Credit card perks TPG readers want in 2023

Quick summary

The article reviews major credit card changes in 2022, including new product launches, benefit overhauls and discontinued features across the industry.
Reader feedback highlights a strong desire for simpler rewards programs, easier-to-use credits and more straightforward benefit redemption.
Many cardholders expressed frustration with restrictive or complicated travel credits, limited transfer partners and unclear benefit structures.
There is growing demand for more flexible earning options, expanded travel partnerships and the return of lost protections like extended warranty.

What to consider

Some popular benefits, such as extended warranty protection, are being removed from select cards in 2023.
Enrollment may be required to access certain perks or credits, and eligible charges can vary by merchant or property.
Not all travel credits are broadly usable; some require advance selection of airlines or are limited to specific booking channels.

What you'll miss from the article

A detailed look at readers' specific wish list items for future card improvements and nuanced comparisons of travel and lifestyle benefits.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Credit card benefits and welcome bonuses change every year. Sometimes, you're happy with the changes to your card. Other times, you aren't.

In terms of changes, we saw a lot in 2022. Let's look back at this whirlwind of a year for credit cards.

2022 credit card changes and updates

Here are the highlights of credit card changes we saw this year — including new cards, overhauls, discontinuations and changes to existing benefits.

friends pay for drinks at a bar with a credit card — DEAN MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES

Marriott's credit card lineup underwent major updates. This included launching two new credit cards, adding perks to some cards and overhauling the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.

Chase added and extended partnership benefits across multiple credit cards this year. This included extending its DoorDash benefits while extending and modifying Lyft benefits and launching a set of benefits with Instacart — including the launch of the Instacart Mastercard. Additionally, Chase's lineup of IHG credit cards underwent big changes to coincide with the launch of the refreshed IHG One Rewards program. This included the launch of the IHG One  Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. Additionally, we saw Chase's newest business credit card become available to the public.

American Express updated perks and benefits, as well. The number of options for using your monthly digital entertainment credits increased on The Platinum Card® from American Express. Those with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card saw their automatic status improve from Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite to Gold Elite and gained access to a perk offering up to 7% discount on eligible bookings made directly with Marriott at participating properties. The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express also saw improvements with improved earning rates at U.S. gas stations and statement credits for both Home Chef (up to $15 per month) and the Disney bundle (up to $7 per month). We also saw changes to which merchants qualify for the monthly dining credits on the American Express® Gold Card. Enrollment is required in advance for select benefits.

And while American Express cards gained benefits, those with the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi and Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi found out they'll lose a benefit in 2023: extended warranty protection.

friends at a restaurant are looking at a smart phone together — MARTIN-DM/GETTY IMAGES

Capital One also made multiple changes. Those with student credit cards gained access to the travel portal. Those with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card gained access to Plaza Premium lounges but also found out they'll lose access to non-lounge parts of Priority Pass in the year to come.

We also saw the launch of overhauled Wyndham Rewards credit cards from Barclays, offering updated status perks with the Wyndham Rewards program. Barclays also offered elevated bonuses on its cobranded business cards this year. Wells Fargo also issued cards this year, including the Bilt Mastercard® and the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card (see rates and fees).

Bank of America made several changes, as well. These included the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® no longer accepting new applications and other cards leaving Bank of America. Capital One became the new partner for Major League Baseball credit cards while First National Bank of Omaha began issuing the Amtrak Guest Rewards credit cards during the fourth quarter of 2022.

The information for the Virgin Atlantic, and Amtrak cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Though there have been numerous changes to credit cards over the past two years, let's look forward to 2023.

We asked readers in the TPG Lounge on Facebook to look ahead and tell us what they'd like to see from their credit cards to make them more rewarding next year. Here’s what TPG readers have on their credit card perks wish list.

Comments have been lightly edited for context.

More simplicity

One comment summarized a frustration we see among many people:

Janice L.: I would like to see all the cards simplify everything. The only people doing all the things are the points people, which is not who the banks want. Non-points people don't have time for all of the tasks. I don't know anyone outside the points and miles world who is even familiar with all the benefits of these cards. So, is the goal to offer them and people not use them or to deliver real benefits? If it is real benefits, then all cards should use the Amazon one-click method and simplify the cards.

This sentiment was common among users discussing American Express and the Amex Platinum Card in particular.

Some wishes are general, such as wishing monthly spending offers were easier to find and use.

Carol P.: Make it easier to find and use offers. How about a “clip all” feature? I can go in once a month and clip all. It’s a pain to go through every card each month looking at all the offers.

couple online shopping — MARKO GEBER/GETTY IMAGES

Janice L.: I would love a no-preset-spending-limit card with great multipliers but that wasn't a coupon book. I would eliminate my American Express® Green Card, but I don't want to lose my longtime credit history.

