With the new year, you can finally redeem your Chase points for maximum value. Or maybe you will earn Favorable state from the couch in your living room with gamification Loyalty Points.
From choosing Marriott’s best selection benefits arrive choose the right airline for your Amex airline fee creditHere’s an overview of some of the topics to consider as you head into the new year.
Choose your Marriott Choice benefit
If you accumulate 50 or more elite nights with Marriott Bonvoy in 2022, you’ll want to choose Marriott Choice Benefits by the deadline of January 7, 2023.
After achieving 50 elite nights in a calendar year, you can choose from one of the following options:
- Five elite night credits (for your 2022 elite night).
- Year Suite Night Award.
- 40% off a mattress.
- Charity donation $100.
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Gifts for family members, friends or colleagues.
After accumulating 75 elite nights in a calendar year, you will receive another selection. This option includes the options above but allows you to gift Gold Elite status (but not Silver Elite) and adds the option of a free night certification worth up to 40,000 points.
If you do not choose by January 7, Marriott will automatically select Suite Night Award for you.
Related: The complete guide to Marriott elite status with a credit card
Change your airline to get Amex fee credits
Those who have a American Express released every year airline fee credit have until January 31 of each year to change the airline they have chosen to receive the credit. If you do nothing, your selection will remain the same as last year.
Some American Express cards that offer an annual airline fee credit include:
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Enrollment is required for selection benefits. tHilton Aspire card information has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Amex says you can use the airline fee credit for “incidental charges such as checked baggage, in-flight refreshments, and flight change fees” that you have to pay to the airline you booked. selected with the registered card.
If you decide at the end of the year that you want change your airline to get an Amex random fee credit, you can do the same. However, you will need to call or chat online to make the change, and this change is approved on a case-by-case basis only. So if you want to change your airline, it’s best to do so in January.
Related: How to use Amex Platinum $200 airline fee credit in 2023
Go hard for the Southwest Companion Card
Whether you want to fly to Aruba, Jamaica, Hawaii or Omaha, generally speaking, the sooner you get it Southwest Companion Cardbetter.
Southwest has increased the Companion Card request this year from 125,000 to 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points (you can also qualify after 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year). However, Southwest cardholders now enjoy an annual increase of 10,000 Companion Pass eligibility points towards the standard Companion Pass each year.
Once you pass the threshold to earn a Companion Pass, your designated companion can fly with you for free over the Southwest (tax costs excluded) for the remainder of the calendar year you earn yes and the following calendar year. That means you can earn the card now and have it through December 31, 2024.
If you’re trying to earn a Companion Pass, apply for a new one Southwest credit card can help. After all, the sign-up bonus from the Southwest credit card counts towards the 135,000 Companion Card eligibility points required to earn the Companion Card. However, some other monetization — including purchasing Quick Rewards points — will not be counted when you search for a Companion Card.
Related: How to use the Southwest Companion Card
Choose the Benefits of Delta Choice
Like Marriott, Delta rewards its higher-level elite members with Selection benefits. You have one choice when you qualify for Platinum Medal status and three choices when you qualify for Diamond Medal status.
Unfortunately, the timing for choosing these perks isn’t always clear. Delta uses the term “Five Medals” when describing this deadline, which can (understandably) lead to confusion.
In short, you earn the next year’s status based on the previous calendar year’s flight value. So, your qualifying activity from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 has earned you status for the 2023 Medals year.
So what does this mean for Option Benefits? Here it is, in the simplest possible way:
If you achieved Platinum and/or Diamond status based on your eligible activity during calendar year 2021 and you have not selected your Choice Benefit(s), you must do so before January 31, 2023.
Otherwise the option(s) will disappear completely, never to return.
It’s also important to note that if you have yet to exercise your 2022 Medals choice(s), consider carefully when the benefits you choose will expire. You may want to choose benefits such as miles or travel vouchers, as these benefits do not expire at the end of the Medal year associated with your Choice Benefit.
You may also have an Choice Benefit to choose from in 2022 (the 2023 Medallion year). You can pick those up now, but they’ll remain available until January 31, 2024.
Related: Delta makes it harder to achieve Medalist status in 2024, adds new Choice Entitlement options
Use your travel credit
Not all travel credits on a credit card reset to the calendar year, as some activity follows the cardholder’s year (that is, when you are first approved for the card). Regardless, it’s a good time of year to see when your available travel credits are reset and use them productively. Here are some travel credits you can get:
Citi Prestige and Hilton Aspire card information has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You can also have travel credit with the airlines. If so, now is also a good time to plan on using these credits.
Related: Which travel credit is easiest to redeem?
Use up your elite status perks
With many airlines and hotels, you must be eligible to return to status at the end of each calendar year. However, if you do not qualify, you usually keep your status until the end of January or February.
In short, you can get a month or two of “free” status if you don’t qualify. Thus, the beginning of the year is the ideal opportunity to use up the elite status privileges left over from the previous year and potentially match your status with another program.
Related: When does airline elite status expire?
Label your card
what are you? tourism target award of the year? If you want to sip a mango smoothie in the Bali rainforest or frolic on the Champs-Elysees, you might want to add a hotel credit card that offers one free night every year every year to your wallet.
Do you need extra Alaska Airlines miles to get one great deal on partner award? If so, time to crank yours Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card in regular rotation.
Check your current bonus categories and goals for the year. You may want to reallocate your spending between the cards you currently hold. Or maybe you’ll find it’s a good time to pick up a new one travel rewards card and put some spending on it to activate the welcome bonus.
Whatever travel and credit card goals you choose, it’s helpful to label those cards with the benefits you’re after and the card’s rewards category so you don’t miss a chance to optimize your spending. his spending.
Related: Best credit cards January 2023
Reset annual limit
If you book max Wednesday night free stay with Citi Prestige (limited to two per calendar year), reach the maximum annual bonus cap to get 6% back at US supermarkets (up to $6,000 per calendar year on purchases, then 1 %) above Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express or hit another similar limit, it’s that magical time of year when many clocks reset.
However, not all cards reset the calendar year bonus spending limit. So, carefully review your online benefits guide to make sure you don’t sacrifice any bonus points.
Related: Free elite status, bonus points and more: Credit card that offers rewards for annual spending
bottom line
There’s a lot to do at the start of the year to prepare for the rest of the year – especially when it comes to points, miles, and credit card rewards. However, a little extra work now can mean more rewards to spend later. And we all know we’re going to want to take advantage of those rewards this year.
Additional reporting by Jennifer Yellin and Kyle Olsen.
