Starwood Business Card Review

The Starwood Business Card is a rewards credit card designed for business owners who routinely choose to stay at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and want to earn points on Starwood and everyday purchases. There is currently a signup bonus available to new card members. There is an annual membership fee of $95 which is waived for the first year. It is issued by American Express.

This hotel group consists of more than 1,200 hotels in nearly 100 countries. It includes:

  • W Hotels (73 properties worldwide)
  • Regis (51 luxury hotels and resorts around the world)
  • Le Meridien (129 global destinations)
  • The Luxury Collection (101 hotels and resorts worldwide)
  • Sheraton Hotels and Resorts (521 global locations)
  • Four Points by Sheraton (290 locations around the world)
  • Aloft Hotels (50 properties in the U.S. and Canada)
  • Westin (250 worldwide properties)
  • Element by Westin (39 worldwide locations)

For a limited time, new cardholders have the opportunity to earn 30,000 bonus Starpoints upon approval. Note: All applications must be approved by 9/14/2015 to be eligible to receive the bonus offer. To earn the bonus Starpoints, you must have at least $5,000 net transactions within the first 3 months of membership, based on the date of your card approval. Fees, interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases of traveler’s checks or foreign currency, as well as reloading of prepaid cards do not count as purchases. Important: this welcome bonus offer is not available to applicants who currently have or have had this card within the last 12 months.

There is no introductory APR offered at this time on purchases. Your specific APR (variable based on the Prime Rate) will be 15.24%, 17.24%, or 19.24% depending on your creditworthiness at the time of approval.

Balance transfers are not offered with the Starwood Business Card.

Account holders earn Starpoints at the following rates:

  • Two Starpoints for every eligible dollar spent on the card at any participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts
  • One Starpoint for every eligible dollar spent on all other purchases

The Starwood Business Card gives card members the opportunity to quickly earn Starpoints. Depending on your status as a Starwood Preferred Guest participant, it is possible to earn up to five Starpoints for every eligible dollar spent on the card at any participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts property.

Cardholders are eligible for free flights on more than 150 airlines with no blackout dates. Starpoints can also be transferred to 30 airline frequent flyer programs giving card members greater flexibility when booking their travel plans. You can also earn an additional 5,000 Starpoints bonus when you transfer 20,000 points to a participating airline frequent flyer program.

For as little as 2,000 – 3,000 Starpoints, members can earn one free night at a Category 1 hotel. For 3,000 – 4,000 Starpoints, members can earn one free night at a Category 2 hotel. A Category 7 hotel requires 30,000 – 35,000 Starpoints for a free night award. Specific hotels and categories can be found on the Starwood Hotels & Resorts website.   Note: Some hotels and resorts have mandatory service charges.

Other benefits of the Starwood Business Card include:

  • Free in-room premium Internet access (booking requirements apply)
  • Complimentary, unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi on up to four devices at more than a million Boingo hotspots worldwide (enrollment required)
  • Complimentary access to the Sheraton Club lounge (booking requirements apply)
  • Credit for 5 nights and 2 stays towards SPG elite status each year

In addition, cardholders receive these benefits from American Express:

  • Purchase Protection
  • Global Assist Hotline
  • Roadside Assistance Hotline
  • Extended Warranty

Restrictions and exclusions may apply to any or all of these benefits.

Card members are not charged foreign transaction fees when using the card outside of the U.S.

Cardholders are charged an annual fee of $95 (waived for the first year).

The Facts

Here we have broken down the facts of the Starwood Business Card to help you determine if it’s the right card for you.

The Good:

Signup bonus:

New account holders can earn up to 30,000 bonus Starpoints when they are approved for the card. To qualify for this offer you must make at least $5,000 in eligible purchases during the first three months that your account is active. Note: This is a limited time offer. Your application must be approved by 9/14/2015 to qualify for this welcome bonus offer. Additionally, current card holders (and anyone having this card within the last 12 months) are not eligible to receive the 30,000 bonus Starpoints.

Bonus points for Starwood Preferred Guest members:

Depending on your Starwood Preferred Guest status, it is possible to earn up to five Starpoints per eligible dollar spent at any participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts property.

Easy to earn points:

Account holders earn Starpoints at the following rates:

  • Two Starpoints for every eligible dollar spent on the card at any participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts
  • One Starpoint for every eligible dollar spent on all other purchases

Simple to redeem points:

Points can be redeemed for free nights at any participating Starwood Hotel and Resort property as well as for free flights on over 150 airlines. Plus, there are no blackout dates.

Additional card member benefits:

  • Free in-room premium Internet access (booking requirements apply)
  • Complimentary, unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi on up to four devices at more than a million Boingo hotspots worldwide (enrollment required)
  • Complimentary access to the Sheraton Club lounge (booking requirements apply)
  • Credit for 5 nights and 2 stays towards SPG elite status each year

American Express benefits:

Cardholders receive these benefits from American Express:

  • Purchase Protection
  • Global Assist Hotline
  • Roadside Assistance Hotline
  • Extended Warranty

No foreign transaction fees:

Members are not charged foreign transaction fees when using the card while traveling outside of the U.S.

The Bad:

Variable APR:

American Express determines the annual percentage rate (APR) at the time of approval. Rates are variable and based on Prime. Your specific rate will be 15.24%, 17.24%, or 19.24% depending on your creditworthiness.

Annual fee:

The first year is waived but thereafter members are charged $95 annually.

The Ugly:

Limited time signup bonus:

To be eligible to receive 30,000 bonus Starpoints your application must be approved by 9/14/2015. There is also a hefty spending requirement of at least $5,000 within the first three months that your account is active.

To summarize, the Starwood Business Card does offer frequent business travelers a high rate of return when redeemed for hotel stays – around 2.4 cents per point. Many other travel credit cards only deliver a value of one cent per point. This card also allows you to transfer points to your choice of more than 30 airline frequent flyer programs.

American Express has just recently eliminated foreign transaction fees for the card which is a solid benefit. However, be aware that American Express cards are not as widely accepted overseas (especially at restaurants and smaller retailers) so it may not be the ideal option for international travel.