As the year draws to a close, so too does the opportunity to use the yearly, half-yearly and quarterly statement credits that come with your credit cards. And if you’re anything like me, you may still have a few left to cross off your list.<\/p>\n
At the start of this week, I had two American Express hotel credits at my disposal to use by the end of December. Cardholders of the American Express Platinum Card\u00ae<\/a><\/span> and The Business Platinum Card\u00ae from American Express<\/a><\/span> receive up to $600 in hotel statement credits each calendar year (up to $300 biannually) for prepaid bookings with Fine Hotels + Resorts<\/a> or The Hotel Collection<\/a> properties through American Express Travel\u00ae<\/a>. (The Hotel Collection bookings require a minimum two-night stay.)<\/p>\n I confess I hadn’t used the benefit on my American Express Platinum Card\u00ae<\/a><\/span> in previous years. But after the issuer upped the hotel credit from $200 to $300<\/a>, made it biannual and added a hotel credit<\/a> to the The Business Platinum Card\u00ae from American Express<\/a><\/span>, I knew it was time to put my benefits to work.<\/p>\n Whether you’re in the same boat as a first-timer or just looking for an easy way to use the credit as the calendar winds down, here are three things to know.<\/p>\n Related: Here\u2019s your guide to the Amex Platinum and Business Platinum prepaid hotel credit<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In the past, I’ve let my hotel credits fall by the wayside because I didn’t want to pay out of pocket to cover the remainder of a stay. While there are plenty of hotels where your credit will cover most of the bill<\/a>, hunting around for them on Amex Travel can be time-consuming.<\/p>\n But this time around, I employed a handy tool to speed up the process of looking for a hotel in Las Vegas<\/a>: MaxFHR.<\/a> This tool lets you filter hotels in Amex’s collections by price. All you have to do is put in your location and use a sliding scale to set your ceiling.<\/p>\n Note that hotel prices listed on the site aren’t always current, so you’ll need to head to the American Express website to confirm costs. You’ll also have to pay for a pro account if you want to filter by exact dates. Still, it’s a great way to get a snapshot of which properties may be in your price range.<\/p>\n You can also filter by brand, which is useful if you’re looking to earn elite nights with a particular chain. Or, you can filter by amenity credit to find hotels offering perks you’ll actually use; I’m not a spa person, so unchecking those boxes allows me to see properties where I’ll get a different offering, like a food and beverage credit, instead.<\/p>\n Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\nFilter options with MaxFHR<\/h2>\n
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