The information for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Amex needs to step up its game

Mark B.: Refocus of the Amex Platinum card to travel and away from all the "lifestyle" stuff.

Mark isn't alone in this, given the number of likes his comment received and replies to it. Several users echoed the idea that they feel it has become increasingly difficult to use and maximize the credits and perks on the card.

Heather T.: I wish premier credit cards would decide what they want to be when they grow up. Pick a lane and commit — lifestyle or travel? And then make all the benefits related to that choice. Example: That Equinox benefit is useless to me as a frequent international traveler, plus it's incredibly expensive. And the Clear credit is useless to someone who doesn't travel.

Amanda E.: Amex Platinum having bonus categories other than booking travel through the portal. I find myself using competitors’ cards because I get just as good a redemption but better point accumulation. The Platinum Card is becoming not worth it for me when I have the Sapphire Reserve and Capital One cards too. I’d also like the up to $200 hotel credit to be easier to use. I’ve tried to book one in the last three cities I’ve gone to, and there were no Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection* facilities there to use the credit on.

While Amanda's wish relates to easier use of the Amex Platinum Card's annual hotel credits, others expressed the same feelings and wishes about the card's other credits. Enrollment is required.

Blake D.: Amex needs a better travel credit redemption! We only spend ours when we fly enough Southwest to use it on Early Bird. Other than that, we just don’t pay airline fees beyond inflight Wi-Fi.

Blake wasn't the only person who wished the annual airline incidental credits on the Amex Platinum Card were less restrictive. Enrollment is required.

Steven P.: Amex is seemingly the only card issuer with ridiculous restrictions on travel credits. How about not needing to pick an airline ahead of time and maybe just making it a generic travel credit, rather than a crazy list of things that work.

Steven also had two other wishes regarding American Express:

Steven P.: I’d like Amex to offer a consumer credit card with 2 Membership Rewards points per dollar for all spending. Basically, the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express for personal cards. Citi has the Citi® Double Cash Card and Capital One has the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, but Amex has nothing like this for personal cards.

*Eligible charges vary by property.

A man holds a credit card while making a phone call — WESEND61/GETTY IMAGES

Also, I think it would be nice if Amex added more transfer partners. Great examples would be JAL, Korean Air and some access into the Miles & More program for airlines like Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. It would allow access to flights directly, rather than trying to find partner awards. Additionally, it would be nice if they followed the Venture X and Sapphire Reserve with 10 points and miles per dollar on hotels booked via Amex Travel instead of its current 5 points and miles per dollar. They are offering half of what competitors are offering. Also, it would be nice if they guaranteed loyalty perks when booking via FHR the way Capital One promises for its new hotel program (the Premier Collection).

And Steven wasn't the only person who wanted a shake-up in Amex's transfer partners.

Shoshana S.: Amex needs more airline travel partners. People shouldn't have to engage in the time-consuming and often fraught-with-peril gymnastics of transferring to an alliance or points partner of the airline you really want to fly on.

Jason B.: Amex has some good airline program partners, but the hotel transfer options are lacking. Hyatt is the only program where 1:1 transfers are valuable and they aren't an Amex partner. Maybe they could increase Amex transfers to Hilton from 1:2 to 1:3?

a middle-aged man holds a credit card while looking at his phone — RGSTUDIO/GETTY IMAGES

More protection

Another general request is to bring back lost protections.

Nicholas C.: The return of extended warranty perks. The loss of the extended warranty on the Costco Visa is a major shock.

Easier way to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles

Another wish: for one of the major banks — American Express, Capital One, Chase or Citi — to pick up a preferred airline as a permanent transfer partner.

Michael B.: I'd like to see an additional flexible points currency that transfers to American Airlines.

Advice for Barclays and Capital One

Others discussed cards from Barclays and Capital One that they'd like to see evolve in the year to come.

Shawn S.: I wish the JetBlue Plus Card offered more perks. I don’t fly JetBlue very often, but the $95 annual fee doesn’t seem worth it for me since they don’t fly many flights out of Tampa and seldom provide any incentives. For a card with an annual fee, you’d think they’d offer more than just free checked bags.

Qui L.: I’d love to see more benefits on the Capital One Venture X to be more competitive with Amex, like restaurant, Clear or streaming credits.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply

Bottom line

Readers shared some of these same sentiments a year ago, asking for perks to be easier to use on the Amex Platinum Card and expanding the "travel" category for bonus earnings across card issuers. Other wishes for last year included elite status with the Sapphire Reserve, bonus earnings on cruises from a credit card and one-time passes for breakfast, seat upgrades and other similar perks offered by cobranded credit cards. Unfortunately, we didn't see any of those happen in 2022.

Will we see readers' wishes for 2023 come true? Only time will tell.

Additional reporting by Benét Wilson.