2.<\/strong>\u00a0Check for any annual fees that posted and call the bank for a retention offer, or just chat online if the bank is American Express. Some sample phraseology: \u201cI\u2019m thinking of closing this card because of its high annual fee, but before I decide what to do I was wondering if there are any retention offers or spend bonuses.\u201d If you get an offer, don\u2019t forget to add: \u201cAre there any other offers available?\u201d Sometimes there are better offers if you keep asking.<\/p>\n American Express specific note: If you accept a retention offer, plan on keeping that card for 12-13 months to avoid getting popups that deny credit card bonuses in the future<\/p>\n 3.<\/strong>\u00a0If you have an American Express co-branded personal card (Marriott, Delta, Hilton),\u00a0make sure you\u2019ve attached the dining offer to your card<\/a>\u00a0and spend it soon. The easiest way to do this from home is to buy an exact value Amazon Meals gift card on\u00a0Fluz<\/a>. As always, find a Fluz referral from a friend to make their day if you don\u2019t have an account already, they\u2019ll earn something and so will you.<\/p>\n 3.<\/strong>\u00a0Spend any American Express co-branded business card wireless credits by tomorrow night,\u00a0but make sure you\u2019ve added the offer to your cards first<\/a>. Don\u2019t forget that American Express Business Platinum cards have a $10 monthly credit too, just make sure you\u2019ve activated it on your benefits page<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4.<\/strong>\u00a0Make sure you\u2019ve spent any $10 American Express Personal Gold dining credits. My go to is the local coffee shop for a coffee and a crepe which jumps just north of $10 on GrubHub. Buying physical gift cards at a ShakeShack is another option.<\/p>\n 5.<\/strong>\u00a0Cancel any cell phone burner accounts<\/a> that you\u2019re done with (and for which you didn\u2019t use a virtual credit card number that already expired).<\/p>\n 6.<\/strong>\u00a0Finish off any Q4 5x bonused spend on Chase Freedom cards, Discover IT cards, US Bank Cash+ cards, Citi Custom Cash cards, or similar.<\/p>\n 7.<\/strong> Book any American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts<\/a> (or The Hotel Collection) stays with your $200 Platinum credit for upcoming travel next year, even if it\u2019s speculative. Historically American Express\u2019s systems lose their memory after the calendar rolls, so keep that in mind.<\/p>\n 8.<\/strong> Use your Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 travel credit, and remember that it works on groceries this year too.<\/p>\n 9.<\/strong> Use your American Express Platinum $200 airline incidental credit, Chase Ritz Carlton $300 airline incidental credit, or PenFed PathFinder $100 airline incidental credit. United TravelBank<\/a> is a great way to do this. On the American Express card, make sure you\u2019ve selected an airline first<\/a>. By the way, you can change your airline selection at any time as long as you haven\u2019t yet used any during this calendar year, just call or chat with AmEx.<\/p>\n 10.<\/strong> Use any American Express Sak\u2019s $50 credits, but make sure you activate the benefit first<\/a>. I personally make sure and stop by a physical Sak\u2019s store and buy gift cards to resell at approximately 83% of face value, but if that\u2019s not a good option for you, Agile.Travel put together a nice list of options<\/a> for things to buy.<\/p>\n
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