Your Year-End Credit Card Checklist: Use All Your Credit Limit

As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to make sure you don’t waste any of your credit card benefits.

Many benefits are “use it or lose it” at the end of each calendar year, meaning you could be wasting money if you forget to use them.

Here’s a to-do list of key credit card-related tasks before your annual benefits are used. Remember, while this guide will detail annual benefits, be sure to check out our list of monthly benefits and quarterly and semi-annual points.

American Express

American Express Platinum Card

this American Express Platinum Card® Many statement points are included, so you’ll have to stay on top of things to maximize those points and recoup some of the card’s $895 annual fee (see rates and fees).

• Airline incidental charges: Earn up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year toward incidental charges on an eligible airline of your choice*
• clear plus: Use up to $209 in bill credits per calendar year toward your Clear Plus membership (excluding taxes and fees)*^
• spring equinox: Equinox Gym and Equinox+ app memberships earn up to $300 in bill credits per calendar year*^
• Oura Ring: Oura Ring offers up to $200 in bill credits per calendar year*

*Certain benefits require registration.

^Can be automatically renewed.

American Express Business Platinum Card

American Express Business Platinum Card® Focus on growing your business and helping you save money on business-related purchases.

• Adobe: Earn up to $250 in bill credits per calendar year after spending $600 or more on purchases made directly through Adobe in a calendar year*^
• Airline incidental charges: Earn up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year toward incidental charges on an eligible airline of your choice*
• clear plus: Use up to $209 in bill credits per calendar year toward your Clear Plus membership (excluding taxes and fees)*^
• Dell Technologies: Earn up to $150 in statement points per calendar year on U.S. purchases made directly with Dell, plus an additional $1,000 in statement points per calendar year when you spend $5,000 or more at Dell*

*Certain benefits require registration.

^Can be automatically renewed.

American Express Green

Unlike its more expensive counterparts, the American Express® Green Card doesn’t have as many points, and its clear statement of value is easy to set up and forget.

• clear plus: Use up to $209 in bill credits per calendar year toward your Clear Plus membership (taxes not included; registration required; auto-renewable)

American Express Green Card information is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Delta co-branded card

American Express’ suite of Delta co-branded cards (excluding no-annual-fee cards) offer statement points on Delta stays each calendar year. Points range from $100 to $250, depending on which card you have, and are only valid for prepaid stays.

Hilton Honors Aspire

Hilton’s top credit cards Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Cardprovide a clear credit statement.

• clear plus: Use up to $209 in bill credits per calendar year toward your Clear Plus membership (taxes not included; registration required; auto-renewable)

Related: How long does it take to receive statement points from American Express, Capital One, Chase and Citi?

Bank of America

Bank of America Premium Rewards

this Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card Offers solid credit in exchange for a $95 annual fee.

• Airline incidental charges: Earn up to $100 in travel statement credits per year toward eligible airline purchases such as airline lounge fees, baggage fees, inflight services and seat upgrades

Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite

The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card offers a pair of annual points to help offset the $550 annual fee.

• Airline incidental charges: Earn up to $300 in travel statement credits per year toward eligible airline purchases such as airline lounge fees, baggage fees, inflight services and seat upgrades
• lifestyle purchases: Up to $150 in “lifestyle convenience” bill credits, including fitness subscriptions, food delivery, ride hailing and video streaming services

Information for the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Everything you should know about the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program

catch up

Chase Sapphire Commercial Reserve

this Chase Sapphire Business Reserve℠ (See Rates and Fees) Comes with annual statement credit, which is a helpful productivity tool.

• google workspace: Can be used to purchase Google Workspace up to $200 per year (ends December 31, 2027)

Southwest Express Rewards Priority

This is the last year you can take advantage of travel points Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (See Rates and Fees) as it expires on December 31, 2025 and will not be renewed in 2026.

• Southwest Airlines Procurement: Earn up to $75 in points when you spend on Southwest Airlines flights, including airfare (excluding inflight purchases and upgrade boarding)

United Airlines co-branded card

Two United Airlines co-branded cards from Chase earn annual United Travel Bank Cash Points after meeting certain requirements. These vary depending on which card you have.

Related: The Best Credit Cards to Earn and Redeem Rewards

Citibank

Citi/AAdvantage Executive

this Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (See Rates and Fees) Statement credit available to help offset the $595 annual fee.

• Avis/Budget: Up to $120 in statement credits per calendar year on eligible prepaid car rental purchases booked directly through Avis or Budget

Citi/AAdvantage Globe

a credit Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (See Rates and Fees) Reset every calendar year. If you recently added this new card to your wallet, you’ll want to make sure you use it.

• Splurge Credit: You can choose up to two of the following brands and receive up to $100 in Splurge points each calendar year: 1stDibs, qualifying AAdvantage hotel reservations, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation (not applicable)

Citi reputation

The Citi Prestige® Card, while not open to new applicants, offers benefits to those who still have the card in their wallets.

• travel: Enjoy up to $250 in statement credits on travel purchases each calendar year

Citi Prestige information is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Citi Elite

this Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (See Rates and Fees) Offers annual statement credit that does not require registration.

• hotel: Save up to $300 per calendar year on a prepaid, two-night minimum hotel stay with Citi Travel
• squandering credit: Earn up to $200 in Splurge points per calendar year with your choice of up to two of the following brands: 1stDibs, American Airlines, Best Buy, Future Personal Training and Live Nation (not applicable)

Citi Strata Premium

The annual credit limit is Citi Strata Premier® Card (see Rates & Fees) is a solid benefit for a mid-range travel card.

• hotel: Get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booking through the Citi Travel Portal

Related: Top credit cards with annual travel points

Additional action items

Activate and maximize reward categories

There are many credit cards that offer quarterly rotating bonus categories that you can activate to earn bonus income, e.g. Chase Freedom Flex® (See Rates and Fees).

Its rotating category will end on December 31 and will be replaced with a new category early next year. Don’t forget to take advantage of this quarter’s bonuses to activate your next set of categories once we enter the new year.

Take advantage of limited time promotions expiring soon

Several promotions will end on December 31st. These include targeted offers to earn extra points, bonus cash back or statement points through Amex Offers, Bank AmeriDeals, Capital One Offers, Chase Offers and Citi Merchant Offers. You’ll also need to add the offers to your card before you can use them to receive points or credits.

Apply for a card with a higher welcome bonus

There are several great credit card offers available right now. Many of these offers won’t last long, so if you’re interested in taking advantage of one or more of these great welcome bonuses, you’ll want to act early.

Related: This month’s best limited-time credit card deals

bottom line

The end of the year is quickly approaching, and now is the perfect time to collect all your credit cards and review their annual statement credits.

Make sure you maximize all the benefits available to ensure you don’t waste your money. These points help offset annual fees, enhance your experience and help you save on common purchases.

Related: The best premium credit cards: Side-by-side comparison

For American Express Platinum Card rates and fees, click here.