If you are a Starwood Preferred Guest member, you know what awesome deals you can get. Just by being a SPG member, you can get exclusive deals on hotels and resorts around the world. Starwood Preferred Guest has been known for having the industry’s best redemption program. That means, it is a lot easier for you to accumulate points and use them than any other program. SPG prides itself on having no blackout dates, fast point accumulation and access to luxury hotels. Those who travel frequently have come to recognize and appreciate all that SPG has to offer. But, the Starwood Preferred Guest progam just got a lot better with SPG® Flights.

Starwood is now offering SPG® Flights, the first and only hotel loyalty program to offer a flight reward program as well. You can now use your Starpoints to book airline tickets with many different airlines. There are hundreds of airlines around the world to choose from. There are no blackout dates either. Whether you want to fly on a holiday or decide to get out of town for a last-minute getaway, you can cash in your Starpoints to get you there. You don’t have to worry about restrictions or fees. As long as there is a seat available for purchase, you can use your Starpoints to reserve it.

Flights start at 10,000 points. Just go to www.spg.com/flights to search, book and redeem your Starpoints for your next airline ticket. It’s that simple. SPG has really thought of eveything to get your where you want to go without any hassles, restrictions or fees. Use SPG Flights in conjunction with SPG Award Nights and you can get your next getaway for free.

Go ahead and set your own limits. Fly around the world without any boundaries. Stay anywhere around the world without any limitations. Your Starpoints can definitely get you there. Take advantage of Starwood Preferred Guest’s Search-Redeem-Fly program. You’ll soon understand how it feels to be on top of the world.

If you are an American Express Gold Card member, your card membership just got even more valuable. American Express and Starwood Hotels have announced an added bonus for all Gold Card members. Gold Card members will receive a $75 credit towards food and beverages at over 500 Starwood Hotel properties when they book two consecutive nights. The over 500 Starwood properties include four prestigious Starwood Hotel brands: W Hotels, Westin Hotels & resorts, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts.

The food and beverage credit is available through the Gold Card Destinations program, a program that provides additional travel privileges and benefits to American Express Gold Card members at no additional cost. This new benefit is the latest addition to the Gold Card Destinations program, which includes several offers valued at $100-$150 on virtually any trip offered through American Express Gold Card Destinations travel partners. Card members also have access to a variety of exclusive, unique travel and entertainment experiences through www.americanexpress.com/goldtravel.

Other benefits Card members can enjoy through the Gold Card Destinations program include upgraded experiences and valuable extras like a $100 credit towards lift tickets at Ski.com with qualifying vacations, a $100 American Express Gift Cheque from American Express Vacations and more. The Gold Card Destinations program also offers new monthly vacation packages that may offer a $100 gift cheque to be used on shopping or other experiences and additional value-added offers on qualifying vacations. Visit the Gold Card Destinations website for details and a list of the available offers exclusively for Gold Card members only.

Very few other credit cards available provide the level of customer service or exclusive privileges as the American Express Platinum credit card. This personal use credit card from American Express offers cardholders access to the finest dining, entertainment and travel experiences available. Cardholders also receive points on purchases through the Membership Rewards FirstSM program.

American Express’s Membership Rewards FirstSM program is the highest level of rewards available. This program is American Express’s top rewards program that lets you enjoy unprecedented access and one-of-a-kind travel experiences through top partners. Each purchase you make earns points that can be redeemed for any type of travel expenses with no blackout dates. Cardholders of the American Express Platinum can also redeem points for dining, entertainment, shopping and more. The card features access to 24-hour Platinum Card® Concierge services from American Express. The concierge service can plan birthday parties, special events, travel and more for you with just a phone call.

Card Highlights

• Earn 25,000 Membership Rewards® bonus points when you spend $1,000 - Redeemable for one round-trip domestic airline ticket!
• No Pre-set Spending Limit
• 24-hour access to Concierge service for the finest experiences in dining, entertainment, and luxury
• Fine Hotels & Resorts Program — exclusive amenities at boutique, resort, and luxury hotels around the world
• By Invitation Only® Events — access to exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime events
• Complimentary Airport Club Access
• The Membership Rewards First® program - Enjoy exclusive access to rewards and experiences featuring luxury retail, lifestyle, and world-class travel

Card Benefits

• Airport Club Access Program - American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta and Northwest Airlines
• Fine Hotels & Resorts Program
• Starwood Preferred Guest Program
• Platinum Card Concierge
• Platinum Diing & Shopping
• Lots More

As a cardholder of the Platinum American Express card, you can also enjoy premium platinum card benefits and protection. Never worry with a worldwide assistance hot-line, travel insurance, fraud and purchase protection and more. If you ever lose your card and need a replacement, contact American Express and they’ll replace it within 24 hours worldwide. You can also manage your account online and receive a year-end summary to better manage charges.

