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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
News
A look back at our 2022 credit card predictions and trends
Matt Moffitt is a contributing editor and expert in getting the most out of credit cards and points (he carries at least 25 cards in his wallet at any given time). Originally from Sydney, Australia, he won the Green Card Lottery and lived in Austin, Texas for 10 years before relocating to Spain in 2025.
December 31, 2022 • 12 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
The article reviews predictions made for credit card rewards trends in 2022, assessing which came true and which did not.
Intense competition among premium travel cards led to expanded benefits and new partnerships, though some anticipated lounge openings were delayed.
Annual fees in the mid-range became more common, and there was increased flexibility and personalization in how points could be used or earned.
Some offers and partnerships changed or expired, and rules around eligibility for welcome bonuses became more complex.
What to consider
Several airport lounge openings were postponed to 2023 or later, affecting access for some cardholders.
Eligibility for certain bonuses now depends on previous and current card ownership, with detailed restrictions in place.
Some transfer partners and bonus structures for loyalty programs changed, impacting the value and options for redeeming points.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed look at how specific predictions about card benefits, lounge access, and loyalty program changes played out in 2022.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
In the 12 months since then, saying "a lot has happened" might be an understatement. It's been quite a year, including the launch of new credit cards and major updates to others. Plus, we've seen an evolving list of new and refreshed partnerships between credit cards and brands that traditionally weren't in the credit cards market.
As 2022 ends and the new year looms, let’s look back at our predictions to see which ones came true.
Intense competition among premium credit cards: Correct
Our first prediction wasn't much of a risk. Premium credit cards have been battling for customers and market share for years now. This has only intensified since the launch of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to compete with traditional favorites like The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve. Our prediction that the competition among these cards would stiffen was accurate.
Within this prediction, we guessed that continued changes would be announced on the Platinum Card. The fulfillment of this prophecy came in updates like the expansion of which services qualify for the monthly digital entertainment credits, updates to benefits on the Walmart+ monthly benefit and news about the loosening of restrictions on the Equinox benefits. Luckily, these improvements to benefits came without an increase in the card's already-staggering $695 annual fee (see rates and fees).
There were also major updates to Marriott's credit card lineup in September. This included the complimentary elite status offered by the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card jumping from Gold Elite to Platinum Elite, cardholders receiving an additional 10 elite night credits each year, more value in the free night award and a big increase in the card's annual fee. It went from $450 to $650 (see rates and fees).
More airports with credit card lounges: Partially correct
Competition in the credit card lounge space is definitely heating up, and that continued in 2022. However, several of the expected lounge openings were pushed back to 2023.
More cards with annual fees between $100 and $400: Correct
At this time last year, we saw the launch of the United Quest Card with a $250 annual fee as a sign of things to come. We predicted that credit card issuers would break away from the traditional three types of annual fees, which were $0, under $100 and $400 or more.
This came true in September with the announcement of two new Marriott credit cards. These include the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card from Chase and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card. They both have the same annual fee of $250 (see rates and fees for the Bevy card). Both cards feel very similar, as they launched with the same welcome bonus, Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and an offer of 1,000 bonus points on each paid stay with Marriott. They also have similar earning structures, benefits and perks from spending.
The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful 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.
We saw positives and negatives in this arena during 2021. While there were more options for how to use your points — including both the method of using them and the partners with which you can use them — we also saw negative changes that meant the loss of partners and devaluations of transfers to a handful of partners.
The ability to use your Ultimate Rewards points through Chase's Pay Yourself Back program continued to evolve. Ending dates for this program were pushed back multiple times, with current categories set to end Dec. 31. How will this program change in 2023?
First class on Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777-300-ER. JT GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Conversely, Citi ThankYou Rewards lost two transfer partners this year: InterMiles and Malaysia Airlines Enrich. These were not the most lucrative transfer partners, so you may not have noticed or felt the effects of this change.
More personalization of cards and discouraging churning: Correct
At the end of last year, we predicted that credit card issuers would continue to use artificial intelligence to further personalize the credit card experience. This would be done through benefits being customized to the user and the discouraging of customers who apply for a card, earn the welcome bonus and then stop spending on the card — or so our predictions said.
Both of these predictions were correct.
We saw this through targeted offers throughout the year. Numerous customers saw targeted offers available through CardMatch, offering tens of thousands of bonus points above the publicly available welcome bonus on these credit cards.
Readers let us know about their targeted offers throughout the year, emailing us to tell us about welcome bonuses they'd received in the mail, via email or when logged in to their existing credit card accounts. Another common theme with offers included upgrade offers, where a bank may encourage you to upgrade from a no-annual-fee credit card to a more premium product through a welcome bonus. This continued throughout the year, and bonuses available to customers varied since these are targeted and not everyone receives the same offer.
Moreover, we saw the continued personalization of the credit card experience through enhanced benefits. Amex Platinum cardmembers gained additional options for how to use their monthly streaming credits, and monthly dining credit options on the American Express® Gold Card expanded, as well. The ability to choose how you use these credits allows credit card issuers to offer a benefit that each customer can use as they see fit. Note that enrollment is required in advance for some of these benefits.
We also saw banks continue to discourage people from getting a credit card merely for the sign-up bonus and then closing the card or no longer using it. American Express continued to use its eligibility pop-up tool and also rolled out the "Apply with confidence" tool. This allows people to see whether they're approved for an American Express card before a hard inquiry on their credit reports, but its use is limited to those who do not have Amex cards at present.
Another example of this came through restrictions on which credit card bonuses you can earn. When the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy and Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful from Chase launched simultaneously, both came with cross-bank restrictions regarding who was eligible for bonuses on these cards. Rules limiting the welcome bonus covered previous and current Marriott credit cards you've had and when you earned bonuses on those cards. These rules can be so complicated that it takes an entire chart to understand your Marriott bonus eligibility.
More credit card perks tied to brands: Correct
Banks continued to expand partnerships between credit cards and non-credit card brands.
Many of the predictions that we had for 2022 came true, but we also had some partial misses — as well as some surprises.
Credit card issuers were busy this year, unveiling new cards, new partnerships and overhauls of existing credit card lineups. Keeping track of it all was ... well, a full-time job for several people.
What does 2023 have in store? Stay tuned for our predictions for next year to see what we think is coming next in the world of credit cards and rewards.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
