If you play this points and miles game or you want to, there are a number of things to do and items to address at the beginning of each new year. For example, spend caps reset, American Express airline selections are due and plans to earn some annual spend bonuses should be made. Let’s look at each of these items separately…
1. All of you annual spend caps start again. Here are a few that you should be aware of.
a) $6,000 in groceries with the American Express Everyday Preferred Card -You earn 3X Membership Rewards points at supermarkets up to $6,000 per year in purchases. After you spend $6,000 in a given year, you only earn 1X Membership per $1 spent at supermarkets.
b) $6,000 in groceries-The same rule above applies with the American Express Everyday Card but you earn 2x points up to $6,000 per year and then 1x point.
b) $100,000 in spending on certain categories with the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card– You can choose one of five categories to earn 3x Membership Rewards points per $1. These categories are: 1) Airfare purchased directly from airlines, 2) Advertising, 3) Gas Stations, 4) Shipping, and 5) Computer hardware, software and cloud computing purchases. You earn 2x Membership Rewards points in the remaining four categories. BUT-3X and 2X points are received only for the first $100,000 in purchases in each of the five categories per year. 1X points thereafter.
2. It’s time to make your American Express airline selection for 2016.
It is time to choose or change your airline selection for the $200 airline fee credit if you have the American Express Platinum and the Business Platinum and the $100 airline fee credit if you have the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card. Don’t forget, with the Airline Fee Credit benefit, you can receive up to $200/$100 per calendar year in statement credits when incidental fees are charged by your selected airline to your above mentioned card accounts. Incidental fees covered by this benefit include Airport lounge day-passes, Checked bags, In-flight refreshments, Flight-change fees and Overweight/oversize baggage fees. If you do nothing, your airline selection will remain the same as it was in 2015. But if you want to select a new airline, you must do so by January 31, 2016.
3. Assess what annual spend bonuses you will try to earn, if any. Here are some that are available that you may want to shoot for…
a) Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Visa–If you can spend $25,000 in a calendar year on your Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Visa card, you will receive an additional 10,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles that year.
b) Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card–If you can spend $25,000 in a calendar year on your Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card, you will receive an additional 10,000 United MileagePlus bonus miles that year.
c) American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card–If you spend $25,000 or more on the American Express Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card, you will be awarded 10,000 bonus SkyMiles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) and if in that same calendar year you spend $50,000 or more, you will be awarded an additional 10,000 bonus SkyMiles and 10,000 MQMs.
d) Citi Hilton Honors Visa Signature Card–A new benefit to the Citi Hilton Honors Visa Signature Card is an offer for an Annual Loyalty Bonus. Now as a card member, you can earn 10,000 Hilton Honors bonus points at the end of each calendar year in which you spend $1,000 or more on stays within the Hilton Portfolio.
e) Chase British Airways Visa Signature card-Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa Signature card, you will earn a Travel Together Ticket, good for two years, that can be used when you redeem Avios for a flight on British Airways. You basically redeem Avios for one ticket and you get another ticket for free. You are eligible for only one voucher each calendar year. Your Travel Together Ticket will be issued at the end of the billing cycle that you reach $30,000 in purchases.
4. Enroll in you elite status programs that are available to you…
If you have the American Express Platinum or the American Express Business Platinum, you get Starwood Preferred Guest Gold status in the SPG program and Hilton Honors Gold status in the Hilton Honors program. To have this status, you must request enrollment from American Express.