- Some airline miles and hotel points will expire after a certain period of account inactivity.
- Because of the pandemic, earning and redeeming rewards is more challenging right now.
- Transferring points from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards can reset the expiration clock.
- Read Insider's guide to the best rewards credit cards.
Strategically taking advantage of credit card rewards can be a huge boon to your financial situation. You can use miles and points to help pay for travel or as statement credits to help offset your regular purchases.
Different types of miles and points have varying expiration dates and policies, so you'll want to make sure to be aware of the program's rules so that your rewards don't expire.
Do airline miles, hotel points, and credit card rewards expire?
Airline miles, hotel points, and credit card rewards all have different expiration policies:
- Some points expire only after a certain period of inactivity — for example, Frontier Miles expire after just six months of inactivity, and Hilton points expire 12 months from the last account activity.
- Some miles and points expire a certain time period after earning them, no matter how much activity you have on your account — for example, Wyndham Rewards points expire after 18 months of inactivity, and four years after earning them, regardless of activity.
- IHG Rewards Club points don't expire if you have elite status.
- Some miles and points don't ever expire if you keep your account open. This is most common with credit card points like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards points. Delta SkyMiles, United miles, and Best Western Rewards points are other examples of miles and points that don't expire.
Expiration policies changing due to COVID-19
Another important thing to keep in mind is that many airlines, hotels, and credit card companies have adjusted their expiration policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In most cases, companies are extending the expiration dates or pausing the expiration of miles and points.
Be sure to check your program's website for the most up-to-date information about the expiration of your miles and points.
How to keep miles and points from expiring
If your rewards are set to expire from inactivity, there are a variety of different ways that you can keep your miles and points from expiring. The most straightforward method is by earning or redeeming points. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, using airline miles and hotel points for travel has been much more difficult for many people. This is the reason that many companies have extended or loosened their expiration policies.
There are a couple of other ways that you can keep your miles and points from expiring, even if you're not able to or choosing not to travel right now. If you have a co-branded credit card for the program in question, even making one purchase will extend the expiration of your miles. For example, spending on your
Use transferable points to keep your miles and points from expiring
Another great way to keep your miles and points from expiring is by using transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou points. You can transfer points to a partner program, usually in increments of only 1,000 points, in order to generate activity in your account and avoid expiration.
In most cases, you'll only need to transfer the minimum amount required (usually 1,000 points), and all of these programs allow you to make the transfer online through your rewards account. Many transfers are instantaneous, though in some cases it may take a few days for the points to hit the account of the transfer partner. Once it does, your account should register the activity and extend your expiration date.
Bottom line
Miles and points can play a significant part in your overall financial picture, but only if you don't let them expire. Keeping your rewards from expiring is fairly straightforward, especially if you have transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Transferring points from one of these flexible rewards currencies can reset the activity counter on your loyalty program account and keep your valuable rewards points from expiring.
Dan Miller is a freelance writer and founder of PointsWithACrew.com, a site that helps families travel for free/cheap. His home base is in Cincinnati, but he tries to travel the world as much as possible with his wife and six kids.
