I'm not real sure what the cutoff point might be. My guess is that anyone qualifying for status in November or later, would not get anything mailed to them for that year. They would have to wait until the new year's normal mailing date. However it could be earlier, like September or October.

It should be noted that even though you might not have the card, once you qualify for a status level, your account will immediately recongnize that level. That means that bonus points for future trips will automatically start showing up.