Year-End Points Checklist for Business Owners

Last reviewed: October 19, 2026

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Why a year-end check matters

December is busy for most small-business owners. You're closing the books, chasing invoices, and maybe planning a holiday break. Your rewards points are easy to forget, and that's when they slip away: a card closed without moving its balance, a hotel account that quietly hit its inactivity limit, or a pile of points you meant to use and never did.

Do this once before the year ends and you'll start January knowing exactly what you have and what it can do for your family's next trip.

Step 1: List every program and balance

Gather all your cards and loyalty accounts

Write down every rewards credit card (business and personal) and every airline and hotel program you belong to. Include the ones you haven't used in a while. Those are the ones most likely to expire.

Record the balance and the date

For each program, note:

Current points or miles balance
Which card or account holds them
The date of your last activity, if the program has an inactivity rule

A notes app or spreadsheet works fine. Our guide on organizing business and personal points without linking accounts shows a simple setup.

Step 2: Check expiration rules, program by program

Every program has its own rules, so check each one's official terms instead of assuming. Two common examples:

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Chase says Ultimate Rewards points don't expire as long as your card account is open. The risk is closing a card. Chase's program agreement gives at least 30 days after you close an account to use the points (unless it was closed for reasons like fraud or nonpayment, in which case the points are lost immediately). The simplest fix is to move points to another open Ultimate Rewards card before you close anything. More detail: Do Chase points expire?

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott's terms require qualifying activity at least once every 24 months. After 24 months in a row with none, your points are forfeited and can't be reinstated. Transfers from another member don't count. More detail: Do Marriott points expire?

Everything else

For each remaining airline or hotel program, look up its expiration policy on the program's own website and write down the rule next to your balance. If anything is close to its limit, put it at the top of your list for Step 3.

Step 3: Rescue anything at risk

Do one small qualifying action

For programs with an inactivity clock, a small earn or redemption usually resets it. Check each program's list of what counts. For example, Marriott says gifting or receiving points does not count.

Move points off cards you plan to close

If you're cutting a card from next year's budget, move its points first. For Chase, use Combine Points to send them to another eligible Ultimate Rewards card you keep.

Step 4: Review your cards for next year

Annual fees vs. what you actually used

Look at each card's annual fee and ask whether you actually used its benefits this year. Be honest. A card you kept "just in case" might be worth downgrading or closing (after you move its points).

Match spending to the right card

Look at your biggest business expense categories, like software, shipping, ads, and travel, and make sure each one goes on the card that earns best for it. Our guide on how much business credit card points are worth helps you compare.

Pay on time

It sounds basic, but some issuers' terms let them take away points if an account is closed for nonpayment. Chase's agreement is one example. Autopay at least the minimum on every card.

Step 5: Talk to your accountant

Rewards on business spending can raise questions about bookkeeping and taxes. We're not tax advisors, and rules depend on your situation. Bring a list of your business cards and rewards to your year-end meeting and ask how they should be handled.

Step 6: Decide: save or spend?

Pick next year's family trip

Choose one trip you want points to cover, like a summer beach week or a spring break visit to the grandparents. Write down the dates, how many travelers, and a rough cost in points.

Compare points to cash

Before you redeem, check whether points or cash is the better deal for that trip. See points or cash for flights and hotels.

Keep saving if the goal is bigger

If you're short, it may make sense to keep saving instead of spending points on something small now. Our guide on whether to save or use your points walks through the trade-off.

Your printable checklist

Make next year easier

Points Compass is an iPhone app built for this kind of check-in. You enter your balances yourself (no account linking), set a family trip goal, and see roughly when your points could cover it. It's an easy way to keep this checklist going all year instead of only in December. Get Points Compass on the App Store.

FAQ

When should I do a year-end points review?

Any time before your busiest weeks works. Many owners like early December, so there's time to fix anything at risk before the year ends.

Do my credit card points expire at the end of the year?

Not usually because of the calendar. Rules depend on the program. Chase Ultimate Rewards points, for example, don't expire while your card is open. Check each program's official terms.

Should I close a business card I don't use?

Maybe, but move the points first. With Chase, you can combine them onto another eligible open Ultimate Rewards card before closing.

How do I keep hotel points from expiring?

Most hotel programs reset with qualifying activity. Marriott, for instance, needs qualifying activity at least once every 24 months. Check the program's list of what counts.