Don’t let possible free travel go to waste! Unfortunately, in the travel rewards world, most points and miles have expiration dates.
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In this guide, we’ll cover six easy ways to keep your rewards active. So you can continue to stock up on rewards towards your next dream vacation.
When Do Points & Miles Expire?
Most rewards programs have currencies that expire after a period of inactivity, often two or three years. So if 24 or 36 months go by without you earning – or sometimes redeeming – points or miles, you’ll lose them.
Each program has their own expiration policy. Some are more restrictive while others are more lenient. Below you’ll find a list of the most popular airline and hotel programs with points and miles expiration details.
| AIRLINE | EXPIRATION TERM | CAN EXTEND WITH ACTIVITY? |
| Aeromexico | 24 months from last activity | Yes |
| Air Canada | 12 months from last activity | Yes |
| Air France/KLM | 24 months from last activity | Yes |
| Alaska Airlines | 24 months from last activity | Yes |
| Alitalia | 24 months from last activity | Yes |
| American Airlines | 18 months from last activity | Yes |
| ANA | 36 months from earning | No |
| British Airways | 36 months from last activity | Yes |
| Cathay Pacific | 36 months from earning | No |
| Delta | No expiration | – |
| Emirates | 3 years from earning | No |
| Etihad | 24 months from earning | No |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 18 months from last activity | Yes |
| Iberia | 36 months from last activity | Yes |
| JAL | 36 months from earning | No |
| JetBlue | No expiration | – |
| Korean Air | 10 years from earning | No |
| Lufthansa | 36 month from earning* | No |
| Qantas | 18 months with no activity | Yes |
| Singapore Airlines | 36 months from earning | No |
| Southwest | 24 months with no earning activity | Yes |
| United Airlines | No expiration | – |
| Virgin Atlantic | 36 months with no activity | Yes |
*No expiration with a cobranded card or elite status.
| HOTEL CHAIN | EXPIRATION TERM | CAN EXTEND WITH ACTIVITY? |
| Accorhotels | No expiration with activity once a year | Yes |
| Best Western | No expiration | – |
| Choice Hotels | 18 months from last activity | Yes |
| Hilton Hotels | 12 months from last activity | Yes |
| Hyatt Hotels | 24 months from last activity | Yes |
| IHG | 12 months from last activity* | Yes |
| Marriott Hotels | 24 months from last activity** | Yes |
| Radisson Hotels | 24 months from last activity | Yes |
| Wyndham Hotels | 18 months with no activity & 4 years overall | No |
*No expiration for elite members.
**No expiration for Lifetime Elite members.
***We independently collected information from public sources to form our best partner redemptions. This information is subject to change without notice.
As you can see, some programs allow any activity to extend your rewards’ expiration. Other programs don’t allow any extensions, period.
We love the programs that don’t have any expiration on their rewards, because you’ll never have to worry about losing your points or miles. That includes Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, United Airlines and Best Western Rewards.
6 Easy Ways To Keep Your Points & Miles Active
You have plenty of options to keep your points and miles from expiring, but we’ll only focus on six of the easiest ways below. Keep in mind, you’ll want to give yourself a couple of months before your rewards expire, so there’s enough time for the new activity to post to your account.
The most obvious way to keep your rewards active is by taking an eligible flight or by completing an eligible stay with the applicable airline or hotel chain.
For most airline and hotel programs, redeeming is also considered a valid activity to extend the lifetime of rewards. If so, booking an award flight or stay will also keep your account active.
You can also keep your account active by donating your rewards to charity. The points or miles are generally withdrawn from your account immediately, meaning you’ll extend the expiration date of your remaining account balance the moment you click the confirm button. This is the perfect solution if your rewards are expiring in a day or two.
Some loyalty programs waive rewards expiration if you hold one of their cobranded credit cards. For example, the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card gives you automatic IHG Platinum status. At this elite tier, your points will never expire.
You can also keep your account active by spending with a cobranded card. For example, a $1 purchase on the The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® will add a mile to your AAdvantage balance and extend your expiration date at the end of your billing cycle.
Most airlines and hotel chains have their own dining program. Simply link your credit card to the dining network, and you’ll get points or miles when you make a purchase at participating restaurants. Keep your account active just by eating out at a partner restaurant, even if it’s just a cup of coffee! Rewards earned this way usually post within a week.
Online shopping portals let you earn miles by clicking through to a participating merchant when making an online purchase. This might be the easiest option to keep your account active, because any purchase – even a music download or a movie rental – counts.
Another option is to transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Capital One® Rewards, Citi ThankYou® Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards®. We recommend transferring the least amount possible. For most programs, that limit is 1,000 points.
If you don’t have a credit card with transferable points, you can convert points from most hotel programs, including Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and Wyndham Rewards. These exchange rates aren’t the best, but it’s a good option to keep your miles from expiring.
CoBranded Credit Cards
As previously mentioned, Some loyalty programs waive rewards expiration if you hold one of their cobranded credit cards.
