I had been a member of the Starwood AMEX for probably 5 years. I had signed up for the card because of the superior benefits and because there was "no annual fee". In Sept. 2001, I received a notice that after a year, I would be charged an annual fee of $30. Last summer, in anticipation of being charged the fee, I contacted AMEX and asked if there was any chance they would waive the fee. I was told to call back after I received the statement with the fee and that they could waive the fee. In Sept. 2002, after receiving a statement that included the fee, I called to ask to have it waived. They said no, so I asked to be transferred to Card Cancellations. Card Cancellations told me they could give me a $15 credit, but I indicated that it was my policy to not pay fees for credit cards. I was told I could get the card fee-free if I applied for a new card. I declined and applied for the Delta AMEX card which offers the card fee free for the first year and gives quite a few miles for signing up. When the year is up, I'll try asking to have the fee waived, and if they don't I'll apply for a new Starwood card. It's a silly game to have to play, but my credit rating is good enough that I don't have to worry about an adverse effect on my credit rating. By the way, one of the things that really bothers me about AMEX is that they "bait and switch" their offers. They offer you one thing to have you sign up, then change the rules. This happened to me also with one of their "Membership Rewards" AMEX cards. After being in the program for less than six months, they changed the card to a Cash Rebate card, even though I contacted them and specifically asked them not to switch my card.
