, this card is still the first Canadian card. You need to have some research on SPG’s hotel points.
For friends who do not have this card, apply it as soon as possible. For friends who already have this card, I also recommend not to cancel it too early.