On August 11, there will be few changes for the American Express Starwood cards.
4 new benefits will be added, 3 to both the personal and business cards and 1 to only the business. But they will also be upping the annual fee to $95, from the current $65 a year (it will still have a $0 intro annual fee for the first year).
The new benefits that are going to added to the card are,
• No Foreign Transaction Fees – All Starwood cardholders will no-longer be charged the 2.7% foreign transaction fee when making purchases abroad.
• Free unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi – All Starwood cardholders will get free access to over a million hotspots worldwide (includes many airports) with the Boingo American Express Preferred Plan.
• Free premium in-room internet – All Starwood cardholders will get free premium in-room internet, which is faster than the regular in-room internet service they provide.
• Access to Sheraton Club Lounges – Starwood Business cardholders will get free access to Sheraton Club Lounges which offer free snacks, drinks and more.
In my opinion it was only a matter of time before the Annual fee went up for the Starwood cards as the banks are renegotiating their contracts with the hotels and airlines (it was the cheapest between the co-branded airline and hotel cards), so I am thankful there are some benefits added as well. Plus with all the other benefits I get with the American Express Starwood cards, like Small business Saturday, the Amex Sync offers (like the Amazon, Sams Club, and etc), the 5,000 point bonus when you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to a participating frequent flyer program, its still worth the Annual fee.
