It’s Now or Never For Your Credit Card Credits — Let This Be Your Reminder to Use Them
As 2025 comes to a close, it’s “long end the coupon book” on your favorite credit card. This year, we were shown that there are truly no ceilings for premium credit cards — nor the innumerable credits and “benefits” they can fold into an increasingly steep annual fee.
And with that said, let this be a friendly reminder — whether you have an Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, or a third scarier option — that you only (probably) have about two weeks left to spend those credits. And realistically, it might be even less than that, since pending transactions can take a few days to confirm.
Lost? Now’s the time to find those credits — and avoid leaving things you already paid for on the table.
Credits galore: Assuming you’ve paid an annual fee for any sort of credit card, you probably have benefits on your card that you haven’t used. This is especially the case if you’re paying north of $300 per year for a credit card like an insane person — or even $895/yr, $795/yr, or $395/yr for the Amex Plat, CSR, or Venture X. We have assembled a shortlist of memorable credits that sometimes get forgotten on these three common premium cards.
- Platinum people: Amex lets you track the status of your benefits, just don’t forget the new $300 semiannual FHR credit (you can book into next year, too), the $200/yr airline incidental credit (how about a last-min upgrade?), and $75/quarter Lululemon credit (buy a final sale item and return).
- CSR enthusiasts: Chase’s $300/yr travel credit, $250 semiannual The Edit hotel credit, and the $150 in semiannual StubHub credits — but don’t forget the card’s monthly credits.
- Capital One, next X: Capital One’s $400/yr Venture X credit is pretty versatile — just check out their travel portal to see your status.
What About Everything Else?
Our two cents are by no means a last-ditch for an exhaustive list of card benefits — we’re looking at you, Citi Strata Elite, U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve, and airline card enthusiasts.
- Thankfully, there is an exhaustive list: The Doctor of Credit has assembled a list that is worth perusing if you have another card, or cards, that you are paying for.
- Missed a bunch of credits? A lot of credits are monthly statement credits, which means if you don’t spend them, they lose them — that might be worth taking notes on for 2026.
- Worst case, get paid or be gone: It might be time to add your renewal date to the calendar — at a minimum, you might ask for a retention bonus or cancel cards you didn’t make the most of.
Plus, there’s more to come: Let this be your reminder that 2026 is just around the corner — meaning a new month, a new quarter, and a new year — which means many of these card credits will be refreshing in a few weeks’ time. So that said, it’s now or never for these credits; plus, there will be more to spend next year.