It’s easy to get caught up in the magic and craziness of the holidays. Between decorating, collecting gifts, and preparing for the new year, there's a lot to plan and record at the end of December. That's just for those of us who don't go on vacation and have to deal with things like crowded airports and long security lines.
Here at TPG, the end of the year is typically a time when many of us take stock of the cards in our wallets and double-check which perks and perks we haven't taken advantage of yet. This helps us strategize which cards to apply for in the coming year and plan future travel.
It got some of us thinking: What if this year wasn’t just for the kids and make a wish list? And thus our 2024 holiday wish list was born.
Related: Our predictions for credit cards in 2025
card specific wish
Because many of us are frequent travelers, we're no strangers to co-branded hotel credit cards. Some of our favorites include Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Cardthis Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and World of Hyatt Credit Card.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card information is independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Most of these cards are part of a suite of products aimed at customers who are likely to stay at Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt hotels — whether frequently or just one or two nights a year.
Each card offers different ways to earn bonus points for their respective hotel chains, as well as other benefits like free night award certificates and room upgrades. While these perks are great, we think there's some room for improvement. Some of the things we hope to see in 2025 include:
- Premium World of Hyatt Card Enters Market
- Bonus category Capital One Ventures X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Entrepreneurship Rewards Credit Card (Except those currently booked through Capital One Travel)
- More Flexible $300 Capital One Travel Credit
- Premium Birt MasterCard® (Even if it means increasing annual fees) Offer benefits and a stable rate of return
- Lounge Access (Preferably Delta Sky Club Lounge Access) – No Warnings – Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card member
- Earn consistently higher rewards rates when you purchase home improvements with your Chase or American Express card (rather than rotating quarterly) or Home improvement retailers (such as paint, lumber, appliances, garden supplies and light bulbs from places like Lowe's or The Home Depot)
- Return restaurant points to credit card Priority Pass membership
- Any credit card issuer will offer premium rewards cards for people who don't live in a city (for example, Gopuff, Uber, and Lyft points are essentially useless to people who live in far-flung suburbs or rural areas)
- Lyft benefits extend to Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Ability to join the Chase lounge waitlist online (instead of at the door)
- American Express Annual/Anniversary Loyalty Bonus
- More reward categories American Express Platinum Card®
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Related: Our 2024 Credit Card Predictions and Trends – What We Got Right and What We Wrong
Loyalty programs and points and miles aspirations
When it comes to airline and hotel loyalty rewards programs, TPG employees want to see the following:
- Hyatt eliminates Globalist’s club access bonus and replaces it with something more useful
- More Practical Benefits at the Hyatt Explorer Level
- Wells Fargo Rewards and/or Citi Appreciation Rewards add Air Canada Aeroplan as a transfer partner
- IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite members get free breakfast
- Hilton Diamond, Wyndham Diamond and IHG Diamond Elite members are guaranteed a late checkout of at least 2 p.m.
- IHG lets you request a suite upgrade certificate online without calling 14 days before check-in
- Hyatt offers real rewards calendar showing availability not just price
- Hyatt cancels expiration date for free night awards
- Delta Air Lines resumes rollover of Medallion status bonuses
- The fifth or sixth night is free with Hyatt Rewards (even if only for cardholders or elite members)
Related: How to Travel Safely with Christmas Gifts
Additionally, some employees mentioned that they would like to be able to convert Citi Appreciation Rewards points into AAdvantage miles, while other employees disagreed because doing so might devalue the AAdvantage miles. We'd also like to see Capital One add one of the top four U.S. airlines as a transfer partner in 2025.
bottom line
The credit card, loyalty program, and points and miles landscape continues to evolve. At TPG, we're always guessing what benefits are in store for our loyalty programs and the cards in our wallets – especially at the end of each year.
As we all prepare for the busy holiday season, we thought we'd take a stab at making our own holiday bucket list to see what the coming year holds. Hopefully some of our wishes will come true.
