Right Now Is a Good Time to Use Yearly Credits (Or Get Them 2X!) on Amex Platinum and Gold Cards

October – chilly autumn air, pumpkins, scary movies, the inevitable return of the holidays, then a new year. And for many cards, mainly the Amex Platinum and Gold cards, the last opportunity to use your statement credits. Such is Q4.

And if there’s a card you want, you still have enough time to apply, use the credits for 2018 – then get a fresh batch of credits to use in 2019. You effectively get double the credits for 1 annual fee, which is awesome.

Treat yo self to an upgrade, checked bag, or something extra this year AND next for 1 annual fee!

Here are cards for an end of the year double-dip.

Get an Amex statement credit 2X in 2018 and 2019

1. Amex Platinum Cards




The Platinum Card® from American Express60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points







• $550 annual fee• $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening


• $200 annual airline incidental credit

• $200 in Uber credits annually

• 5X points on flights and travel booked through Amex

• Access to the fantastic Centurion Lounges, Delta SkyClubs, and Priority Pass network

• Terms apply



• Learn more here

First up is the Amex Platinum Card. It’s a behemoth of a card with a nearly endless list of benefits – including a $200 annual airline incidental credit on an airline of your choice, including:

Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Delta
Frontier
Hawaiian Airlines
JetBlue
Spirit
Southwest
United Airlines

I always pick Southwest as my airline to upgrade my boarding position, buy drinks in-flight, and more

Though there’s a $550 annual fee, the $200 airline credit certainly helps make up for it. And if you’re new to the card, you can use the credit in 2018 – then again beginning January 1, 2019.

Remember to select an airline before you use the credit

This is also a great card to have around the holidays for lounge access to get away from crowded and noisy gates, and to check bags full of gifts to give or that you received, without thinking about which card to use. Get it all credited back, usually within a few business days. You can select your airline here.

You also get Uber credits – $15 per month, except for December when you get $35. That could be useful to get to the airport for a flight home for the holidays. And it’s a nice end of year bump.

Finally, there’s the $50 Saks credit you get every 6 months (January through June, and July through December). You could use it for a gift, or just treat yourself to something nice.

If you use all your credits between October 2018 and October 2019, you could get:

$400 in airline incidental credits ($200 in 2018 and $200 in 2019)
$200 in Uber credits
$150 in Saks credits (July through December, January through June, then July through December again)

For a total of $750. So the credits outweigh far the annual fee – and doesn’t include the welcome bonus, lounge access, 5X on airfare, and tons of other perks.

By the way, here’s a FlyerTalk forum where peeps share exactly what purchases trigger the airline credit – just search for your preferred airline.  And FYI – ALL these credits are use it or lose it. They do NOT roll over!

2. Amex Gold Card




American Express® Gold Card25,000 Amex Membership Rewards points







• $250 annual fee• $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening


• 4X Amex points on dining at US restaurants

• 20% statement credit at US restaurants in the first 3 months, up to $100, when you apply by 1/9/19

• 4X Amex points on up to $25,000 per year at grocery stores

• 3X Amex points on airfare booked directly or travel booked through Amex

• $100 airline incidental credit per calendar year

• Terms apply• Learn more here

This credit works the same as the Platinum Card, but it’s $100 per calendar year.  If you use the credits in 2018, and again in 2019, that’s $200 to make a dent in the $250 annual fee.

I must say, I’m impressed with the 4X bonus categories on this card. Though I wish they weren’t limited to US-only. That seems terribly short-sighted for a travel card.

But if you dine a lot, or want a card with a huge return at grocery stores, this one is definitely worth a look. Plus, you’ll get 20% back at US restaurants, up to $100, when you apply by January 9th, 2019. That, plus the $200 airline incidental credits, can easily recoup the annual fee in just a few months.

3. Amex cards with spending thresholds




Blue Business Plus Amex 







• $0 annual fee


• This is by far the best card for 2X points on all spending• Learn more here

Some Amex cards don’t have statement credits, but rather, limits on the number of bonus points you can earn. Think of them as rebates.

For example, with the Blue Business Plus Amex (check it out here), you can earn 2X Amex points on up to $50,000 spent per calendar year. After that, you’ll earn 1X.

Other Amex cards have similar setups, like:

Amex EveryDay card – 2X Amex points at US supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year
Amex EveryDay Preferred card – 3X Amex points at US supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year
Blue Cash Preferred – 6% cashback at US supermarkets, up to $6,000 per year – learn more about the card here

If you want to earn elite status through spending to score upgrades and free breakfast, you have a few more months to do it

And if you’re gunning to earn elite status credit, or other bonuses for spending, that’s coming to close at the end of December as well. Many Amex cards let you spend your way to elite status, like:

Hilton Honors Ascend Credit Card from American Express – Get a free weekend night when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year and get Hilton Diamond elite status when you spend $40,000 in a calendar year – learn more about the card here
Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card from American Express – Earn 15,000 MQMs toward Delta status and 15,000 bonus miles when you spent $30,000 in a calendar year – learn more about the card here

Other Amex cards have similar rewards for spending, or thresholds for bonus points, so you have a few more months if you’re close to the line.

Mint.com will tell you how much you’ve spent this year on any card

I wrote how to use Mint.com to track your spending on any credit card. You can check by clicking “Trends” then filtering by card, and “This year.”

That way you can see exactly how much you have left to go to earn bonus points or meet a spending threshold for a reward.