American Express is now offering a promotion with 3 free hotel nights if you apply for their Starwood Preferred Guest Card. The card features:

• Earn 10,000 Starpoints® with your first purchase — enough for up to 3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel
• Plus– earn an additional 15,000 Starpoints when you spend $15,000 in 6 months
• Use Starpoints for free nights and upgrades at over 825 participating Starwood hotels and resorts in 95 countries
• Transfer Starpoints — almost always on a 1:1 basis — to the frequent flyer programs of over 30 major airlines
• Earn one Starpoint for every dollar of eligible spending and double Starpoints at participating Starwood properties and retail outlets
• First year fee is waived

You can redeem the first 10,000 points for 3 nights at select hotels, or you can redeem them for a instant $100 gift certificate from Amazon. Visit their application page for more information.

If you are the owner of a small business, Starwood also has a Starwood Business Preferred Guest Card.

Through the reward program, cardholders earn a 3% rebate on purchases made in the 3 bonus categories where cardholders have spent the most that billing cycle. There are 15 bonus categories altogether including: grocery stores, gas stations, quick service restaurants, telecommunications, cable/satellite TV/Internet service providers, video rentals, department stores, dry cleaners, drugstores, movie theatres, local and suburban commuter passenger transportation, pet supply stores and veterinary services, utilities, beauty shops, and gym/recreation memberships. Cardholders also earn a 1% rebate on all other purchases.

Cardholders are eligible to receive a $50 check once $50 in rewards have been earned or a $250 check once $200 in rewards have been earned, which is a bonus of $50. Cardholders will also receive a $50 bonus rebate after their first purchase, balance transfer, or check transaction. In addition, they have the freedom to switch rewards to earn points instead of cash back.

Visit the application page for more details.

After your first purchase you will be credited with $10,000 bonus points, which you can redeem for a $100 gift card. Rewards points can be redeemed for various travel, shopping, and dining offers. In addition, you also get exclusive access to tickets for select concerts, shows, major sporting events, and more in cities nationwide with the American Express’s Gold Card Events.

This card has a $125 annual fee which is waived for the first year. If you cancel your card within the first year, you can keep the bonus points and avoid the fee. Visit the signup page for more information.

• Business Ownership has Become More Rewarding
• No Limit to the Number of Membership Rewards® Points You Can Earn, Plus Up To 40,000 Bonus Points* in Your First Year
• Points Have No Expiration Date
• Fee-Free for the First Year - a Savings of $125
• No Pre-Set Spending Limit* and No Finance Charges
• Discounts with FedEx, Delta®, Courtyard by Marriott®, and More
• Automatic Complimentary Enrollment in the Membership Rewards Program
• Redeem Points for Top-Tier Rewards Including Travel, Merchandise, Office Equipment, and Gift Cards for You or Your Employees

Visit their signup page now for more information.

For example, if you spend $600 in groceries, gas, and fast food every month, that is equal to $18 a month, or $216 in rewards per year. On top of that, you would add the 1% from everything else, and the $50 cashback after first purchase.

Chase cardmembers who currently have or have had a Chase credit card in this Rewards Program or have received a similar bonus offer may not be eligible for a second Chase credit card in the same Rewards Program, or for this bonus offer. Chase cardmembers currently receiving promotional pricing, or Chase cardmembers with a history of only using their current or prior Chase card for promotional pricing offers are not eligible for a second Chase credit card with promotional pricing.

Visit the Chase website for more information. I currently use this rewards card and am pretty satisfied with the rebates that I receive. If you’re going to spend your money on these basic things (groceries, gas, fast food, entertainment, etc) why not receive some cashback? There is no annual fee.

American Express is currently offering a Business Gold Rewards card promotion with 25,000 membership rewards points after your first purchase. These 25,000 points can be redeemed for $250 in gift cards, a free domestic round trip ticket, or even statement credits. See membershiprewards.com to see a full list of gift certificates that you can get. The card has a annual fee of $125, but it’s waived for the first year.

Although the card is a business card, any individual can be considered a sole proprietorship. All you have to do is put your name under “business” and your social security number under EIN. This is completely legal and acceptable.

Here’s some of the fine print when applying for the card:

Apply for the Business Gold Rewards Card and make a purchase by 12/31/07. Upon the Basic Cardmember’s first purchase, a one time bonus of 25,000 points can be earned toward the Basic Business Gold Rewards Cardmember’s Membership Rewards® account and may appear as separate credits of 5,000 and 20,000 bonus points. The maximum 25,000 bonus points are available to first–time Basic Business Gold Rewards Cardmembers only; they are not available if you transfer an existing account. Welcome bonus points will be credited to your Membership Rewards account 6 to 8 weeks after your first purchase appears on your monthly billing statement. The bonus 25,000 Membership Rewards points may be redeemed for one domestic round–trip airline ticket.

You must apply for the card and make a purchase by the end of this year. The bonus points will appear 6 to 8 weeks after the first purchase. You must also be a new Basic Business Gold Rewards card member, you can’t transfer an existing account over. This offer is set to expire pretty soon, so I’d definitely sign up as soon as possible.