SFGATE: New SPG Luxury card from Amex works for Marriott fanatics

New SPG Luxury card from Amex works for Marriott fanatics"
Published on August 30, 2018 at 03:42AM by Chris McGinnis, Ramsey Qubein

The rollout of the new Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Luxury card is a bright spot in the messy process of integrating Marriott Rewards with the SPG and Ritz-Carlton loyalty programs.

Until early 2019, all three programs will stick around (in name only) as a new name and branding are finalized. That means there is time to launch one more Starwood credit card, and this time, it's one of the high-end luxury options that piles on the benefits for a higher fee than others.

But, true frequent travelers, especially those who are Marriott Rewards loyalists, get benefits that more than pay for the fee.