Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
If you’re an avid points and miles traveler, you may have multiple premium credit cards in your wallet. This is for a good reason: these cards tend to have excellent perks that can make your travel experience more enjoyable.
That said, some of these cards may have overlapping benefits, like Global Entry statement credits, lounge passes and airline fee credits.
If you have overlapping or expiring perks you can’t take advantage of, consider giving them as a gift this holiday season. The odds are that someone in your circle of family and friends would greatly appreciate Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, a free hotel night or access to an airport lounge.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning to share travel benefits with loved ones.
Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
Almost all premium travel credit cards include a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application reimbursement worth up to $120 once every four or five years, depending on the card. These programs give you access to expedited airport security lines for up to five years.
Luckily, the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit isn’t restricted to the cardholder. Thus, if you have multiple cards that offer this benefit, you can use one to pay for your own application, and then you can gift another to someone else by using one of your other cards to pay that person’s application fee.
It will appear on your credit card statement as a charge from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the credit should come through within a few days.
TSA PreCheck is included with Global Entry, and the price difference is minimal ($78-$85 for the former versus $120 for the latter). Both will be reimbursed in full by most credit cards that have this type of fee waiver.
Here are some of the top eligible cards that come with a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees)
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual fee)
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® ($595 annual fee; see rates and fees)
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card ($99 annual fee)
- Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card ($95 annual fee)
- United℠ Explorer Card ($0 introductory annual fee, then $95 annual fee)
The Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cards offer reimbursement for Global Entry once every four years and reimbursement for TSA PreCheck once every 4½ years. The Citi AAdvantage Executive card offers reimbursement for either program once every five years. The other cards on this list offer reimbursement for either program every five years.
Related: 14 things to know about Global Entry
Free hotel nights
Some hotel credit cards offer an annual free award night on your account anniversary, and you can use these awards to book someone else a stay. These generally expire after a year. If you can’t use an award night, you can give it to a friend or family member instead.
In most cases, you can either book the hotel under someone else’s name with the certificate or book the stay under your name and add the recipient as an additional guest. The guest can then check in without you being present.
That said, be aware that all free nights aren’t created equal, as there are restrictions on the hotel category and point value. Here’s a look:
- World of Hyatt Credit Card: Free nights are restricted to Category 1-4 hotels ($95 annual fee)
- IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: The anniversary night is valid at hotels costing 40,000 points or less ($99 annual fee)
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Anniversary award nights may be redeemed at hotels costing 35,000 points or less across the Marriott Bonvoy program and certain hotels have resort fees ($95 and $125 annual fees, respectively see rates and fees for the Bonvoy Business card)
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Offers an annual free night at any property costing 85,000 points or less at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program — although some hotels assess additional resort fees ($650 annual fee; see rates and fees)
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: This card gives a free night every year thereafter on your account anniversary and earns a second night when you spend $30,000 and a third night when you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year ($550 annual fee; see rates and fees)
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: 7 of the best hotel credit cards that come with an annual free night
Airline companion tickets
Several airline-cobranded credit cards include companion certificates as an annual perk. You can use these to bring a companion with you on a flight for just the cost of taxes plus other related fees. If you have a certificate available, invite a friend to go with you on a future trip and cover the cost of their flight reservation with the companion ticket.
That said, each airline companion ticket is created differently. The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card includes an annual companion ticket that lets you bring a companion for $122 ($99 fare and the cost of taxes and fees from $23). It can only be used on economy fares, but tickets are eligible for upgrades with a certificate or a complimentary elite upgrade.
Here’s a look at all the cards that offer companion tickets:
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature credit card: A companion ticket when you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year
- British Airways Visa Signature® Card: A “Travel Together” companion ticket good for two years after you spend $30,000 or more on purchases in a single calendar year
- Barclaycard AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® and AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Silver Mastercard®: A Companion Certificate each card anniversary year after spending $20,000 on the card; the certificate is good for a ticket costing $99 plus taxes and fees
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card: A companion ticket every cardmember year
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: A companion ticket every cardmember year
The information for the Aviator Red and Aviator Silver cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: What happens if you’ve used your companion certificate for a canceled flight?
Annual travel credits
If you have a credit card with travel credits, you could use these to improve a friend’s or relative’s travel experience. That could be a nicer seat, hotel stay or paying for that person’s checked bags.
Use the annual travel credits on the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum
The Amex Platinum comes with up to $200 in annual prepaid hotel credits and up to $200 in annual airline incidental credits each year. The Amex Business Platinum also comes with up to $200 in annual airline incidental statement credits. (Enrollment is required in advance for select benefits.)
Check out TPG’s complete guide to using the Amex airline fee credit to find even more ways to use your credit.
With the Amex Platinum, you can book a prepaid hotel stay ahead of the new year — even if the hotel stay isn’t until after New Year, so long as you make the payment before this year ends. Do note that you, as the cardholder, must be checking into the hotel, so this is only possible if you are traveling with your loved one.
