Year-End Credit Card Checklist: 12 Benefits Expiring Dec 31st
Don't leave money on the table. These credits and benefits reset or expire on December 31st—use them before they're gone.
Strategy · 6 min read · 2024-12-12
Why Year-End Matters
Most credit card benefits operate on a calendar year (January 1 - December 31). If you haven't used your annual credits by December 31st, they disappear forever.
Your December Checklist
1. Annual Travel Credits
Cards Affected:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve ($300)
- Capital One Venture X ($300)
- Amex Platinum ($200 FHR)
- Citi Strata Premier ($100)
Action Required: Book any remaining travel by December 15th to ensure charges post before December 31st.
Recovery Strategy: Don't have travel plans? Book refundable hotels for January 2025 trips.
2. Q4 Quarterly Credits
Cards Affected:
- Amex Platinum: Lululemon ($75 Q4), Resy ($100 Q4)
- Hilton Aspire: Airline ($50 Q4)
Action Required: Use Q4 credits before December 31st. These are "use it or lose it"—they don't roll into Q1 2025.
3. Second Half Semi-Annual Credits
Cards Affected:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: The Edit ($250 per prepaid two-night booking, $500 annual cap — not semiannual, deadline December 31), StubHub ($150 H2), Dining ($150 H2)
- Amex Platinum/Gold: Saks ($50 H2)
- Hilton Aspire: Resort credit ($200 H2)
- Amex Gold: Resy ($50 H2)
Action Required: Book eligible purchases by December 27th to ensure posting before year-end.
4. December Uber Bonus (Amex Platinum)
Special Benefit:
- Regular months: $15 Uber Cash
- December: $35 Uber Cash ($15 + $20 bonus)
Action Required: Use all $35 before December 31st (expires monthly).
5. Final Monthly Credits
Ensure December credits are used:
- DoorDash credits (Chase Sapphire Reserve): $25
- Uber Cash (Amex Gold): $10
- Dining credits (Amex Gold): $10
- Dunkin' (Amex Gold): $7
- Lyft (Chase Sapphire Reserve): $10
- Digital Entertainment (Amex Platinum): $25
Deadline: Use by December 29th to ensure posting before year-end.
6. TSA PreCheck / Global Entry Renewals
Cards with Credits:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve ($100 every 4 years)
- Capital One Venture X ($120 every 4 years)
- Hilton Aspire ($209 CLEAR)
- Marriott Brilliant ($85-120)
Action Required: Check your expiration date. If expiring in 2025, renew now to use 2024 credit.
Your Week-by-Week December Timeline
Week of December 1-7
- Audit all annual credits (travel, hotel, airline)
- Book any outstanding travel using annual credits
- Use Q4 quarterly credits (Lululemon, Resy)
- Check semi-annual credits (Saks H2, Resort H2, etc.)
Week of December 8-14
- Complete all hotel bookings for semi-annual credits
- Purchase event tickets (StubHub, dining reservations)
- Renew TSA PreCheck/Global Entry if applicable
Week of December 15-21
- Final travel purchases to trigger annual credits
- Shop at Saks for H2 credit
- Book flights and pay ancillary fees for airline credits
- Verify all quarterly credits used
Week of December 22-28
- Use all monthly credits (DoorDash, Uber, dining)
- Use December's $35 Uber Cash (Platinum)
- Final Resy/dining reservations
- Verify all credits posted to account
The Painful Math of Unused Benefits
Example: Amex Platinum Cardholder Who Forgets Year-End:
- Unused FHR credit: -$200
- Unused Q4 Lululemon: -$75
- Unused Q4 Resy: -$100
- Unused H2 Saks: -$50
- Forgot December Uber bonus: -$20
- Missed airline fee credit: -$200
Total value lost: $645
Effective annual fee: $895 + $645 wasted = $1,540
Prevention: Set Up Your 2025 Calendar Now
Before December 31st, set up recurring 2025 reminders:
- Quarterly (Jan 1, Apr 1, Jul 1, Oct 1): Use Lululemon credit, use Resy credit
- Semi-Annual (Jan 1, Jul 1): Use Saks credit, book hotel with semi-annual credit
- Monthly (25th): Use all monthly credits (DoorDash, Uber, dining)
- Annual (November 1): Audit all annual benefits, plan year-end spending
The Bottom Line
Credit card benefits are "use it or lose it." December is your last chance to capture 2024 value.
Spend 2 hours this week auditing your cards. Those 2 hours could save you $500-1,000 in wasted benefits.
Your move.
Updated 2026-07-31