Originally Posted by CLKeenan

Hey guys- I figured I might as well share this cool bit of info with everyone. You guys might find it useful. So when you apply for the Amex Starwood Preferred Guest Card and make a purchase with it of any size, you get 10,000 points. Starwood has a point exchange system with a list of partners including Gap, Banana Republic, Amazon, Starbucks, iTunes, etc. which usually includes a deal where you can exchange under 10,000 points (usually 9500) for $100 gift card to these places.

So quick recap:
Register for the Amex Starwood Card and get a free $100 gift card.... or 3 free nights in one of their lower end hotels. Pretty good deal if you ask me

Also, forgot to mention, if you deposit $25,000 in an TD Ameritrade account, you get another free 20,000 points. Not sure if you are required to make any trades before the account is credited.