It’s easy to get swept up in the magic – and madness – of the holiday season. Between decorating, collecting gifts, and preparing for the New Year, there’s a lot to plan and keep track of in late December. And it’s those of us who don’t travel for the holidays who have to deal with things like crowded airports and long security lines.
At TPG, the end of the year is typically a time when many of us take inventory of the cards in our wallets and double-check which perks and benefits we haven’t taken advantage of yet. This helps us strategize which cards we’ll apply for in the coming year and plan future trips.
It got some of us thinking: What if making wish lists wasn’t just for kids this year? And thus our 2024 holiday wish list was born.
Connected: Our 2025 Credit Card Predictions
Card-Specific Greetings
Since many of us are frequent travelers, we are no stranger to co-branded hotel credit cards. Some of our favorites include Hilton Honors American Express Aspire CardThe Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and this 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 designed for people who may stay at Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt properties – whether it’s often or just one or two nights a year.
Each card offers different ways to earn bonus points on stays at their respective hotel chains, along with other benefits like free night rewards certificates and room upgrades. Although these features are great, we feel there is some room for improvement. Some things we would love to see in 2025 include:
- A premium World of Hyatt card enters the market
- Bonus Categories at Capital One Venture and this Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (Except for existing bookings booked through Capital One Travel)
- A more flexible $300 Capital One travel credit
- a premium Built Mastercard® (even if it means dealing with an annual fee) that offers perks and solid earning rates
- Lounge access (preferably Delta Sky Club lounge access) – without warning – for Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card members
- The ability to earn consistently higher reward rates on Chase or American Express cards for home improvement purchases (instead of a changing quarterly basis). Or At home improvement retailers (for example, paint, lumber, tools, garden supplies and light bulbs from places like Lowe’s or Home Depot)
- Return to Restaurant Credit Credit Card Priority Pass Membership
- Any credit card issuer comes with premium rewards cards for people who don’t live in the city (for example, GoPuff, Uber, and Lyft credits are essentially useless for people who live in far-flung suburbs or rural areas. live in)
- Extending Lyft benefits on Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Ability to join the waiting list for chaise lounges online (instead of at the door)
- Annual/Anniversary Loyalty Bonus on American Express Cards
- More bonus categories are on the way The Platinum Card® from American Express
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Connected: Our 2024 Credit Card Predictions and Trends – What We Got Right and What We Got Wrong
Loyalty programs and points and miles rewards
When it comes to airline and hotel loyalty reward programs, TPG staffers would like to see the following:
- Hyatt is getting rid of Club Access Awards for Globalists and replacing them with something more useful
- More useful benefits at Hyatt’s Explorer status level
- Wells Fargo Rewards and/or Citi ThankYou Rewards are adding Air Canada Aeroplan as a transfer partner
- Free breakfast for IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite members
- Guaranteed late checkout of at least 2pm for Hilton Diamond, Wyndham Diamond and IHG Diamond elite members
- IHG lets you apply for a suite upgrade certificate online instead of needing to call 14 days before your stay
- Hyatt is introducing a true awards calendar that shows availability instead of just pricing
- Hyatt ends free night awards
- Delta is bringing back rollovers for Medallion Qualification dollars
- Fifth or sixth night stay free at Hyatt Rewards (even if it’s only for cardholders or elite members)
Connected: How to Travel Safely with Christmas Gifts
Additionally, some employees mentioned that they would like the ability to convert Citi ThankYou Rewards points into AAdvantage miles, while others disagreed because doing so could devalue the AAdvantage miles. We would also like to see Capital One add one of the big four US airlines as a transfer partner in 2025.
ground level
The credit card, loyalty programs, and points and miles landscape continues to evolve. At TPG, we’re always speculating about what’s going on with our loyalty programs and the benefits shown on the cards in our wallets — especially at the end of each year.
As we’re all preparing for a busy holiday season, we thought we’d take a look at creating our own holiday wish list to see what the coming year might hold. Here’s hoping some of our wishes come true.
