Let’s Review All our Credit Card Airline Credits before Year’s End [CSR, Altitude, Prestige, etc.]

I’m reposting this again because I know some of you still won’t have used all your credits. Don’t delay, do it now before it’s too late. This is your final reminder!

As we’re headed toward year’s end, it’s worth reviewing the annual airline/travel credits on our credit cards. This is to ensure we’ve used them and to strategically plan any credit card applications to time well with the airline credits schedule.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with a $300 travel credit (see what counts here). This used to be based on the calendar year. They’ve since revised that for new cardholders and offer one $300 credit per cardmember year.

If you’re applying for a new CSR card, there’s no special reason to apply before year’s end. Whenever you apply, you’ll get just one travel credit during the first year. (Maybe you can squeeze a second credit in right after the year renews and then cancel or downgrade the card to save the second annual fee.) The CSR bonus is now  at 50,000 points and seems to be holding steady.

If you are an existing CSR cardholders, depending when you applied you might be on a calendar year schedule or you could be on a cardmember year schedule. If you applied since May 21, it goes with the cardmember year, so year-end isn’t anything remarkable. If you applied before then, you’re still in the calendar year schedule. Be sure you’ve already used up your 2017 credit, and remember that you’ll soon be able to begin using 2018’s credit. Remember that the calendar year for this purpose is calculated when your December statement closes which could be as early as December 1. After that date, you won’t be able to get your 2017 credit and you will be able to start using your 2018 credit. Also give a few days leeway for the charge to go from pending to settled.

Chase Ritz-Carlton

The Chase Ritz-Carlton card offers up to $300 reimbursements for airline incidental charges (see what counts here). Chase ccounts the benefit based on the calendar year, not cardmember year, and it goes based on the actual calendar year, not based on your statements. Use up the credits before December 31 and begin using 2018s credit on January 1.

Citi Prestige

The Citi Prestige card comes with a $250 airline credit (see what counts here). Citi calculates the year based on the statement closing date of the December statement. Be sure to give a few days leeway for the charges to go from pending to settled.

If you have a Prestige card, use up the credit now, there’s only a few weeks remaining until your December statement will close and you’ll lose any unused part of the credit. If you want to apply for the card now, you’ll need to do it soon to get in on 2017’s credit. Note, there isn’t any signup bonus currently on the card.

Amex Platinum and PRG

Amex Platinum personal, Platinum business, and Premier Rewards Gold cards have an airline incidental credit each year, $200 for the Platinum cards and $100 for PRG (see what counts here). With these cards, the airline credit is based on the calendar year, not on the statement closing. You can put the airline incidental charges anytime until December 31 and have it count toward the current year. It might have to actually post before year’s end, though; give some leeway for that to happen.

If you have these card, be sure to finish up your credits before December 31. If you’re looking to apply, there is still time to do so and get the 2017 credit.

US Bank Altitude

The US Bank Altitude card comes with a $325 annual travel credit. Here the travel credit goes based on the cardmember year, not the calendar year. Until your year is up there’s time to take advantage of your year #1 credit, then starts the next year. A lot of us applied for the card at launch and have until May 2018 to use the first year’s credit. There’s still plenty of time for this one, and there isn’t any reason to apply for the card now, specifically.

Bank of America Premium Rewards

The new Bank of America Premium Rewards card comes with $100 airline incidental credit (see what counts here). This resets based on the calendar year. Presumably that means you have until December 31, but it’s possible they’ll finish the year based on when your December statement closes. (Language is: “You are eligible for a statement credit of up to $100 each calendar year if you make qualifying airline incidental transactions.”)

Finish up your statement credit with this one soon (buying AA gift card is easiest), and start using your new credit on January 1. I’ll buy the gift card right away in the beginning of January in case they close that loophole.

Wells Fargo Propel

The Wells Fargo Propel has a $100 airline incidental credit (see what counts here).This credit goes based on the cardmember year, not the calendar year. Check when you applied and be sure to use it up by your anniversary date.

FBNO Travelite

The FBNO Travelite card comes with a $100 airline incidentals credit (see what counts here). FBNO counts this based on the calendar year. Not sure if they go based on December 31 or based on your December close date. Be sure to use up your credit soon and apply now if you want to get in two credits.

CNB Crystal

The CNB Crystal card offers a $250 annual incidental charges (see what counts here). CNB counts this based on the calendar year. Any spend until December 31 will count as part of the current year, and January 1 begins the next year. Be sure to complete your spend before December 31. Give a few days for the charge to settle before year’s end.

 

Also check out this useful series we posted at the end of last year:

• Haven’t Used Your American Express $200/$100 Travel Credit? Here’s What To Know
• Haven’t Used Your Citi Prestige $250 Travel Credit? Here’s What To Know
• Haven’t Used Your Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 Travel Credit? Here’s What To Know
• Haven’t Used Your Chase Ritz-Carlton $300 Travel Credit? Here’s What To Know