Do Credit Card Rewards, Points And Miles Expire?

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Nothing stings quite like discovering your hard‑earned miles or points have expired — often due to inactivity. But luckily, there are many ways to keep your hard-earned credit card, hotel and airline rewards from expiring.

What are credit card rewards? Many credit cards come with a major incentive to keep swiping: lucrative rewards programs. These programs come from many types of rewards credit cards and some of the best cash-back cards, so it’s easy to find one that works for your spending habits.

Do credit card rewards expire? All credit cards and their rewards programs come with fine print that requires your attention — which typically includes whether your rewards expire. But most credit card rewards programs allow you to keep your rewards indefinitely. As long as you hold up your end of the credit card agreement and pay your bill on time every month, you shouldn’t lose any rewards.

Here’s when credit card rewards programs generally expire.

Do airline rewards expire? Airline rewards often expire after 12 to 36 months of inactivity, though some programs now offer no-expiration policies. While reassuring, this can lead to reward devaluations (similar to currency inflation) when too many points are in circulation.

Understanding how each airline program’s rewards expiration policy works is key to getting the most value out of your rewards.

• Guide to airline rewards programs and reward expirations
  

  Airline rewards program	Do rewards expire?	When will rewards expire?
  Air Canada Aeroplan	Yes
  Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan	No	Rewards don’t expire, but Mileage Plan accounts that are inactive for two years or more will be deactivated and must be reactivated to reinstate miles (see terms).
  American Airlines AAdvantage	Yes (exceptions apply)	After 24 months of inactivity Members under 21 and primary AAdvantage credit card members are exempt from policy (see terms)
  ANA Mileage Club	Yes	Expire 36 months after earning for mileage account Group 1 Varies depending on campaign for Groups 2 through 4 (see terms)
  British Airways Executive Club (Avios)	Yes
  Cathay Pacific	Yes
  Delta SkyMiles	No	Miles do not expire, but account deactivation (due to inactivity, violation of terms or death) could result in loss of miles (see terms).
  Emirates Skywards	Yes (exceptions apply)	After three years from earning Standard or adjusted expiration dates may apply Extension or reinstatement of miles for up to 12 months is possible Platinum members miles typically do not expire as long as you retain status (see terms).
  Etihad Guest	Yes
  Air Franc-KLM Flying Blue	Yes
  Frontier Miles	Yes
  Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles	No
  Iberia Plus (Avios)	Yes
  JetBlue TrueBlue	No
  Qantas Frequent Flyer	Yes
  Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)	Yes (exceptions apply)	After 36 months of inactivity Platinum members’ miles do not expire as long as they retain status (see terms).
  Singapore KrisFlyer	Yes (exceptions apply)	After three years from earning or one year from earning if won in a contest Miles do not expire for PPS Club members. Miles set to expire can be extended for either six months or one year by paying a fee (see terms).
  Southwest Rapid Rewards	No
  United MileagePlus	No
  Virgin Atlantic Flying Club	No

Do hotel rewards expire? Most hotel rewards expire after 12 to 24 months of inactivity, which is a shorter time frame than most airline rewards’ expiration dates. Keep a closer eye on hotel rewards, especially if you don’t have a hotel credit card you can use to keep your account active.

Bottom line: While most credit card rewards don’t expire, most airline and hotel rewards expire after a specific period of inactivity. Only a few rewards currencies don’t expire at all.

That’s why it’s a good idea to get a rewards credit card that earns points and miles that you’ll use frequently enough to keep your loyalty program account active. This will help give you a time frame for using the rewards you earn and ensure you’re putting them toward something you really want.

FAQs

• Are there other ways I may lose my rewards?
  

  Yes. While rewards for most issuer credit card loyalty programs don’t expire, you may lose rewards in other ways. This can happen due to account inactivity, returning purchases made with a credit card, closing your account, falling out of good standing, rewards program cancellation or death.

  These situations typically apply to airline and hotel loyalty programs, too. Carefully read your credit card or rewards program’s terms and conditions for more information.

• How do I keep my rewards from expiring?
  

  If you’re a part of a credit card, hotel or airline rewards program where your rewards expire, you have a few options for keeping them longer. You can start by making sure to:

  • Keep your account active.
  • Choose a credit card with flexible, transferrable rewards or one that earns elite status that waives rewards expiration.
  • Donate to charity or transfer them to someone else.
  • Make purchases through a shopping portal.
  • Use dining reward programs (if applicable).
  • Redeem airline rewards for cheap, non-travel redemptions.

• Can I reinstate expired rewards?
  

  Yes, some credit card and loyalty programs allow you to reinstate expired points and miles. Reinstatement fees and other specific terms and conditions typically apply. Loyalty programs that allow this include:

  • American Express Membership Rewards: You may lose points for issues like late payments, but they can be reinstated for a $35 fee after paying at least the minimum due. Requests must be for points lost within the past 12 months. Check Amex’s terms for details.
  • Alaska Mileage Plan: If your account has been inactive for two or more years, it will be locked. Contact customer service to reactivate your account and reinstate your miles.
  • American AAdvantage: You can make one transaction to reactivate up to 500,000 miles that have expired within the past 24 months. See additional terms that may apply.
  • Emirates Skywards: You can reactivate miles from the past six months for a fee of $20 per 1,000 miles, and you can reinstate up to 50,000 miles per year. Always do the math to see if the value of the miles is worth the fee.