Unlike most airline and hotel rewards, credit card points never expire — and they're often a better deal

• Airline miles generally expire 18 to 24 months after you last earned or used rewards in your account.
• Hotel points typically expire 12 to 24 months from your last account activity.
• Some brands have pushed back points expiration dates due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Read Insider's guide to the best rewards credit cards.

It's easy to earn points and miles by using rewards credit cards and joining hotel and airline loyalty programs, but when it comes time to redeem them, there's often some fine print to parse.

Not only do different hotel and airline rewards programs have their own award charts specifying how many points or miles you'll need to book a hotel room or a flight, but programs also have their own expiration policies that dictate the lifespan of your hard-earned rewards.

In most cases, your points or miles will expire in 12 to 24 months from your last "account activity," which could be anything from purchasing points or miles to taking a flight to using an airline or hotel credit card to make a purchase.

However, because of the COVID pandemic, some programs have paused points expiration for a limited time. Here's a look at the current expiration policies of some of the major airline and hotel programs.

Miles expiration policies, by airline

Here's a breakdown of the major US airline miles expiration policies.

Points expiration policies, by hotel

Unlike with airline loyalty programs, most hotel programs dictate that your points will expire if you don't have any account activity within a specified timeframe — with Best Western being the notable exception.

Credit card points never expire

Unlike many airline miles and hotel points, credit card points don't expire as long as you keep your account open and in good standing (meaning you continue to pay off your balances or communicate with the bank if you need any financial assistance). 

Here are the main credit card points currencies, along with the top credit card options for earning each of them:

These transferable credit card points can be extremely valuable, not just because you have so many options for using them to book travel, but also because there are certain sweet spots you can use to your advantage.

For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your Ultimate Rewards points are worth 50% more when you book travel through Chase or through Pay Yourself Back. Plus, you may be able to use your bank points for things beyond travel— in light of the coronavirus outbreak, some issuers have added new ways to earn and redeem rewards, and in many cases, you'll have options to redeem points for cash back, gift cards, merchandise, and even toward everyday purchases.

Even if you're a very frequent flyer and love your Delta or American Airlines card for earning miles and enjoying perks like a free checked bag, adding a credit card that earns Amex, Chase, Capital One, or Citi ThankYou rewards to your wallet is a smart strategy. You'll be diversifying your rewards, and those bank points will never expire.

How to keep points and miles from expiring

Because the travel rewards you earn are only as valuable as the flights or hotel stays you're able to book with them, you won't want to let them expire — even if you're not sure when you'll be able to travel again.

Here are some of the top ways to keep them alive:

Use a co-branded credit card

If your American Airlines miles are in danger of expiring, you can make a purchase with an American Airlines credit card to keep your rewards active. This will work with almost any airline or hotel rewards program; using a Marriott credit card will prevent your Bonvoy points from expiring as well.

Transfer flexible points to an airline or hotel account

If you have transferable rewards at your disposal, such as Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can move a small number of points to a partner program to generate activity and prevent your airline or hotel points from expiring. 

For example, if your IHG points are close to expiring, you could transfer 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your IHG Rewards account and reset the expiration clock, as that's considered earning activity.

Go through an online shopping portal

If you're making a purchase online, check to see if your airline or hotel has a shopping portal.

Shopping portals earn you a specified number of points or miles per dollar when you shop with participating retailers. For example, by going through the Alaska Airlines MileagePlan portal, you could earn miles for shopping with retailers like Apple and Sephora — and extend the life of your Alaska miles by two years.

Use your points or miles

Redeeming your rewards is included under the umbrella of account activity that will preserve your points. Even if you don't want to book a travel reservation, you could redeem a small number of points or miles for merchandise, like a magazine subscription. To see your redemption options, log into your loyalty account and navigate to the rewards section.

See Insider's guide to keeping your points from expiring for more ideas.

What to do if you let your points and miles expire

If you do slip up and let your points or miles expire, you may be able to pay to get those rewards reinstated. Only two airline programs publicly advertise this option (American Airlines and Alaska Airlines), but it's still worth calling your loyalty program's customer service to see if there are any options for you.

Sarah Silbert is the senior reviews editor at Personal Finance Insider. She's covered personal finance and credit card rewards for six years, and she's a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF).

Laila Maidan is the personal-finance-storytelling fellow at Insider. She covers personal stories about peoples' financial journeys. Have a story about a financial accomplishment to share? Email lhmaidan@insider.com.

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