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It’s time to review your points balance for 2025!
Your valuable points and elite statuses earned through credit cards, rewards programs, or promotional offers can mean significant savings or future opportunities for unforgettable travel. But without careful attention, it would be a real shame to see them lose 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. Note that a check-in on December 31 counts as an elite night for 2025, even if your departure is on January 1, 2026.
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 rewards points from one account to another.
To transfer your points to another Marriott Bonvoy account, you can call 1-800-627-7468 or simply do it online through the Marriott Bonvoy website. The deadline is December 31, so the transfer will count for the 2025 calendar year.
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 February 1, 2026. However, if you don’t make a selection, the default choice will be to receive “Five Upgrade Benefits” (or Nightly Upgrade Awards).
Check how many elite nights you’ve earned since the start of the year. If you’re close to reaching the next status level, consider booking a getaway or two. Take advantage of their current promotion to earn even more points and double your rewards.
Until December 31, 2025, you’ll earn 1,500 bonus points for every stay at any hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio. You must register for the promotion to be eligible.
You need to register here to take advantage of this offer.
Furthermore, there is no limit to the number of bonus points that can be earned.
Do you still have passes to access Maple Leaf Lounges that will expire on December 31, 2025?
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 will have next year. If you’re a little short, will the flights you take over the holidays be enough?
Please note that Aeroplan status qualification criteria are changing in 2026. Consult our following guides to learn more:
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 only need a few more, Aeroplan has a promotion to buy Aeroplan points with a bonus of up to 100% until December 17, 2025.
Aeroplan members holding a premium credit card such as:
may have some of their benefits deferred to 2026.
Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) exceeding the qualification threshold will be rolled over to 2026. Rolled over SQM will be converted to SQC at a 5:1 ratio, up to a maximum of 40,000 SQC in 2026.
Starting in 2027, primary holders of a premium Aeroplan credit card who qualify for Aeroplan Elite Status will be able to benefit from a 10% SQC bonus calculated based on their earnings from the previous year. This benefit replaces the current SQM rollover benefit.
If you are missing points from your transactions over the past few months, you can claim them here.
This is also valid for 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 plan to stay at an Intercontinental hotel in 2026, 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 check their expiry date so you don’t lose them. Read our article on points expiry rules and tips to keep your points active.
Several excellent American Express promotional offers end by December 31, 2025.
RBC credit cards and the AIR MILES program also offer promotional deals to earn more points, miles, or credit when you make a specific purchase. Check them in your apps and online accounts. And for your online purchases, make sure to go through a portal like Airmilesshops.ca or RBC Avion to earn more rewards.
Have you used up all your annual travel credit on your National Bank World Elite Mastercard®?
It’s time to claim your entitlement until December 31, 2025, because if it’s not used, it’s lost. On January 1, 2026, everything resets to $150.
Several other credit cards offer annual credits, but most renew based on the card’s membership anniversary date. Consult our article on cards offering these annual credits to learn everything.
This is a good opportunity to review your credit cards and see if you have any unused credits.
Thanks to the Shop the Block promotion, AIR MILES offers bonus miles when using offers from several different partners from December 8 to 22, 2025 (just in time for your last-minute holiday shopping):
Earn up to 775 bonus miles for a value of over $80. We provide our best tips in our guide on AIR MILES Shop the Block.
Scene+ offers advantageous promotions for earning and redeeming points during the holidays:
All details can be found in our article on Scene+ offers.
Promotions for several credit card welcome bonuses are ending in the coming weeks. During the holidays, examine which one might suit your needs, based on your future mid-decade purchases and travels:
Then, TD Aeroplan cards such as the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card or the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card whose offers can change at any time and which provide travel benefits such as:
Here is a selection of the best deals that are ending soon:
We also remind you of the excellent December promotion for Flying Blue.
It allows you to get a seat with KLM for an Ottawa-Paris flight, requiring 25% fewer Flying Blue miles on its award flights.
There is currently a status match offer with Flying Blue. If you have Aeroplan Elite Status or status with another eligible airline, take advantage of this opportunity to get a status match with Flying Blue!
For individuals who qualify for an FHSA, the deadline in 2025 to contribute to the annual contribution limit of $8,000 for the FHSA is December 31.
If you plan to buy your first home by 2030, it is recommended to open your FHSA before December 31, 2025. This way, you will accumulate $8,000 in contribution room for 2025, which you can carry forward to subsequent years.
Read our article to learn how to optimize your finances before the end of the year.
To make sure your credit report is in order, you can request a free, complete statement of 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 help you be ready for 2026!
Yes, there is still time to achieve a higher status with several loyalty programs. Hotel nights count until December 31, and some programs like IHG even allow you to directly purchase a high status like InterContinental Ambassador for US$225.
Several excellent promotions are active: Aeroplan offers a 100% bonus on point purchases until December 17, Hilton Honors gives 1,500 bonus points per stay until December 31, and AIR MILES offers Shop the Block with up to 775 bonus miles from December 8 to 22.
You can transfer up to 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per calendar year to another account. The deadline is December 31 for the transfer to count towards the current year’s quota, and the transfer can be done online or by phone.
Savings are here (if you don’t see the sign-up form, please click here):
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