Starwood is offering 150 points for updating your account security information by October 31.
W Union Square, New York
The problem, for me, is that most of the security questions do not have one clear answer I’d always give.
- My favorite food? Some days it’s Thai, other times Sri Lankan, or is it Malay (and in particular, Nonya cuisine)?
- I traveled to more than one place on my honeymoon.
- My preferred airline.. domestic or international? Sure I fly American most within the US but I love Singapore, Cathay, Emirates, and Etihad and of course I have an affection for Thai and Qantas ground services in their primary hubs.
- I don’t really have a travel wish list.
- I believe my first flight was from an airport in Florida to New York, when I was under 2 (and I have no recollection of this). The first flight I remember was the reverse, on TWA. Which do I pick?
“Bonus Starpoints will be credited to the member’s account within 2-4 weeks of the close of the promotion on October 31, 2015.”
View from the W Times Square
Meanwhile if you are not already opted into Starwood e-statements, then the Starwood dashboard will likely offer you the option of accepting Starwood emails for 200 bonus Starpoints.
Sounds more like they’re collecting information from this to find out your travel preferences for marketing purposes…..hmmm…
Sure, I’m in. But 24 weeks?! Maybe they’re just hoping people will forget about the promo by the time complaints of points not posting are permitted.
Nyonya?! Gary you have my respect!
Starwood said 2-4 weeks, not 24.
The key here is that this is NOT publicly available information. Someone would have to know you personally, or convince you to talk about these specific topics, to know the answers (some exceptions: you posted pictures of your honeymoon publicly on Facebook or, IDK, a blog…). In fact, it could be advantageous that it might change. You could put down a consistent, but secure, answer to all questions; e.g. Q:”What is your favorite type of food?” A: “The Rock”. No amount of social engineering will result in you revealing your secret answer to anyone unless you intend to, and no reasonable guessing algorithm would waste its time guessing that answer.
In any case, troubled questions or not, it’s better than asking for your mother’s maiden name, which is an easy public records search away. I’m consistently astounded by how poor banks’ online security practices are, and security questions are a prime example of that.
I suppose my point was that SPG deserves some recognition for not using *horrible* security practices, such as those banks use.
@WoodStar I copied and pasted 24 weeks from Starwood, but that does turn out to be a typo on their end and I’ve updated the post accordingly
@snoptro hah!
Using the link at the top, I don’t see where it mentions the 150 points, both logged in and logged out of my account. Anyone else?
It isn’t mentioned on that page
Yep Gary, I am of Nonya descent and I gotta give you my respect too!
Offered 50 points for my email, but it’s better than nothing.
Where does it say 150 points?
Please be kind enough to post the URL with the link that actually shows the offers from SPG because while I filled out the form, I cannot see where the offers are nor for how much they offers are for and I’d like to have a screen shot in case they do not issue.
Nonya? I had *no* idea. Now I am both hungry and figuring out how to add PEN to my next trip. Gracias!
If you’re serious about website security questions, then you don’t provide answers that relate to the real world. Persons who know about your personal preferences (including blog readers) or information can crack the security questions barrier with a few guesses.
Hi Gary,
On what page is it mentioned ??
I clicked Gary’s link, and was taken to a log-in page, and then immediately to a page where it asked me to choose answers to those questions. There was NO offer of bonus points.
I selected some questions/answers anyway. Upon submitting them, there still wasn’t any mention of bonus points… Just the words “thankyou” from SPG.
I hate those kinds of targeted offers, where some people get an award and other people get nothing. Somehow I always get used.
I asked this like 7 or 8 hours ago:
“Please be kind enough to post the URL with the link that actually shows the offers from SPG because while I filled out the form, I cannot see where the offers are nor for how much they offers are for and I’d like to have a screen shot in case they do not issue.”
All I get is crickets. Others have asked WHERE does it say this about points for doing this. Gary said, it’s on another page. Well, ok, how about if you’re gonna tell people about this. and then they ask where to see this so they can make sure they are getting the reward, how about showing the page as I and others have politely asked.
I doubt I got anything for doing this as my points total has not changed. It would be nice to know what this post was actually based on.
I’m sure Gary is able to provide a screenshot. Or not.
@Carl and others the offer was EMAILED to me, but it’s also been posted on frequent flyer forums since then by SPG representatives
@Gary Well, ok then, but why didn’t you say so in your post? Or tell other people that asked this well before I did after your original post? Or explain to wait for a link to the offer to be posted?
Now if I, or someone gets the offer, it is too late, we already answered the questions for nothing, which I am sure makes the SPG people happy to have a few less people getting some free points.
I think the SPG people used you without your realizing it, knowing you would spread the word and then I, and a lot of other people, miss out.
My opinion though, is to ask that you please make it very clear to your readers, who are also people that use your links to get cards, helping fund you, that any offer is emailed, or posted or whatever and provide clear and full unambiguous information about whatever offer or “hot tip” you are writing about. This post made it sound like if we went to the link you gave, we would get the points and no mention was made that it was an emailed or targeted offer.
Thanks though for the blog and info. I have learned much reading all of them and hope to continue to do so.
@Carl nothing is too late, everyone doing this gets the points. This was not a targeted offer. When I said I got this info by email from Starwood, it was sent to me by an individual with a suggestion of posting it. I provided clear unambiguous information, that if you do this you will get 150 points. I’m sorry if this was confusing in some way.