MisterBill

Per a post in the thread specifically discussing the travel credit: "It is calendar year. For me, the credits posted as credit transactions before the first statement closed."

LAX

It's specified as per calendar year on the official fine prints from BA. Take it for what's worth.

LAX
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libralibra

The original CSR also had terms which were 'calendar year', but it defined the end of the year as the Dec statement date. I don't know if BofA does the same, but that is what I was warning about. There were people who opened a CSR in Dec and quickly used the travel benefit expecting to get it again the following year, but ended up having to wait a whole year for it to reset. (Note, CSR changed the terms to anniversary year for new apps now.)

If BofA means Dec 31 as end of the year, then I think the OP wins - he can get the benefit this week, next year, and then the first week of Jan 2019, all with a single annual fee (if he chose to cancel right after that).

libralibra

ps. the CSR also posts the credits before the statement cuts, so this doesn't indicate one way or another. CSR has a counter on your account page which tells you how much credit you have left (which should reset on your Dec statement date).

MisterBill

Thanks, that's too bad. I'd certainly buy gift cards before the end of the year if I can be sure it won't mess up next year's rebate, but I actually have a use for the $100 for baggage fees in 2018 and no obvious use for the gift cards at the moment, so I'd hate to not have it for the baggage fees.

Maybe someone whose December statement has closed will try buying something in the next week and we'll see if it gets credited. If it does, then we know it's based on statement year and not calendar year.

slickvik

Does the statement credit reset on 1/1 or after December statement?

LAX

I don't have CSR, so I am not speaking from personal experience. But based on what I read, CSR started out as per calendar year, meaning the credit resets January 1. However, it was subsequently changed to per membership year, meaning one can only get the credit every 12 months. Thus, until BofA changes its T&C to per membership year, I expect the credit to reset on January 1, 2018.

LAX

MisterBill

CSR works on a STATEMENT year. If you make a purchase after your December statement closes, it counts as the following year. I just had a CSR travel expense get credited because it hit after my statement had closed. That's why we don't know how this card works.

MisterBill

No one knows! That's why I suggested that someone who has used their 2017 credit be a guinea pig and try a qualifying purchase and see if it gets the credit. If it does, we'll know that it resets with the statement and counts against 2018. If it doesn't, then in theory we'll know it's a straight calendar year (assuming it was something that definitely should have qualified).

I just got the card in the mail today so I took a look at the T&C and it does specifically say calendar year. Of course, so did CSR, I think.

LAX

Perhaps I am confused about how CSR credit works. What you are saying is that if my billing cycle ends on let's say 5th of the month, all travel-related purchases made between Dec 6, 2017 thru Dec 31, 2017 would actually count against credit for 2018 since that statement won't close until Jan 5, 2018. If I am understanding this correctly, I can't see how Chase can advertise it as being per calendar year as purchases made in 2017 should count against credit for the same year, not next year.

LAX

MisterBill

Correct. It counts against 2018. It's based on your statement year. However, they changed it a while ago for new cardholders and it's now based on your membership year so you can't get 2 redemptions for one annual fee (apparently you still can, but that's for another thread). I almost screwed up last year because I got the card in December and almost waited too long to make my $300 travel purchase. It made the December statement by a few days!

BTW I noticed an earlier reference to Doctorofcredit and found the discussion there. That seems to be the best place for figuring out what does and doesn't work since the guy has an index of success and fail posts. Hopefully I can get a definitive answer to the calendar year question.

mia

Extensive discussion here:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...el-credit.html

dw

pallhedge

It's calendar year based on statement date, not purchase date. The travel purchases (and associated credits) you refer to appear on a 2018 statement.

MisterBill

Thanks. That sounds promising!