New approved applicants receive a 25,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $1,000 by 5/31/2008 - good for one domestic round-trip airline ticket. There is an annual fee of $450 with the card and additional cards are also subject to an annual fee. To access more information or to apply online, use the links provided above to start enjoying exclusive access, benefits and more today.

School is out and summer is upon us. Unfortunately, gas prices hit an average of over $4 per gallon and that may prevent some people from driving much of anywhere outside of necessity this summer. But for those that made their vacation plans to include air travel, hotel stays and car rentals, making those reservations ahead of time may have saved you a bundle compared to today’s prices. If you still plan on taking a vacation this summer despite rising prices, a reward credit card can help you still save money.

 Airline Tickets

Rising fuel prices definitely affect the cost of airline tickets. Recently, we had a family member check ticket prices and they were 200% or more of what they have paid in the past. To help them and you there are several tools available to help find and track airline ticket prices like Yapta and Travelocity’s Fare Watcher. If you are loyal to a particular airline and use it often when you travel, consider choosing from several different airline miles credit cards. Depending on which card you choose, you’ll receive bonus miles which are typically good for one free ticket when you apply. Not having to pay for one ticket can save you hundreds of dollars. Plus, enjoy the flexibility of redeeming your miles for other travel expenses like hotel stays and more.

Hotel Stays

Finding good deals on a hotel stay is pretty easy. Search some of the top discount hotel reservation websites and you can find hotel deals as much as 50% or more off the regular nightly rate. What if you could stay at your favorite hotel brand with points you earn from purchases you make every day? Sound good? Sure it does, and you can easily with a hotel rewards credit card. Find credit cards from Hilton, Choice, Starwood, Wyndham and more. Together these hotels provide thousands of available location to stay worldwide. Just use the card in place of your debit card, cash or check book each time you make a purchase and earn points towards free hotel stays and more.

Car Rental

If you need to rent a car this summer for your vacation, consider this proposal. As fuel prices rise, so does the demand for economy-sized cars. As demand rises for these types of cars, car rental companies raise prices on this category of cars. However, you can take advantage of lower priced cars in other categories. When shopping for a car rental, be sure to check prices on full-size cars and SUVs because it may actually cost you less. Car rental companies have a tough time renting these categories of cars because customer demand is lower. The price you pay to rent a larger car like this may far outweigh the increased cost of fuel versus an economy-sized car. There are also many travel rewards cards that let you use points towards car rentals too.

See, saving money on your vacation this summer isn’t as hard as your think.

Growing concerns over climate change and the need to find a sustainable energy supply has caused millions of people to modify their behavior and even their lifestyle. Finding ways we can all reduce our energy consumption is easy and doesn’t require a lot of effort on our part. Many companies have also joined the fight against climate change by modifying their organizations to be more environmentally friendly. One such company that has made several changes and helps to encourage its customers to also be more environmentally friendly is HSBC.

As part of HSBC’s initiative to encourage it’s customers to be more resource conscience, HSBC has introduced the HSBC ecosmart MasterCard® with Plus Rewards credit card. The credit card lets cardholders earn one point for every $1 they spend. The points can be redeemed to make a donation to an environmentally friendly charity, eco-friendly merchandise and more. Choose from one of four charities like: the Earthwatch Institute, the World Wildlife Fund, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and The Climate Group. There are no caps, limits or expiration date on the points you earn with the card.

Qualifying applicants of the HSBC ecosmart MasterCard credit card will also receive an introductory 0% APR for twelve months on purchases and balance transfers. Any balance transfer made is subject to a 3% transfer fee and there is no annual fee with the card.

Put your money where your mouth is with this credit card offer from HSBC and help stop climate change. Just using this credit card as a replacement to your current credit or debit card can help you make an even bigger difference in the fight against climate change. Join with HSBC and apply today!