Here are some cobranded credit cards to consider.
CHASE UNITED℠ EXPLORER CARD
The Chase United℠ Explorer Card from Chase has an offer for up to 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 total in the first 3 months. We value these 50k miles at around $700.
The card earns 2X miles on dining and eligible delivery services, hotel stays and United® purchases. United purchases include:
- Tickets
- Economy Plus
- Inflight food, beverages, Wi-Fi
- Other United charges
You’ll earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Other benefits include up to $100 as a statement credit for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck™ application fee every 4 years. You and a traveling companion on the same reservation will each receive the first standard checked bag free. This card provides priority boarding privileges and 2 one-time passes each year to United Clubs.
The Chase United Explorer Card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 thereafter.
DELTA SKYMILES RESERVE AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD
The Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card has an offer for 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $5,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
This card earns 3X Miles on Delta purchases and 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
Upon the annual renewal of your Card, receive a Domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+® or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate. *Payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
You and up to 8 travel companions get your first checked bag free on Delta Flights. You’ll also receive Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
This card gets a Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
Another great benefit is the complimentary Delta Sky Club access. You’ll also get complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge or Escape Lounge – The Centurion® Studio Partner when you book your Delta flight with your Reserve Card.
There are no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $550.
SOUTHWEST RAPID REWARDS® PREMIER CREDIT CARD
Earn 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. We value each Southwest point at an average 1.5 cents a piece, or $750 for the 50,000 points. The best value will be redemption for flights. As with most other airline rewards cards, point value can vary a lot depending on flight time, destination, etc.
You’ll also get 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary.
Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on Southwest Airline purchases. Also, earn 2 points for every $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming. You’ll get 1 point for every $1 on all other purchases. You’ll get 1 point for every $1 on all other purchases.
There are no foreign transaction fees with this card. Unfortunately, the $99 annual fee isn’t waived for the first year.
IHG® REWARDS CLUB PREMIER CREDIT CARD
The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card has an offer for 140,000 bonus points and 1 Free Night when you spend $3,000 within the first 3 months. Our valuation puts these 140k points at around $700 without considering the value of the Free Night.
This card earns up to 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel. Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
After each account anniversary year you’ll get a Free Night at eligible IHG hotels worldwide. Redeem points for any stay of 4 or more nights and you get a free reward night.
Also, get a Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Fee Credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card.
Get automatic Platinum Elite status with this card. The annual fee is $89 a year.
HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS SURPASS® CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has an offer for 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points when you spend $2,000 within 3 months of account opening. The total 130k bonus points are worth around $780 per our valuation.
Earn 12 points per $1 spent on a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. This chain of hotels consists of over 5,000 locations. Earn 6 points per $1 on purchases at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations. All other purchases will earn 3 points per $1.
Other benefits include complimentary Gold Status and a Weekend Night Reward after you spend $15,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
The card has an annual fee of $95 (See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply).
MARRIOTT BONVOY BRILLIANT™ AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card has an offer for 75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. We value these 75k points at around $675.
This card earns 6 points per $1 at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program and 3 points at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines. You’ll receive 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
You’ll get a Free Night Award (redemption level up to 50,000 points) every account anniversary year, and up to $300 in statement credits each year for eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott BonvoyTM program. Resort fees may apply. Other benefits include unlimited airport lounge visits with the Priority Pass Select membership and no foreign transaction fees.
This premium card comes with an Annual Fee of $450. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
THE WORLD OF HYATT CREDIT CARD
The World of Hyatt Credit Card from Chase has an offer for up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months. Get another 30,000 bonus points with 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent on purchases that earn 1 Bonus Point up to $15,000 in the first 6 months of account opening. Our valuations put 60k points at around $1,020 in value.
You’ll earn up to 9 points total per $1 spent at Hyatt with this card. That’s 4 bonus points per $1 with the card and 5 base points per $1 as a World of Hyatt member. The card also earns 2 bonus points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets bought directly from airlines, on local transit and commuting, and on fitness club and gym memberships.
This card has a $95 annual fee.
Reinstating Expired Points & Miles
What if your account is past expiration? Is there anything you can do to salvage your points or miles? Depending on the program, there might still be hope. Some airlines and hotel chains will let you reinstate your rewards, but for a fee. For example:
- Alaska Airlines will reinstate miles up to one year after expiration. The fee is $75.
- American Airlines will reinstate miles that expired after 2002. The fee ranges from $40 to $2,000 and depends on the number of miles you want to reinstate.
It’s up to you to decide whether or not paying the reinstatement fee is worth getting back the points or miles you lost.
Bottom Line
Being fully informed, including knowing when your rewards expire and how to keep them active, is essential to getting the most out of a loyalty program. While expiration policies might differ from one program to the next, most require some qualifying activity in a set period of time.
With this guide, we hope you’re armed and ready to keep your points or miles from expiring.
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