There are 3 main “premium” travel credit cards out there that have similar (some might say overlapping) benefits. Â They all have a (usually not waived) $450 annual fee and offer airline or travel credits. Â There are 3 cards, one from Citibank, American Express and Chase. Â Since we’re coming up to the end of the year, I thought I’d talk about the American Express Platinum airline travel credit, the Citi Prestige airline credit and the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit. Â There is a misconception that you have until the end of the year (December 31st) to redeem these airline credits and in 2 of the 3 cases that is NOT the case!
(SEE ALSO: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Amex Platinum vs Citi Prestige)
Amex Platinum airline credit
The American Express Platinum airline credit is $200 each year, and the Amex Platinum airline credit DOES work on a calendar year basis. Â I have written before about how to use (and maximize!) the Amex Platinum airline credit
You have until December 31st to use the credit, and the Amex $200 airline credit is typically only good for things like baggage fees, change fees, phone reservation fees (but you might not have to pay those!) and incidentals like food, beverage and wi-fi as long as it’s charged directly by the airline.
In practice, some people have reported getting the Amex Platinum airline credit reimbursement on gift cards or award ticket fees, as long as it’s for a smaller amount.  I actually used an airline credit to buy gift cards last year, only to find out that American Airlines does not take gift cards for the taxes and fees on award tickets!
Remember that with the Amex Platinum airline credit, you have to specify when you get the card (or at the beginning of each year) which airline you are using for your airline credit
Citi Prestige airline credit
Next up is the Citi Prestige card, which offers a $250 airline credit each year.  There are 2 differences between the Citi Prestige airline credit and the Amex Platinum airline credit is that the $250 airline credit only goes
The $250 Citi Prestige airline credit works on airfares and as long as the gift cards are sold directly by the airline, it should count.
The second (BIG!) difference is that the Citi Prestige airline credit works off of the STATEMENT CLOSING DATE! Â So whenever your December Citi Prestige statement closes, that’s your due date for making your $250 purchase.
This bit me last year – Don’t screw up your Citi Prestige airline credit (like I did)
Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit
Not to be outdone, Chase’s new Sapphire Reserve card has a travel credit of $300 each year. Â The Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit can be used for airline incidentals, air fare and gift cards, but is much less restrictive. Â Reports are that it will also qualify for things like bus fare, commuter transportation and anything else that is classified as “travel”
The Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit is ALSO AWARDED BY STATEMENT CLOSING DATE! Â So check your Chase Sapphire Reserve statement date and make sure to make your $300 travel credit before then!
Hope this helps someone from getting burnt like I did!  If you’d like to compare the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Amex Platinum vs Citi Prestige, check that out, and if you would like to support Points With a Crew by signing up for one of these cards, you can check them out here.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
great tips!
My Citi Prestige card closes December 16. So if I charge my $250 airline purchase before then, does it count as a 2016 purchase or 2017?
If it CLOSES on your Dec 16 statement, it would count as the 2016 airline credit. If you made an airline purchase on say, Dec 23, it should count as / towards your 2017 airline credit
But I just checked and there is language on all my statements saying “congratulations, you have used your $250 airline credit. This will reset to $250 for 2017 after your December Statement on December 16.” So as long as I buy it around December 12 or so, I should be fine? Thanks so much!
I would wait until after December 16 personally
What about Ritz visa and gold biz amex credits?
I’m not 100% sure but I’d imagine they’d follow the same rules for Chase / Amex