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It’s already almost year-end, and there are only a little over 10 days left until 2024. How has everyone’s card application game gone this year? Either way, some benefits are calculated by calendar year, so don’t forget to use them before the end of the year. This article puts them all together so you can check them off one by one.

Note: some reimbursements or benefits are calculated by card member year, meaning from your account opening date to the same date the following year. Those do not need to be used up by December 31; you just need to make sure to use them before the same date next year. This article focuses on benefits calculated by the calendar year, i.e. the annual year.

Airline Credits (Calendar-Year Based)

Quite a few airline-related credits are based on the calendar year, so be sure to use them by December 31. To make sure the charge posts in time, it’s recommended to start using them by December 20 so they don’t get counted toward next year. Some credits are based on the card member year, meaning they start from the date you opened the card, so there’s no need to rush on those. If you have any of the cards listed below, you can use the tips in parentheses to trigger the airline credit. If you’re interested in applying, just click the card name to read the review.

If you were already planning to close any of these cards, consider waiting until after you receive the 2023 credit before downgrading, since the credit will definitely be worth more than the refunded annual fee.

AMEX Cards

The cards below all work under the same general reimbursement pattern. See AMEX Airline Credit Overview. You first need to select an airline. If you haven’t used much of your current credit, you can often get it changed successfully by chatting with online customer service. AMEX may claw back credits (currently it’s suspected that they review non-qualifying reimbursements after account closure). The latest working dp for triggering the credit is funding UA Travel Bank Cash and Southwest tickets under $100; most other methods no longer work very well.

A special note on Aspire: this card was refreshed in October. Existing cardholders should make sure to use the hotel and airline credits early. For people who applied after the October refresh, online reports say you may still be able to get the $250 airline credit; you just need to contact online customer service and ask them to enroll you.

BofA Cards

BofA’s airline incidental credit terms are relatively flexible, and even AA gift card purchases can count toward the credit.
Online customer service

Chase Cards

Both the Chase IHG personal and business cards have a $50 UA Travel Bank credit. It is split by half-year, with $25 available each half, so remember to fund it before year-end.

The Chase Ritz-Carlton credit card also has a $300 airline incidental credit based on the calendar year. However, the credit does not post automatically. After you make an eligible purchase, you need to request reimbursement via secure message or by calling the number on the back of the card. So it’s safest to make the purchase early enough for it to post to your account.

Citi Cards

This Citi card has a very broad reimbursement scope and can be used for airfare, checked baggage, hotels, and other travel-related expenses. Just pay with the card directly.

Other Cards

Not many people probably still hold the Crystal card, but it also has a $350 airline fee credit based on the calendar year, though it is limited to domestic U.S. flights.

Hotel Credits

FHR and Hotel Collection Credit

AMEX Platinum Card (including other Platinum versions) has offered a $200 FHR hotel credit each year after the refresh. If you can’t use it this year, consider booking a hotel stay for next year. A prepaid booking will be charged right away, and you should receive the credit right away as well. If you later cancel the reservation, this year’s credit may be clawed back, so try to book a trip you’re fairly sure you’ll take.

Chase Travel Credit

The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card offers a $50 hotel credit each year. You can get it by booking a hotel through Chase Travel. There are dps saying that even after canceling the hotel booking, the credit was not clawed back.

Old Aspire Hotel Credit

A special reminder that Aspire was refreshed in October, so existing cardholders should use the hotel credit early. If you still haven’t used this $250 credit, it will expire on December 31. After the refresh, in 2024 it changes to $200 in credit per half-year, so be sure to plan for it soon. For detailed analysis, see:

Miscellaneous Credits

Saks Credit

AMEX Platinum Card (including other Platinum versions) offers $100 in Saks credits per calendar year, split into $50 from January through June and $50 from July through December, so don’t forget to use it. See:

Saks often has pretty strong cashback offers, so don’t forget to stack with a shopping portal. For example, Rakuten often offers 10%-20% cashback.

Clear Credit

AMEX Platinum Card, AMEX Green, and Platinum Business each have a $175 Clear credit per calendar year. You may want to use it to generate some shopping-portal rewards; in practice, it may not matter whether you complete the in-person verification. Also, after the refresh, Hilton Aspire now offers a Clear credit too, so remember to use it before year-end.

LoungeBuddy Credit

AMEX Green offers a $100 LoungeBuddy credit per calendar year. For details, see:

Uber Credit

AMEX Platinum Card cards come with up to Uber $200 in annual credits + Uber VIP membership: after you add your Platinum card to your Uber account, your Uber account is upgraded to VIP, which comes with benefits such as access to better car options. At the same time, your Uber account gets a $15 credit each month for the first 11 months, and $35 in December. The credits expire at the end of each month. Since the December credit is larger, plan ahead so it doesn’t go to waste. Multiple Platinum cards can be added to the same Uber account, and the credits can be used together.

AMEX Gold also added an Uber credit of $10 per month.

Dining credits

After its refresh, Marriott Brilliant also offers a $25 monthly dining credit.

AMEX Gold also has a $10 monthly credit, but it is limited to Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack. Be careful not to use the wrong merchants.

Dell credit

After its refresh, AMEX Business Platinum added a Dell credit benefit. Use this card at Dell.com or in-store, and you can receive up to $400 in credits per year: $200 from January through June, and the remaining $200 from July through December. Note that this credit does not roll over; once you use up the first-half credit, it’s gone.

