Don’t forget: The 5 types of credit card perks that reset each calendar year
Editor’s note: This guide has been updated with the latest information.
It’s been a hectic year, to say the least, but it’s almost time to turn that calendar page to 2022. Before that next chapter arrives, though, it’s important to remember that a number of valuable, permanent credit card perks reset at the end of 2021.
These benefits, especially with premium credit cards, are an important part of balancing out the hefty annual fees we pay, so it’s crucial to utilize them whenever possible.
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Here are five types of credit card perks that reset each calendar year.
In This Post
Annual travel-related credits
Many premium cards now offer annual travel credits ranging from airline and hotel discounts on cobranded cards to more general travel credits on transferable points cards.
On certain cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You can check out this guide for a full walk-through of the top cards with annual travel credits, but it’s important to keep in mind that each card offers a slightly different form of credit.
A note about American Express cards
With the Amex cards mentioned above, you receive an annual “airline incidental credit.” This typically can’t be used directly toward the cost of airfare, only for incidental charges like bag fees, seat assignment, lounge access, etc.
There have been reports of workarounds but remember, this is not how the credit is intended to be used, and your results may vary.
Flexibility with Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a more flexible $300 annual travel credit that will automatically be applied to a wide range of travel purchases including airfare, hotels, Airbnb stays, public transit, parking fees and many more items.
Cards with calendar year-based travel credits offer a great chance to double dip. If you apply for the card at the end of the calendar year, you’ll be able to earn the credit twice before you have to pay your second annual fee.
Capped bonus categories
A common trend we’ve seen with premium credit cards is the introduction of high-value bonus spending categories — with a cap.
For instance, the American Express® Gold Card caps your 4 bonus points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets at a spending limit of $25,000 per calendar year (then it goes to 1 point per dollar spent). With The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, your 2 points per dollar earnings on all purchases are limited to the first $50,000 per calendar year (earn 1 point per dollar thereafter). Other great rewarding cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card have similar caps on their bonus categories.
Thankfully, these all reset at the beginning of the year, so it’s time to clean out your sock drawer and reevaluate which cards deserve a spot in your physical wallet each day.
Related: A guide to the best travel cards broken down by bonus category
Spending bonuses
Credit card issuers make the bulk of their profit from two avenues: interest they collect on late payments and swipe or interchange fees each time you use your card.
While there’s nothing they can do to incentivize savvy TPG readers to carry a balance on their cards, there are plenty of different bonuses being offered for spending a certain amount each year.
The bonuses vary depending on how much you’re willing to spend. For instance, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card will give you a free weekend night reward for spending $15,000 on purchases on your card in a calendar year — and you can upgrade to Hilton Diamond status by spending $40,000 a year. However, you can get both a free night and Diamond status automatically by holding the premium Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
When it comes to airline cobranded cards, there are generally two types of spending bonuses you can find, both of which help cardholders earn elite status faster.
United and Delta both issue an elite status revenue waiver for customers who spend a certain amount on their credit cards each year. Both American and Delta also offer the ability to earn elite (or Medallion) qualifying miles from credit card spend.
Referral bonuses
When you start sharing photos of all your travel points and miles redemptions, you’re bound to have friends start asking you how they can get a slice of the action as well.
It takes a decent amount of coaching to help someone select the right credit card, earn a welcome bonus and redeem the miles at a decent value, and you deserve to be compensated for the time you spend helping them. One great way to do this is by sharing referral links for your credit cards.
Most card issuers cap the number of referral bonuses you can earn, but these reset at the end of each calendar year.
Related: How to refer friends and earn points, miles or cash credits
Companion fares
A number of cobranded airline credit cards offer some form of a companion certificate either as a standard benefit or after reaching a certain annual spending threshold. Each one has its own set of rules governing what routes (domestic vs. international) and fare classes (award vs. cash tickets, different cabins, etc.) are eligible, and what (if any) additional cost you’ll incur.
Keep in mind that because of the pandemic, many companion certificate passes have been extended to give you more flexibility if you’re not traveling now.
Rather than drowning you in all those details, you can check out this companion certificate guide if you have a cobranded Alaska Airlines, Delta, British Airways or American Airlines credit card to figure out how to maximize your companion certificate.
At the end of the day, this hobby is all about discounted or free travel, and a free ticket for your companion is about as good as it gets.
Bottom line
As the year comes to a close, it’s a good idea to do two things: ensure you’ve taken advantage of your card benefits in 2021, and map out a rough plan of how you want to use those perks for 2022 (if you decide it’s worth keeping that card).
Many of these benefits are the very reason we keep these expensive cards open year after year. If you’ve already paid your annual fee, the fastest way to get that value back is by maxing out your credits and rebates and figuring out how to make the cards in your wallet work for you.
Additional reporting by Ethan Steinberg.
Featured photo by The Points Guy.