Chase’s travel credits are broader
Those with a Chase Sapphire Reserve card enjoy a $300 annual travel credit. This covers any expense that codes as travel, including Uber rides, hotel stays, airfare and just about anything else related to travel.
Most of us have probably used our Chase travel credit by this point in the year, given how broad it is, but if you happen to still have some of that credit kicking around, you can get creative in how you gift it.
Related: Which purchases count as travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Other cards with travel credits
There are other credit cards offering travel credits each year, as well. You can use these to gift travel experiences or trip improvements for others:
- U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card: Up to $325 in annual travel credits available each cardmember year ($400 annual fee)
- Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card: Up to $100 in airline incidental credits available each calendar year ($95 annual fee)
- Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card: Up to $300 in annual statement credit for airline incidental fees ($550 annual fee)
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: $300 annual credit available for bookings made with Capital One Travel each year ($395 annual fee)
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Up to $400 on Hilton purchases and up to $200 in airline credits available each calendar year ($550 annual fee). Enrollment is required in advance before using these benefits.
The information for the Altitude Reserve, Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite, and Hilton Honors Aspire cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Annual shopping credits
The Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cards offer several annual shopping credits each year, which come in the form of statement credits after qualifying purchases.
The personal version includes:
- Up to $240 in annual digital entertainment credits for eligible streaming purchases with Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal.
- Up to $300 in annual Equinox credits
- Reimbursement for a Walmart+ monthly membership fee (subject to auto-renewal); Plus Up benefits not eligible
- Up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits, available as up to $50 in each half of the year
Meanwhile, the business version offers:
- Up to $400 in credits for U.S. Dell purchases each year, available as up to $200 in each half of the year
- Up to $360 in Indeed credits, available as up to $90 in credits each quarter
- Up to $150 in Adobe credits for Adobe Creative Cloud or Acrobat Pro DC purchases each year (subject to auto-renewal)
- Up to $120 in wireless service credits each year, available as up to $10 per month on U.S. wireless plans
Enrollment is required in advance for these benefits, and your reimbursement will come in the form of a statement credit after qualifying purchases. The Dell, Adobe, and Indeed credits on the Amex Business Platinum have an end date of June 30, 2025.
Related: Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum shopping credits reset soon — why you should use them now
Authorized user perks
One of the easiest ways to give a variety of benefits to someone — and not just during the holiday season — is to make them an authorized user on your credit card.
The specific perks granted to authorized users vary from one card to another, but this also can be an excellent method for helping someone build or rebuild their credit.
Two of the best credit cards for authorized user benefits are the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard and the Capital One Venture X.
The Citi AAdvantage Executive card gives Admirals Club access to the primary cardholder and authorized users with a same-day boarding pass for an eligible flight (add up to three authorized users for $175 total, then $175 for each additional one.)
The Venture X card also offers lounge perks to authorized users, as well as rental car elite status* — both at no cost for up to four authorized users.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply
Here are some cards with significant benefits for authorized users:
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Add authorized users for free, and they can access Capital One and Priority Pass lounges for themselves and two guests.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Authorized users receive a Priority Pass Select membership, giving them access to more than 1,600 airport lounges around the world. Each user will cost the primary cardholder $75.
- The Platinum Card from American Express and the Business Platinum Card from American Express: On the Platinum Card, authorized users benefits include Gold status with Marriott and Hilton; access to Priority Pass and Centurion lounges as well as Delta Sky Clubs when ticketed on Delta for that day,** and the up to $120 Global Entry credit. Authorized users on the Business Platinum receive the same benefits. The fee is $195 per user for the personal card (for up to three cards, see rates and fees) and $350 for the business version (see rates and fees). Enrollment is required for select benefits.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card: Authorized users can access Delta Sky Clubs*** and Amex Centurion Lounges when traveling on flights marketed and operated by Delta. The fee for each authorized user card is $175 per year for both the Delta Reserve (see rates and fees) and Delta Business Reserve (see rates and fees).
**Effective February 1, 2025: Eligible Platinum Card Members will receive 10 Visits per Eligible Platinum Card per year to the Delta Sky Club or to Grab and Go when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight.
***Effective Feb. 1, 2025: Eligible Reserve and Reserve Business Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of visits each year starting on Feb 1, 2025, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter. [Once all 15 Visits have been used, Eligible Card Members may purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits (including Grab and Go) at a per-Visit rate of $50 per person using the Card.]
Bottom line
The holidays are a great time for sharing the benefits of premium rewards cards. Whether it’s a lounge pass, companion certificate or another travel perk, it can go a long way for someone who doesn’t have points and miles of their own. Plus, when you give those perks as gifts, you’re letting friends and loved ones experience the value of the points and miles hobby. Who knows? The gift alone might inspire them to start their own points and miles journey.
Related: The best credit cards for holiday purchases
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta Reserve Business card, click here.
