Now is the time to assess your points for 2024!
Your valuable points and elevated statuses accumulated through credit cards, reward programs, or promotional offers represent significant savings or future opportunities for memorable trips. However, without careful attention, it would be unfortunate to see them lose their value or slip through the cracks.
Here’s a practical guide to optimizing your points and end-of-year offers before it’s too late.
First of all, look at your account. Do you have a few more nights to complete before you reach the next Marriott Bonvoy Elite status?
If so, you can book a stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel. Please note that a check-in on December 31 counts as an elite night for the year 2024, even if your departure date is January 1, 2025.
If you pay in cash, don’t forget our tips and tricks for paying less.
Each calendar year, you can transfer a maximum of 100,000 reward points from one account to another.
To transfer your points to another Marriott Bonvoy account, call 1-800-627-7468 or simply do it online at Marriott Bonvoy. The deadline is December 31, so that the transfer counts for 2024.
The “Promotions” tab in your Marriott Bonvoy account may reveal some surprise promotions. Sign up for the ones you’re interested in, if you happen to have any lying around.
If you have achieved Platinum or Titanium status during the year, don’t forget to select your annual benefit.
The deadline is January 7, 2025. However, if you don’t select anything, the default choice will be to receive “Five Upgrade Benefits” (or Nightly Upgrade Awards).
Check the number of elite nights you’ve accumulated since the beginning of the year. If you’re close to reaching the next status level, take advantage of it by planning a getaway or two. Make the most of their current promotion to earn even more points and double the benefits.
Until December 31, 2024, you’ll earn 2,500 bonus points for every stay at a Hilton portfolio hotel or resort. You must register for the promotion to be eligible.
You need to register here to take advantage of this offer.
Plus, there’s no limit to the number of bonus points that can be accumulated.
Do you have any remaining Maple Leaf lounge passes that will expire on December 31, 2024?
These passes can be shared with the person of your choice. Simply download your digital pass and send it to the traveller (PDF or screenshot of the code).
In your Aeroplan profile, check out the 3 circles of progression that could take you to the next level.
This gives you an idea of the Aeroplan Elite status you’ll have next year. If you’re a little short, will the flights you take over the holidays be enough?
Take advantage of this quieter period to get your travel strategy in order. Or even have fun exploring the Aeroplan search tool to find your next destination.
Are you on the right track?
How many points do you need to reach your goal? Wouldn’t it be a good time to get an Aeroplan credit card?
Or if you’re just a little short, Aeroplan has a promotion to buy Aeroplan points with an 80% bonus until December 23, 2024.
Aeroplan Members with high-end credit cards such as:
some of their benefits may be deferred until 2025.
Status Qualification Miles (SQM) exceeding the qualification threshold will be extended to 2025.
Don’t forget that, starting this year, a holder of one of these high-end Aeroplan credit cards can extend the expiry date of their eUpgrades credits by a further 12 months, for a total of 24 months of validity. Additionally, there is no longer a limit on the number of credits that can be extended (previously there was a maximum of 50 credits).
The only condition is that you must have a high-end credit card BEFORE December 15, 2024.
If you are missing points from your transactions over the past few months, you can claim them here.
This also applies to AIR MILES.
InterContinental Ambassador status from the IHG hotel chain (which owns Holiday Inn, for example) can be obtained by:
It allows to have:
If you’re planning to stay at an Intercontinental hotel in 2025, buy this status and take advantage of this opportunity.
Do you have any program points that have been lying dormant for too long?
If so, take the time to find out their expiry date so you don’t lose them. Read our article on points expiration rules and tips for keeping them alive.
Several excellent American Express promotional offers expire by December 31, 2024.
Auberge Resorts Collection
RBC credit cards and the AIR MILES program also offer promotional offers to earn more points, more miles or more credit when you make a specific purchase.
Check them out in our articles:
Have you used up all your annual travel credit on your National Bank World Elite Mastercard®?
You have until December 31, 2024, to claim your credit, if you don’t use it, it’s lost. On January 1, 2025, everything starts over at $150.
Thanks to the Shop the Block promotion, AIR MILES is offering bonus miles by using offers from several different partners from December 4 to December 18, 2024 (just in time for your last-minute holiday shopping):
It’s easy to shop at 5 or more partners to achieve a value of over $80 by following these steps:
Promotions for several credit card welcome bonuses end in early January 2025. During the holiday season, consider which one might suit you best based on your future purchases and mid-decade travel plans.
Then there are the TD Aeroplan cards, like the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card or the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card (ending January 6, 2025) which offer travel benefits such as:
Here is a selection of the best deals that are ending soon:
We would like to remind you of the excellent December promotion with Flying Blue.
It allows you to secure a seat with KLM for a Montreal-Paris flight, requiring 25% fewer Flying Blue miles for their reward tickets.
The Scene+ program offers a variety of promotions to boost members’ points balances. For example:
Check out the latest Scene+ promotions in our special’s article.
For those who qualify for a FHSA, the deadline in 2024 to contribute to the $8,000 annual contribution limit for the FHSA annual contribution limit is December 31.
If you plan to buy your first home by 2029, we recommend that you open your FHSA before December 31, 2024. That way, you’ll accumulate $8,000 in tax credits for 2024, which you can carry forward to future years.
To make sure your credit report is in order, you can request a free, complete statementof the information on your credit report.
This can be done by mail or in person at Equifax and Transunion.
Here is the form for:
You can also call them. Customer service will ask you a series of financial and personal questions to confirm your identity.
You will then receive your statement in the mail approximately two weeks later.
Take advantage of the quieter holiday season to get your credit cards and rewards programs in order. Take the time to (re)-read our beginner’s guide at the same time.
This will get you ready for 2025!
Savings are here:
