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2021 is almost over. I wonder how everyone’s card application game went this year? Either way, some benefits are based on the calendar year, so don’t forget to use them up before year-end. This article organizes them for you, and you can check them off one by one yourself.

Various reimbursements (calendar-year based)

Quite a few reimbursements are calculated by calendar year, so be sure to use them by December 31. To make sure the charge posts in time, it’s a good idea to start spending them around December 20 so they don’t get counted in the next year. Some reimbursements are based on the cardmember year, meaning they start from the date you opened the card, so there’s no need to rush.

Airline incidental fee reimbursement

Many credit cards offer airline incidental fee reimbursement, ranging from $100 to $250. In general, these reimbursement caps are calendar-year based. If you haven’t used this year’s reimbursement yet, you should hurry. If you have the cards listed below, you can get the airline credit according to the tips in parentheses. If you’re interested in applying, just click the card name to see the review:

For the AMEX family, the reimbursement rules for the cards below are the same, so you can follow AMEX airline reimbursement guide. You need to first select an airline. If you haven’t used much of this reimbursement, you can usually ask customer service online to change it. FNBO is a bit special: no selection is needed, and its features are exactly the same as AMEX. AMEX may claw back reimbursements (the current guess is that charges that don’t comply may be reviewed after closing the card). The latest data point for reimbursements currently is loading UA Travel Bank Cash and Southwest tickets under $100. The other methods don’t seem to work very well.

  • AMEX Gold ($100 reimbursement; this is the last year of airline reimbursement for existing cardholders, and new applicants this year do not have it)
  • AMEX Platinum Card series ($200 reimbursement; other versions of the Platinum card also have the same reimbursement)
  • AMEX Aspire ($250 reimbursement)
  • First National Bank of Omaha ($100 reimbursement)

BofA reimbursements are relatively flexible, and AA gift card purchases can currently also trigger reimbursement.

The Citi card’s reimbursement is quite broad and can be used for travel-related expenses such as airfare, baggage fees, and hotels. Just pay with the card directly.

If you were planning to close these cards anyway, it might be better to wait until you receive the 2020 reimbursement before downgrading. The reimbursement is definitely more than the annual fee you’d get back.

FHR and Hotel Collection reimbursement

After the redesign, the AMEX Platinum Card (including other Platinum versions) gets a $200 FHR hotel reimbursement each year. If you can’t use it up this year, you can consider booking a hotel for next year. The prepaid charge will post directly, and you’ll receive the reimbursement right away.

Saks reimbursement

The AMEX Platinum Card (including other Platinum versions) can get $100 in Saks spending reimbursement each calendar year, with $50 from January to June and $50 from July to December. Don’t forget to use it. See:

Clear reimbursement

The AMEX Platinum Card and Platinum Business each have a $175 Clear reimbursement per calendar year. The AMEX Green has a $100 Clear membership reimbursement. You can also use this reimbursement to earn some cashback portal bonuses; in practice, it doesn’t matter if you don’t go in person for verification.

LoungeBuddy reimbursement

The AMEX Green offers a $100 LoungeBuddy reimbursement each calendar year. See:

Uber reimbursement

The AMEX Platinum Card series gets $200 in Uber Credit + Uber VIP membership each year: add your Platinum card to your Uber account, and your Uber account will become VIP, giving you benefits such as better vehicle options. At the same time, your Uber account will receive $15 in Credit for the first 11 months of the year, and $35 in December. Credit expires at the end of each month. December’s Credit is larger than usual, so be prepared and don’t waste it. Multiple Platinum cards can be added to the same Uber account and stacked together.

The AMEX Gold card also added Uber reimbursement, $10 per month.

Dell reimbursement

After the redesign, the AMEX Business Platinum added a Dell reimbursement benefit. Use this card at Dell.com or in stores, and you can get $400 in reimbursement per year. It is split into $200 from January to June and the remaining $200 from July to December. Note that this reimbursement does not carry over; once you use it up in the first half of the year, it’s gone.

Mobile phone bill reimbursement

The AMEX Business Platinum added a $120 Wireless benefit after the redesign: $10 per month is reimbursed for wireless-category purchases, for a total of $120 per year. Mobile phone bills should trigger it, and prepaying $10 into the account each month does the job. This is a very real benefit. See: AMEX Wireless Telephone Services reimbursement guide

$150 lifestyle reimbursement

The BofA Premium Elite card offers a $150 reimbursement for streaming services, food delivery, fitness subscriptions, and rideshare services.