Cell phone bill credit

AMEX Business Platinum also added $120 Wireless after its refresh: $10 back each month on purchases in the wireless category, up to $120 per year. Cell phone bills should trigger it, so prepaying $10 to your account each month should do the trick. This is a genuinely useful benefit. See also: Introduction to the AMEX Wireless Telephone Services credit

Gopuff credit

All Chase cards are giving away a $10 monthly Gopuff credit. If you can use it, it’s worth claiming.

Other miscellaneous credits

These credits may not be very useful for most people. If you don’t actually need them, don’t force it.

AMEX Business Platinum also has the following two credits based on the calendar year:

  • $150 Adobe: Eligible purchases of Creative Cloud for teams and Acrobat Pro DC under Adobe prepaid plans can receive up to $150 in statement credits. This does not look easy to cash out, so it is better suited for small business owners who can use it directly.
  • $360 Indeed: Spending on the Ideed website each quarter can receive a $90 credit, up to $360 per year total. This also does not look easy to cash out, so it is better suited for small business owners using it for hiring and similar needs.

AMEX Platinum has a $300 Equinox credit and a $240 digital entertainment credit. They are great if you can use them; if not, don’t force it.

Bonus earning categories

High bonus earning rates on credit cards usually come with caps, often based on the calendar year. Below are a few commonly used and easy-to-maximize categories.

  • AMEX Gold: 4x at supermarkets, capped at 25,000. Supermarkets often sell third-party gift cards, including Amazon, eBay, and Visa gift cards.
  • AMEX Blue Cash Preferred: 6% cash back on the first $6,000 in supermarket purchases
  • AMEX Everyday Preferred: 4.5x MR on the first $6,000 in supermarket purchases

Big-spend bonuses

Many cards offer extra rewards after you reach certain spending thresholds. You can review your spending for the year and decide whether it is worth making a push for these bonuses.

  • AMEX Hilton Surpass: Spend $15,000 to earn a free night certificate, which is pretty worthwhile. Spend $40,000 to get Diamond status, which is not very compelling.
  • AMEX Hilton Honors business card: Spend $15,000 to earn a free night certificate (usable on weekdays during the pandemic period), and $60,000 to earn a second one. Spend $40,000 to get Diamond status, which is not very compelling.
  • AMEX Hilton Aspire Spend $60,000 to earn a second free night certificate
  • AMEX Delta Reserve and AMEX Delta Platinum offer extra MQM and miles after spending $30,000 $60,000. Personally, I don’t think these are especially compelling.

Q4 5%/5x credit card categories

Q4 is shopping season, so once again, make sure to check the promotions on each of your credit cards and use the right card for the right category. The Q4 5x categories are as follows:

  • Discover it ( activation link): 5% back at Amazon and Target. These are both great stores, and most people should have no trouble maxing out the $1,500 cap over three months. If not, you can always buy some Amazon gift cards now and save them for next year. If you just got your Discover card, all cash back is doubled during the first year, so this effectively becomes 10% cash back and should be prioritized.
  • Chase Freedom cards (activation link): PayPal – anything paid through PayPal works. If necessary, you could even pay a friend with your credit card through PayPal, eat the fee, and have them send it back. Wholesale Clubs – places like Costco and Sam's Club, where you can buy lots of third-party gift cards. Select Charities – honestly, the only thing that comes to mind is some donation deals through Swagbucks that can generate a small profit.
  • Citi Dividend( activation link ): surprisingly, the category is Grocery. I did not expect that. If you have not maxed out your annual $300 cash back yet, this should be easy to finish, and if you still have room left, you can buy some third-party gift cards at grocery stores, such as Amazon or Best Buy, for holiday shopping.
  • US Bank Cash+: the other categories are not as useful for staying at home, so pick Dell iPhone Bilt; electrical store is also decent, and Best Buy has lots of third-party gift cards.

A few things to note: a) Discover it LoungeBuddyedom only earns 5% cash back or 5x points on the first $1,500 each quarter, so plan accordingly and do not overspend beyond the cap. Citi Dividend, on the other hand, is capped at a total of $300 cash back per year, so if you already maxed it out earlier in the year, do not use it for Q4. c) Discover it, Chase Freedom, Citi Dividend all require activation for the quarterly 5%/5x categories through online banking. If you cannot find the button, you can also activate by phone, via online chat, or by sending a secure message. d) Cash+ lets you choose your own 5% categories, so it is best to select categories not covered by your other cards. If none of these bonus categories appeal to you, see this article: Credit card techniques — category conversion, to learn how category conversion can help you earn 5% back in other categories.

Hotel Free Night expiration

In general, hotel Free Night awards are valid for one year after they are issued, so they usually are not tied to the calendar year.

Airline and Hotel Elite Status

Airline and hotel elite status is generally determined by the number of flights you take and the number of stays you complete within the calendar year. If you find that you’re not far from qualifying for a higher tier this year, it may be worth seeing whether you can make a final push. After all, some elite statuses do come with quite a few meaningful benefits.

Other

If there’s anything else that will expire at year-end, feel free to leave a comment as a reminder so everyone can help each other avoid letting things lapse and losing out.