It has been officially a month (February 28, 2010) since the MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest card has abruptly gone from my life. I would like to say a few words, if I may.
The MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest credit card and I met in.. oh, about 2006. When we first met, it was love at first sight. It had such class, such glamour. It was so shiny and well groomed, every time I pulled it out, the cashier would compliment how my SPG card looked so classy.
Although somewhat short lived, I had a really great couple of years with my MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest. It gave me many great experiences.
I remember staying in the Sheraton for $50 a night in Toronto and in Seattle, when it would normally cost $149 a night. I remember staying in Portland at the Westin for $50 a night, too.
The MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest credit card was also there for me when I went to Hawaii. It allowed me to stay in the Sheraton Princess for $50 a night and the Sheraton in Oahu for $100 a night. It really helped me keep our trip to Hawaii “budget”. We spent 10 blissful days in Hawaii for a really cheap price. We couldn’t have done it without the MBNA SPG card.
It was also there for me when I wanted to pay with points for a flight from Australia to Asia last year. I couldn’t have done it without the MBNA SPG credit card. What could have been a $1100 return flight turned into a $250 return flight. Thanks for just letting me just pay the flight taxes. You were great that way. Always looking out for me. Always helping me save money.
May you rest in peace MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest. I know that you were replaced with the MBNA Travel Rewards Elite card, which seems pretty good so far, but I think that it just won’t be the same without you.
I also know that you say your spirit has moved on to the American Express Starwood Preferred Guest credit card. I know you say that it has the same features that you already have, but better. But tell me, MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest, how can it compare to you when it costs $120 a year? I promised you that I will think about it… I don’t have an American Express card yet, but I still don’t like the idea of paying so much per year. I’ll think about it. I will miss you. Thanks for the great times.
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My deepest sympathy to you and yours… It’s always sad when we lose a love one like that, especial one that helped us so much in our daily lives.
Hopefully you’ll find a new love that treats you even better!
Very funny, great post!!!
.-= Money Reasons´s last blog ..MoneyReasons Weekly Cache 2010, Mar 28 =-.
Entertaing post! Sounded like a great deal!
.-= Financial Cents´s last blog ..My Morning Coffee Weekend Reading… =-.
I hate goodbyes…. haha, nice post. That sounds like possibly the best card I have ever heard of if you like to travel. Especially flight! $1100 to $250!! Now THATS amazing!
@Money Reasons thanks! I hope I find a credit card as special as the MBNA SPG one.. hopefully with time I will find something. Time always heals all wounds..=)
@Financial Cents Oh man, it was… it was! Nothing compares!
@myfinancialobjectives Seriously it really was the best card- if you transferred 20,000 points to an airlines, it would give you an EXTRA 5000 points to top up (is that a good deal, or what?)
Interesting and entertaining read. Credit cards are getting nasty with their fees. 39 bucks for a day late. No thanks.
.-= Daddy Paul´s last blog ..The best large cap funds =-.
@Daddy Paul- ew, $39 bucks a day? Yeah, forget about saving up for retirement, it’s most important to pay off consumer credit card debt, especially with their interest rates of 19%+! I must say, I pay down my credit card almost obsessively- even before the statement’s mailed out, I pay it off to avoid the said ‘late fees’ =)
Let me get my scissors and take care of those for you!
.-= Derek Clark´s last blog ..Never Loan Money To Friends and Family =-.
At first I thought this article was going to be about “cutting up your plastic” like so many other personal finance blogs!
I’m amazed at the perks you received from your MBNA travel card! Those are some killer discounts on hotels!
How much did you charge on your card to get the round trip ticket to Australia? I know with my current reward card, I’d probably need to spend over $100K!
.-= Debt Help´s last blog ..Boat Buying Tips =-.
@Debt Help Yup! It was a great card! To get the roundtrip ticket, you needed 60,000 points (which is about $60,000). I had some points already with that Frequent Fliers program and had to come up with another 25,000 points (which is about $20,000 spent on the card). Which card do you have right now?
MBNA cards have been good to me in the past as well; I think they offer a good assortment of products for the consumer.
Nice post.
.-= The Rat´s last blog ..Ten Motivational Tips To Achieve Your Personal Finance Objectives =-.
@The Rat Yeah, agree =) As long as you tell them to stop sending those pesky pre-approved cheques and automatically raising your credit limit…I’ve been happy ever since.
I’m totally shock and disappointed with the annual fee. I have called SPG more than once with minor concerns and they have given me the Gold status for a year. Previously $30,000 would have compensated me with 15,000 points. The Gold status doesn’t cost SPG anything. A month ago we stayed at the Imperial Palace for $25.00 a night not a Sheraton property but it worked. Now SPG executives do the math $120.00 annually, I’m paying for your free night. I just book the Walt Disney Dolphin; it took years to accumulate the points. If I had a $120.00 annual fee it would have been cheaper to stay at the Disney’s value resorts. Thank you and goodbye Starwood.
@Mark- Thanks for sharing your story. The $120 annual fee IS pretty steep. Though they promise to waive the first year’s annual fee, but you would have to make sure you cancel the card or switch to a no fee American Express on the anniversary date.
Great post. Couldn’t agree more!
[...] so kind to me and such a great tool and resource. For example, I found out about my beloved late Starwood Preferred Guest MBNA Mastercard there, my free Gucci glasses courtesy of Clearly Contacts, and I find out about the latest freebies [...]
[...] wrote an emotional eulogy a little more than a year ago when I had to say goodbye the the MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest credit card. It was an amazing card (seriously, it was amazing. So pretty to look at. Since its demise, [...]
Have I missed something? I actually do not think that the $120 fee is over the top if you can genuinely reduce a $149 hotel a night to $50: after all you would be in profit on the second night. Not that I would normally defend a credit card company, but this does not strike me as unfair.
@zoltan- That’s true.. however, if you don’t end up using your points in the YEAR and you use it the next year, you are still paying $149 for the first year and $149 for the second year. I guess it really depends on how fast one accumulates the points and how soon they use them.
[...] of you are familiar with the eulogy I wrote when my beloved MBNA Starwood Preferred Guest credit card came to an end at the end of February. I am so far quite happy with the replacement MBNA Travel Elite Rewards card (though [...]