Other miscellaneous reimbursements

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

The AMEX Business Platinum also has the following two reimbursements that are based on the calendar year:

  • $150 Adobe: Eligible spending on Adobe prepaid plans, including Creative Cloud for teams and Acrobat Pro DC, can receive a $150 reimbursement. It doesn’t look easy to monetize, so it’s still more suitable for small business users to use themselves.
  • $360 Indeed: Spending on the Indeed website can get $90 per quarter, for a total of $360 per year. That also doesn’t look very easy to monetize, so it’s still more suitable for small business users to use for hiring and similar needs.

Multipliers / bonus earnings

High earn rates on credit cards usually have caps, and those caps are often calculated by calendar year. Here are a few common and easy-to-use categories.

  • AMEX Gold: 4x earnings at supermarkets, capped at 25,000. Supermarkets usually sell third-party gift cards, 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

A number of cards offer extra rewards when you hit certain spending thresholds. Take a look at your spending this year and think about whether it's worth going after those big-spend bonuses.
  • AMEX Hilton Surpass: Spend $15,000 and get a weekend free night certificate (during the pandemic, it can also be used on weekdays); still pretty worthwhile. Spend $40,000 and get Diamond status, which isn't that useful.
  • AMEX Hilton Honors business card: Spend $15,000 and get a weekend free night certificate (during the pandemic, it can also be used on weekdays), and $60,000 gets you a second one. Spend $40,000 and get Diamond status, which isn't that useful.
  • AMEX Hilton Aspire: Spend $60,000 and get a second weekend free night certificate.
  • AMEX Delta Reserve and AMEX Delta Platinum: Spend $30,000 or $60,000 and get extra MQMs and miles; personally, I don't think it's that worthwhile.

Credit Card 5%/5x Cash Back in Q4

The fourth quarter is shopping season, so once again, remember to check each card's offers first and use the right card in the right category.

  • Discover it: Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com: this can cover most holiday shopping spending, and it's fairly easy to max out. All three sites also have lots of third-party gift cards for sale, so if you can't spend it all, consider buying some gift cards. All three also sell $200 Visa gift cards, which you can consider too. (activation link)
  • Chase Freedom (Flex): PayPal and Walmart. Two very good categories: PayPal can cover most online spending, and Walmart has lots of third-party gift cards for sale. You can use PayPal Key to do this; see this article for reference. (activation link)
  • US Bank Cash+: the other categories aren't great for home use, so pick cell phone bill; electronics stores are okay too, and Best Buy has lots of third-party gift cards.
  • Citi Dividend: restaurants and Best Buy. If you haven't used up this year's $300 cash back yet, Best Buy has some $200 Visa gift cards you can buy, though there aren't many third-party gift card options. (activation link)

A few things to note: a) Discover it and Chase Freedom only earn 5% cash back or 5x rewards on the first $1,500 each quarter, so plan accordingly and don't go over. Citi Dividend is based on an annual cash-back cap of $300, so if you've already maxed it out earlier this year, don't use it in Q4. c) You can log in to your online banking for Discover it, Chase Freedom, and Citi Dividend to activate the quarterly 5%/5x offer. If you can't find the button, you can also call, use online chat, or send a secure message to activate it. d) Cash+'s 5% cash-back categories can be chosen freely, so it's best to pick categories that the other cards don't have. If these multiplier cash-back categories don't interest you, you can also refer to this article: Credit card usage tips — category swapping to get 5% cash back in other categories.

Hotel Free Night Expiration

In general, hotel Free Nights are valid for one year after issuance, but during the pandemic the expiration dates for free nights have been extended repeatedly. At the moment, the ones expiring by the end of 2021 are:

  • Hyatt Free Night: Issued through the credit card, and only extended to the end of 2021. If you can't use it, call customer service and see whether they can extend it manually. If that still doesn't work, according to customer service, you need to submit a request after the FN expires; C1-C4 FNs can be exchanged for 10,000 Hyatt points.
  • IHG Free Night: Issued through the credit card, and the ones issued two years ago will expire before December 31 this year. It probably isn't possible to book hotels for dates after the expiration date, so try to use them up as much as possible; if you really can't, don't force it.

Airline and Hotel Elite Status

Hotel and airline elite status is generally calculated based on the number of flights and stays during the calendar year to determine this year's status tier. If you find that you're not far from reaching a higher tier this year, it's worth thinking about whether you can make a push. After all, some elite statuses still offer quite a few tangible benefits.

Others

If there are any other year-end expirations, feel free to leave a comment to remind everyone, so we can help each other avoid getting burned...