Originally Posted by gooselee

Correct, but 25k on the Reserve still gets you the waiver. Moreover, if you have already met all spend thresholds on your Amex (waiver and miles boost), any purchases you can delay until 1/1 will help you out with getting to those thresholds in 2017, vs. being a useless add-on for 2016.

For example, I've already spend 60k on my Reserve this year, so have shifted all my daily spending elsewhere. I have an annual insurance bill that is issued at the beginning of each December but due on January 4. If I was short of a spend threshold (25k for MQD waiver, 30k or 60k for miles boost), I would pay it immediately to help reach it. But since I'm not, I will schedule it to be paid on 1/1/17, which will give me a healthy start towards all those thresholds for 2017.