Do Credit Card Rewards, Hotel Rewards, and Frequent Flyer Miles Expire?

Loyalty program points and miles are valuable currencies that can be redeemed for future travel, gift cards, cash back, and more. Travelers can be spenders, savers, or even hoarders when it comes to rewards. However, savers should be cautious: unlike bank accounts, points and miles can vanish after periods of inactivity, wiping out those hard-earned rewards—forever.

The reality is that each loyalty program has its own rules regarding the expiration of points and miles, with some offering no-expiration policies. Others will expire after a set period of account inactivity but can be preserved by adding or subtracting just a single mile. Meanwhile, certain programs may cause points and miles to expire outright after a year or more.

Here’s what you need to know to prevent your points and miles from expiring and to avoid the unpleasant surprise of a zero balance.

Credit card rewards do not expire.

Points accumulated through credit card loyalty programs—whether from welcome bonuses, regular spending, or promotions—remain valid as long as your credit card account is open, active, and in good standing. However, if you decide to close your account, any unredeemed points will be forfeited. This rule applies to:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Capital One Rewards
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Points

Hotel points expire if there’s no activity

Many hotel loyalty programs temporarily suspended point expirations during the peak of COVID, but those policies have since reverted to their original rules. Typically, most hotel points expire after 24 months of inactivity, although they can be extended with any type of account activity. This includes:

• Hilton Honors
• Marriott Bonvoy
• World of Hyatt

Lifetime Elite members in Marriott Bonvoy need not worry about checking their balances, as they are exempt from expiration.

The popular hotel loyalty program IHG One Rewards has a more stringent expiration policy compared to its rivals. Points will expire 12 months after the last activity but can be renewed with any account activity. However, points in elite member accounts do not expire. Therefore, if you possess the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, which grants automatic IHG Platinum Elite status, your points will remain valid as long as you keep your elite status with the card.

Most domestic frequent flyer miles do not expire.

Less than four years ago, only two airlines—Delta and JetBlue—offered no-expiration policies for their frequent flyer programs. However, more programs have since adopted similar policies, ensuring that miles won’t expire (as long as the programs still operate, of course). These now include:

• Delta SkyMiles
• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• United Airlines MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan is also included in this discussion. However, accounts will be locked after two years of inactivity. If that time passes, you’ll need to reach out to Alaska Airlines to reactivate your account, but rest assured that your miles will still be intact.

Frequent flyer miles that expire due to inactivity

American Airlines AAdvantage is the only domestic airline loyalty program where miles can expire. To keep your AA miles, you'll need to have some account activity at least once every 24 months.

Many international airline loyalty programs also enforce mileage expiration policies. Below are some of these programs, along with the number of months after which miles will expire if there is no account activity:

• AeroMéxico Club Premier – 24 months
• Air Canada Aeroplan – 18 months
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue – 24 months
• British Airways Executive Club – 36 months
• Iberia Plus – 36 months
• Qantas Frequent Flyer – 18 months
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club – 36 months
• Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles – 36 months
• Frequent flyer miles that expire outright

Frequent flyer miles that expire completely

In certain programs, miles will expire entirely after 36 months, regardless of any account activity. To prevent any disappointment, make sure to utilize your points within three years in the following programs:

• ANA Mileage Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Lufthansa Miles & More
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  

How can you prevent your points and miles from expiring?

For programs that require activity every 12, 24, or 36 months, even a simple addition or subtraction of a single point will suffice, but the transaction must be recorded in the account. If you're not currently accumulating miles or points through credit card usage or travel, there are several ways to keep your account active. For starters, you can transfer points between accounts (e.g., moving Amex Membership Rewards into a partner frequent flyer program or transferring Hilton points between accounts). Additionally, consider using miles to purchase a magazine subscription, which often costs just a few hundred miles. Finally, shopping through an airline's shopping portal can help you earn extra miles, which also counts as account activity.

To prevent your points and miles from expiring, it's wise to adhere to a few key guidelines. Firstly, avoid transferring your credit card points to airline and hotel partners until you're ready to book an award. Secondly, resist the urge to hoard points and miles; they don’t earn interest and can lose value over time due to inflation in loyalty programs. Don’t hesitate to use them. Additionally, regularly check your points and mileage account balances and note the expiration dates on your calendar (which will be clearly outlined in your points summary). This ensures you're aware of any necessary actions to keep your points and miles secure.