Could there be any advantage to having a hotel card's anniversary date at a specific time of year? Or is any date just as good as any other? For example, if you wanted to use a free night on Christmas, but you open your card on Dec. 25th, you won't actually use your free stay until TWO years later (receive the award on Christmas 12 months later, book for Christmas 12 months after that). I suppose this doesn't matter if you plan on keeping the card a long time, but personally it seems to me that Jan. 1st is the ideal anniversary date, which enables you to use your free night sooner into the next calendar year than any other date, and leaves most of the year open to plan travel before the free night expires. Thoughts?
For me, March-April range makes sense. This is due to my yearly bonus hitting in March. It is also tax time so you can pay your taxes (with a fee but still worth it for most sign up bonuses) with your new card to hit the bonus. It is also before summer which is great for families with school age kids to use during summer break. Also, if you get the business and personal cards for the same chain, make sure to get them in the same month. That may require waiting a year or in the case of Marriott (AMEX business the 2 years for the Chase personal). Just my thoughts.
@1LostArk wrote:Could there be any advantage to having a hotel card's anniversary date at a specific time of year? Or is any date just as good as any other? For example, if you wanted to use a free night on Christmas, but you open your card on Dec. 25th, you won't actually use your free stay until TWO years later (receive the award on Christmas 12 months later, book for Christmas 12 months after that). I suppose this doesn't matter if you plan on keeping the card a long time, but personally it seems to me that Jan. 1st is the ideal anniversary date, which enables you to use your free night sooner into the next calendar year than any other date, and leaves most of the year open to plan travel before the free night expires. Thoughts?
It depends on what hotel card you're talking about. My Chase Hyatt card doesn't usually send the free night award until two months after the anniversary date.
@SouthJamaica wrote:
@1LostArk wrote:Could there be any advantage to having a hotel card's anniversary date at a specific time of year? Or is any date just as good as any other? For example, if you wanted to use a free night on Christmas, but you open your card on Dec. 25th, you won't actually use your free stay until TWO years later (receive the award on Christmas 12 months later, book for Christmas 12 months after that). I suppose this doesn't matter if you plan on keeping the card a long time, but personally it seems to me that Jan. 1st is the ideal anniversary date, which enables you to use your free night sooner into the next calendar year than any other date, and leaves most of the year open to plan travel before the free night expires. Thoughts?
It depends on what hotel card you're talking about. My Chase Hyatt card doesn't usually send the free night award until two months after the anniversary date.
seems like there are recent reports of the Hilton Aspire doing the same. IIRC my first one after opening the card didnt show up till feb and i opened the card at the end of dec.
@1LostArk wrote:Could there be any advantage to having a hotel card's anniversary date at a specific time of year? Or is any date just as good as any other? For example, if you wanted to use a free night on Christmas, but you open your card on Dec. 25th, you won't actually use your free stay until TWO years later (receive the award on Christmas 12 months later, book for Christmas 12 months after that). I suppose this doesn't matter if you plan on keeping the card a long time, but personally it seems to me that Jan. 1st is the ideal anniversary date, which enables you to use your free night sooner into the next calendar year than any other date, and leaves most of the year open to plan travel before the free night expires. Thoughts?
As you've pointed out, it might affect your first year (you get the card in July of Year n-1 but you'd like to use the card's free annual night in June of Year n...... well, too bad Slappy. But after the first year, a free night per year is a free night per year. 
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