For 2013 are you considering the Starwood American Express credit card? Here's how to get the best signup offer AND maximize your rewards to their full potential.

There are several hotel credit cards on the market, so how does this one stack up against the competition? Well take a look for yourself…

AmEx Starwood compared to other credit cards

The ultimate frequent flyer credit card?
You can clearly see why so many people consider the AmEx Starwood to be the best hotel rewards card... because it's also the most versatile card out there for airline miles!

You can use your points for both Starwood hotel stays as well as airfare. The biggest problem with airline cards is that your miles are only good on one airline. Sometimes they allow you to transfer, but usually you get penalized for doing so.

With the Starwood American Express card, you can transfer points almost always on a 1 for 1 basis to over 30 airlines. Examples include Delta, American Airlines, JetBlue, US Airways, Aeroplan/Air Canada, and about two dozen others!

This is a very special benefit. In fact to the best of my knowledge, it’s the only credit card in existence that lets you do that. Even the Membership Rewards program which is offered on other AmEx cards only let’s you transfer to around a dozen airline programs, not 30 like this card!

Starwood American Express points
Known as Starpoints, you earn them on all your card’s spending. For purchases, you earn 1 Starpoint per dollar on every purchase made. For spending at their properties, the amount of points you earn depends on your Starwood Preferred Guest tier:
Starwood Preferred Guest
This is the base tier for those new to the Preferred Guest program. At their properties you will earn a total of 4 points per dollar; 2 as an SPG member plus 2 for having this card.

Gold Starwood Preferred Guest
You automatically reach this tier if you have 10 stays (or 25 nights) at Starwood hotels in a calendar year. Alternately, you will automatically get upgraded to this Gold tier if you spend at least $30,000 per year on your Starwood American Express. Either way, once you reach the gold level, you will earn a total of 5 points per dollar spent at Starwood properties.

Platinum Starwood Preferred Guest
This level is reached if you have 25 stays (or 50 nights) at Starwood hotels in a calendar year. The tier also gives you 5 points per dollar spent at Starwood properties (same as the Gold).
Starwood now has over 1,100 hotels and resorts. Their major brands include W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridian, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection (which consists of over 90 unique properties).

Starwood American Express benefits
This credit card also comes with a variety of free benefits from American Express:
  • Extended Warranty: How often have you had a computer or TV go bad right after the warranty expired? On eligible purchases American Express will double the original manufacturer warranties, up to one extra year.
  • Purchase Protection Plan: With this valuable benefit, AmEx will cover eligible purchases against accidental damage for 90 days from purchase.
  • Travel Protection: AmEx is known for their exception travel services, which includes car rental collision coverage, $100k travel accident insurance for eligible common carrier, and more.
  • Return Protection Plan: What happens if the store doesn’t take returns or you lost your receipt? No worries, because in this situation American Express will refund you for eligible purchases.
The best signup offer available in 2013: