8 Miles & Points Tasks to Complete Before Year-End

As December rolls around and 2025 draws to a close, it’s time for that annual ritual every miles and points enthusiast should have on their calendar: the year-end audit. If you’ve been accumulating points throughout the year (and let’s be honest, if you’re reading this, you probably have), the next few weeks present a critical window to maximize what you’ve earned and set yourself up for success in 2026. 

From expiring elite status benefits you’ve forgotten about to credit card perks sitting unused, there’s real value on the table that disappears at midnight on December 31st. Through this guide, I aim to distill the essential year-end tasks into a practical checklist that will help ensure you’re squeezing every last drop of value from your points, miles, and travel rewards before the calendar resets.

Whether you’re working toward elite status, managing multiple loyalty programs, or simply want to audit your points portfolio, this article will walk you through everything you need to do before the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve.

Check Your Elite Status Progress (Airline & Hotel)

One of the most important aspects of your year-end review should be checking your current airline and hotel status. These statuses have a significant impact on your travel experience, and for most Canadians this typically means evaluating your Air Canada Aeroplan status and your Marriott Bonvoy status.

Both of these programs, as well as most others, base their qualification period on the calendar year.

If you are aiming for a specific status and it looks like you may fall slightly short of the requirements, I recommend doing some precise calculations to determine exactly what you need. Miscalculating a mileage or mattress run so close to the end of the year will leave you very little time to fit in an extra flight or hotel stay if required.

You will also need to weigh the cost of completing what will be required to requalify, and decide whether it’s worth it.

For example, if you need six more elite nights to reach Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status and expect it to cost about $1,000 to earn those nights, consider whether you will realistically get that value back from the benefits of the higher status. In some cases, the numbers simply won’t add up, so you’ll want to decide carefully before committing.

As a reminder, Marriott Bonvoy is extending its soft-landing policy for 2026, meaning members will drop at most one status level regardless of their 2025 qualifying activity.

On the airline side, major changes are coming as Air Canada Aeroplan transitions to a revenue-based model for earning elite status in 2026. In many cases, this shift may make qualifying for status more difficult, since status will be tied directly to how much you spend with the airline in a calendar year.

Air Canada Aeroplan Elite Status is more difficult to quantify because there are multiple pathways to earning status, along with credit card options that can offer comparable benefits. Depending on how you approach airline status, you may have several different strategies available.

One of the best overall sweet spots available is earning Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status. Thanks to Marriott’s partnerships with both Air Canada and United Airlines, Titanium members receive entry-level Aeroplan 25K and United Silver status respectively in both airline programs.

Earning base-level Aeroplan 25K status is worthwhile because it grants access to eUpgrades, which are being overhauled for the 2026 qualification year. With these changes, eUpgrades will hopefully be more useful than they have been in previous years.

Furthermore, earning Aeroplan 50K status grants Star Alliance Gold status, which gives you and a guest access to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges, Air Canada Cafés, and lounges across the entire Star Alliance network.

However, if earning this status is out of reach, you may want to consider opening an Aeroplan premium co-branded credit card, which provides most of the benefits of Aeroplan 25K status along with Air Canada lounge access. In some cases, paying the $600 annual fee for a premium credit card may be cheaper than trying to earn status organically.

And finally, remember that Aeroplan Everyday Status Qualification resets at the end of the year. This can be an opportunity to earn Aeroplan 25K status by collecting 100,000 qualifying points within a calendar year.

Use Elite Status Benefits Before They Expire

Air Canada has made several positive changes to the expiry policy for its eUpgrade credits, single-use lounge passes, and status passes recently. Previously, all of these expired on December 31 of the benefit year.

That has now changed, and all of these awards expire 12 months from the date of issuance.

A similar policy also applies to hotel free night awards. Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Awards, Hilton Honors Free Night Certificates, and World of Hyatt Free Night Awards all expire one year from when they were issued. While it’s nice not having to worry about everything expiring at the end of the year, I’d recommend taking inventory of all your unused passes and certificates and putting a plan in place to ensure none of them expire.

For those who reach Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite or Titanium Elite, you’ll receive one Annual Choice Benefit selection at each tier. You must make your selection by February 1 of the year following your qualification; otherwise, you’ll receive the default option of five Nightly Upgrade Awards.

Another pathway to elite status you may want to consider is taking advantage of elite status gifting. Programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy allow members to gift status to friends or family for a full loyalty year.

Aeroplan 75K members can gift Aeroplan 35K status as a Milestone Benefit, while Super Elite members can gift Aeroplan 50K status. Similarly, certain Marriott and Hilton elite tiers offer the ability to gift status to others. Being able to gift status to a spouse or partner can leave both of you well-positioned heading into the new year.

Maximize Your Credit Card Annual Benefits & Credits

As a result of the growing number of credits bundled with many credit cards today, you’ll likely have one or more credits set to expire at the end of the year.

For example, the American Express Platinum Card includes a yearly $200 dining credit that expires on December 31. Like all credits of this type, it’s “use it or lose it,” so if you haven’t used yours yet, now is the time.

There are far too many credits to list individually, but one of the most common is an annual travel credit, which is included on many Canadian and U.S. credit cards. For more info on these yearly credits, check out our article on Canadian Credit Cards with Annual Credits to make sure you don’t miss any.

Spending thresholds are another important part of managing your credit card portfolio. One of the most valuable benefits tied to these thresholds is the annual companion pass that often comes with co-branded airline cards.

Canada’s three major airlines, Air Canada, WestJet, and Porter, each issue a credit card that awards a companion pass after meeting a set spending requirement within a year. Although these spending thresholds are based on your cardmember year rather than the calendar year, now is a great time to review your progress and make sure you are still on track to meet the required spending.

A reminder that going forward, RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard cardholders must now spend $5,000 on the card over the course of a year to earn an Annual World Elite round-trip companion voucher.

Review Points Expiration Dates Across All Programs

If you are regularly active in your main loyalty programs, you generally shouldn’t have to worry about your points expiring. However, it’s still good practice to review your balances, confirm their expiry dates, and take any steps needed to extend their validity.

With most programs, any earning, redeeming, or transferring activity is enough to keep your points active. Another simple way to prevent expiration is to hold a co-branded credit card, as many of these cards include a benefit where points never expire. Additionally, if you hold elite status with a program, one of the perks often includes having your points remain valid indefinitely.

Related:The Best Aeroplan Credit Cards for Canadians

Maximize Year-End Promotions and Transfer Limits

The end of the year often coincides with the reset of the annual limits that many loyalty programs place on purchasing or transferring points.

We don’t recommend buying points speculatively and without a specific redemption in mind. However, if you are planning to purchase points, now is a good time to take advantage of any end-of-year or ongoing Black Friday and Boxing Day promotions.

Most frequent flyer programs place a cap on the number of miles a member can purchase each year. Therefore, if you want to maximize any points purchase promotions, it may be a good idea to use up your remaining cap space before it resets in the new year.

For transferring points to another member in your household, Marriott Bonvoy allows members to send up to 100,000 points and receive up to 500,000 points each year. If you have Marriott Bonvoy points spread across several household member accounts, it can be beneficial to consolidate them into a single account.

Preferably, the points should be moved into the account of the member who books the most nights and has the highest elite status, so you can maximize benefits such as free breakfast and room upgrades.

You should also look at completing any current hotel stay promotions and bonus points offers you are working toward. After that, turn your attention to 2026 and review any hotel promotions that have already been announced so you can plan ahead and optimize your stays.

Audit Your Points Balances & Missing Activity

If you did any Black Friday shopping through an eStore or shopping portal over the holidays, it’s a good idea to review all your activity to make sure your points are posted correctly. While most shopping portals, such as the Aeroplan eStore, are generally reliable, a few transactions always seem to slip through the cracks.

Similarly, it’s also worth reviewing your flights and hotel stays from the past year to ensure you were credited the correct number of points, segments, and elite nights. If anything is missing, contact the program to have it corrected.

Looking toward the new year, review any upcoming flights or hotel stays you have booked. In the points and miles world, plans change often, and it’s easy to overlook a hotel reservation you meant to cancel months ago that is still sitting in your upcoming stays list.

Strategic Year-End Credit Card Moves

Looking ahead to the new year, think about when you expect to make your major yearly purchases and consider which cards might be worth opening around that time to help meet the spending requirement for a new welcome bonus. For example, if you renew your home insurance every January, now could be a great time to open a new card and use that expense toward earning a new welcome bonus.

At the same time, review your credit card portfolio and identify which cards saw the most spending activity this year. Consider closing or downgrading any credit cards with an annual fee that you do not expect to use much going forward.

Before canceling, make sure to maximize any remaining annual credits, especially if any holiday spending gives you an easy opportunity to use them.

Plan for 2026: Set Goals & Strategy

Having at least one travel goal for the new year is extremely helpful. Knowing where you want to go, when you want to travel, and how you plan to get there gives you a clear direction.

Take some time to research how many points and miles your trip will require, and look into which programs and credit cards will help you earn those rewards most efficiently.

Research the best time of year to visit your chosen destination so you can plan accordingly. Depending on your travel dates, you may want to book popular periods as early as possible.

Take some time during the holiday period to catch up on any changes or updates that will affect your favorite loyalty programs. Many programs roll out both major and minor updates beginning on January 1st.

For example, 2026 is a major year for Aeroplan, as the program is undergoing its most significant overhaul in years with the shift to a revenue-based model. Everything is changing, from earn rates and benefits to eUpgrade allocations and the introduction of Milestone Awards. With so many updates, if you haven’t caught up on the details yet, be sure to check out our Miles Ahead Podcast episode that breaks down all the changes.

Conclusion

The end of the year doesn’t have to mean scrambling through a chaotic points audit at 11 PM on New Year’s Eve. By working through this checklist over the next few weeks, you’ll ensure nothing valuable slips through the cracks while setting yourself up for a strong start to 2026.

The reality is that most of these tasks take just minutes to complete, but the collective value—whether it’s preserving expiring points, claiming unused credits, or locking in a status qualification—can easily translate to thousands of dollars in travel value. Grab a coffee, open up your loyalty program accounts, and give your points portfolio the year-end attention it deserves. Your future self will thank you when you’re booking that dream redemption next year.