As 2016 draws to a close, don’t forget that a pile of valuable benefits is about to expire while you’re getting ready for the new year. Below is a roundup of time-sensitive perks so you can check which ones apply to you and make sure you’ve fully used them before your annual fee goes to waste.
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Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 Travel Credit
Note that the Sapphire Reserve reimbursement deadline is not the calendar year. Instead, it is based on your December statement closing date. If you haven’t used the full $300 credit yet, you need to do it soon. The Sapphire Reserve travel credit is one of the broadest available and can cover a wide range of legitimate travel purchases, such as airfare, hotels (including Airbnb), rental cars, taxis and rideshares (including Uber and Lyft), and even cruises. Bookings made through online travel agencies (OTAs), such as Priceline Name Your Own Price, also work.
If you really can’t think of anything to use it on, you can also buy gift cards from airlines, hotels, or even Uber. Even if you don’t use them right away, it’s better than letting the money go to waste.
AmEx Platinum Card and Premier Rewards Gold
These two cards offer airline incidental fee reimbursements of $200 (Platinum Card) and $100 (Premier Rewards Gold), respectively. The deadline to use them is December 31 each year, so you still have more than half a month left.
Before using the benefit, make sure you select your airline first; otherwise, you will not receive the reimbursement. If you haven’t selected one yet, here are the links.
Platinum Card: airline enrollment link; Premier Rewards Gold: airline enrollment link. If you have already selected an airline, you can also contact AMEX customer service to change it.
At one time, these two cards could be used to trigger the reimbursement by buying gift cards through MileagePlus X (commonly known as MPX), since those transactions would be coded by AMEX as United purchases. Unfortunately, based on many data points, MPX seems to have stopped working for airline-fee reimbursement sometime after late November. Since time is short, if you have a real need, such as a seat upgrade, you should use the benefit quickly. If not, you can still try using small-denomination airline gift cards to trigger the reimbursement. The following methods have been widely tested:
American Airlines (AA): small gift cards, with $50 recommended; larger amounts will not be reimbursed.
United (UA): create a Gift Registry and fund it yourself. Small amounts are also recommended.
Delta (DL): buy here. It must be exactly $50; larger amounts will not be reimbursed, and smaller amounts are not sold.
Southwest (WN): buy here. Larger amounts seem to work too, but to be safe, we still recommend buying smaller amounts gradually.
We won’t go into other airlines here, but if you need one, you can look up other people’s experiences online.
Citi Prestige $250 Airfare Credit
The Citi Prestige reimbursement is limited to airfare only. Just like the Sapphire Reserve, this credit must be used before your December statement closes. If you don’t need to buy airfare, you can buy an airline gift card instead. You also don’t need to worry about the amount—just buy $250 directly. There is no need to select an airline, so this one is relatively straightforward.
Chase Ritz-Carlton Card $300 Airline Incidental Fee Reimbursement
The spending deadline for the Ritz card reimbursement is December 31, so there is still some time left. However, getting reimbursed on this card can be very hit or miss. Buying gift cards may not work. If you do have airfare purchases, this might be a good time to treat yourself and upgrade your seat.
After making the purchase, you need to manually contact Chase customer service to have the reimbursement processed.
City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite: $250 Airline Incidental Fee Reimbursement Per Card
Both the primary card and each authorized user card on this product (yes, each one) can receive up to $250 per year in incidental fee reimbursement. This reimbursement is somewhat mysterious—sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t—and it also takes a relatively long time to post, possibly up to 10 days. If you do not have real incidental-fee purchases, we recommend buying a $50 AA gift card and then waiting to see whether it works.
Check your annual benefits now—letting money that’s practically in your pocket slip away would be a real shame.