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Coup It Or Lose It! Premium Card Benefits Expire in 60 Days

5 min read
  • credit-card-benefits
  • year-end-planning
  • benefit-expiration

Coup It Or Lose It! Your Benefits Expire in 60 Days

It's November 1st. You have 60 days to use your credit card benefits before they reset on January 1, 2026.

If you have a premium travel card, you're probably sitting on hundreds of dollars in unused credits that are about to vanish. Forever.

Let me walk you through what expires and how to use it.

What Resets on January 1st

Here's what disappears across popular premium cards:

Amex Platinum ($895/year)

Expiring in 60 days:

  • $200 Airline Fee Credit (annual)
  • $300 Hotel Credit (semi-annual, July-Dec)
  • $50 Saks Credit (semi-annual, July-Dec)
  • $209 CLEAR Plus (annual)
  • $300 Equinox membership (annual)
  • $200 Oura Ring (annual)

Monthly credits (use by December 31):

  • $15 Uber (November + December = $30)
  • $25 Digital Entertainment (November + December = $50)

Quarterly credits (Q4 ends December 31):

  • $75 Lululemon
  • $100 Resy dining

Total expiring: Up to $1,514

Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550/year)

Expiring in 60 days:

  • $250 The Edit Hotel Credit (semi-annual, July-Dec) → 2-night minimum prepaid bookings
  • $150 Sapphire Dining Credit (semi-annual, July-Dec) → 300+ restaurants

Monthly credits (use by December 31):

  • $10 Lyft (November + December = $20)
  • $25 DoorDash (November + December = $50)
  • $10 Peloton (November + December = $20)

Quarterly credits (Q4 ends December 31):

  • $150 StubHub

Total expiring: Up to $790

Note: The $300 Travel Credit resets based on your card anniversary year, not the calendar year, so it may not expire January 1st.

Citi Strata Elite ($395/year)

Expiring in 60 days:

  • $300 Hotel Credit (annual) → 2+ nights via Citi Travel
  • $200 Splurge Credit (annual) → Activate up to 2 merchants
  • $100 Blacklane Credit (semi-annual, July-Dec) → Chauffeur service

Total expiring: Up to $600

Amex Gold ($325/year)

Monthly credits (use by December 31):

  • $10 Uber Eats (November + December = $20)
  • $10 Dining credit (November + December = $20)

Total expiring: Up to $40

Your 60-Day Action Plan

Week 1: The Easy Wins

Monthly credits:

  • Amex: Uber ($15), Entertainment ($25)
  • Chase: Lyft ($10), DoorDash ($25), Peloton ($10)

Set calendar reminders for December 1st to use them again.

Saks credit ($50 Amex Platinum):

  • Go to saks.com, filter by "sale"
  • Buy basics, beauty products, or holiday gifts
  • Free shipping over $50

Lululemon ($75 Amex Platinum):

  • Buy workout gear online or in-store
  • Q4 credit ends December 31

StubHub ($150 Chase):

  • Buy tickets to concerts, sports, events
  • Q4 credit ends December 31

Week 2-4: The Big Ones

Airline credit ($200):

Don't waste this on baggage fees. Buy airline gift cards:

  • Southwest gift cards at southwest.com
  • United gift cards at united.com
  • American gift cards at aa.com

They trigger the credit and never expire. Use them for 2026 flights.

Hotel credits:

  • Amex Platinum ($300): Book a Fine Hotels & Resorts stay for early 2026. The credit applies when you book, not when you travel.
  • Chase The Edit ($250): Book a 2+ night prepaid stay through Chase Travel. Credit applies on booking.
  • Citi Strata Elite ($300): Book 2+ nights via cititravel.com. Can use points + card combo.

Chase Sapphire Dining ($150):

Book a reservation at one of 300+ Exclusive Tables restaurants before December 31.

Week 5-8: The Annual Credits

CLEAR Plus ($209 Amex):

If you fly through busy airports 4+ times a year, renew at clearme.com.

Equinox ($300 Amex):

If you use Equinox, make sure your membership is active.

Citi Splurge Credit ($200):

Activate up to 2 merchants at citi.com/splurgecredit and use before year-end.

Blacklane ($100 Citi):

Book chauffeur service for airport transfers or luxury rides before December 31.

Quick Checklist

Print this. Check it off before January 1st:

This week:

  • Use November monthly credits (Uber, entertainment, Lyft, DoorDash, Peloton)
  • Buy airline gift cards if credit unused
  • Shop at Saks if credit unused
  • Use Lululemon Q4 credit
  • Use StubHub Q4 credit (Chase)

Weeks 2-4:

  • Book FHR hotel for 2026 trip (Amex)
  • Book The Edit hotel for 2026 trip (Chase)
  • Book Citi Travel hotel if you have Strata Elite
  • Use Resy credit for nice dinner
  • Book Sapphire Dining reservation

By December 31:

  • Use December monthly credits (Amex + Chase)
  • Verify all benefits captured
  • Activate Citi Splurge merchants if needed

Don't Leave Money on the Table

If you have an Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve, you could be wasting $2,300+ if you don't use your benefits by year-end.

Add in the Citi Strata Elite? That's another $600.

Most people forget. Most people waste 30-50% of their available credits.

You have 60 days. Use this guide. Knock out the monthly stuff first, then tackle the big credits.

Coup it or lose it.

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