Keep Your Points and Miles From Expiring

The widespread availability of rewards credit cards has made it simpler to rack up frequent flyer miles, hotel points, or cash back on everyday transactions. But do airline miles and hotel points ever expire? They can, especially if you haven't used your card in a while and have forgotten about the miles you've accumulated.

In many cases, once they're gone, they're gone for good or at least require a financial investment to bring back. Fortunately, monitoring them is a breeze. Learn the ins and outs of award expiry to avoid losing your hard-earned miles and points.

When Do Points Or Miles Become Invalid?

Most point and mile systems include inactive periods, after which points and miles become worthless. However, there are a few exceptions. Generally speaking, airline loyalty programs are more generous than hotel loyalty programs. There is no time limit on using your Best Western Rewards points.

Limitations On When Airline Miles Expire

Inactivity periods for airline miles range from six to thirty-six months. However, a more permissive no-expiration policy has been implemented by several programs. Members benefit from the assurance, but it may cause the currency's value to decrease. Excessive circulation of loyalty awards can have the same effect as a flood of cash, driving up prices.

Preventing Points from Expiring and More

Earning and using your miles regularly is the best method to prevent them from expiring. Doing either will keep your accounts active and protect your prizes.

Co-Branded Credit Card

One simple option to extend the life of your miles is to apply for a co-branded credit card. The program makes it easy to rack up miles, offers a generous sign-up incentive, and provides ongoing benefits.

Cardholders whose cards bear the same logo as the associated airline may have the mileage expiration policy suspended altogether. Members of the Alaska Mileage Plan who hold the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card never lose their accumulated miles.

In a roundabout way, the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card provides comparable coverage for members of the IHG® Rewards program. IHG Platinum status is awarded to cardholders, guaranteeing that their points will never expire so long as they maintain elite status with the hotel chain.

Flexible Rewards Account Points Transfer

Credit cards with variable reward structures are an alternative to co-branded cards if you find it difficult to make a long-term financial commitment. These points can then be moved to a hotel or airline loyalty program account. Programs that offer incentives that may be transferred include:

• The Amex Membership Reward Program
• Capital One Rewards
• Chase's Loyalty Program, Ultimate Rewards
• ThankYou Points with Citi

You may quickly and cheaply add to your miles before they expire by transferring a minimum of 1,000 points to most programs.

Travel With Points And Miles

Do not hoard your mileage; this should go without saying. You'll get the most out of your miles and keep your account active if you use them to book actual trips. To get the most out of your miles, you'll need to consider the best way to redeem them. In addition, booking a vacation in a hurry is a way to waste your miles and points.

Move Someone Else's Mileage and Points

Giving your miles to someone else may prevent them from expiring in your account. Because some programs need payment to transfer points, this may not be the most practical choice. The specifics of each program determine this cost, but it averages out to around a penny per point.

It may not be worthwhile to do so, depending on how you plan to use your miles and points. You should avoid paying a high charge to transfer points if doing so would result in a much lower redemption value.

Register For Dining Rewards

A nice method to passively accrue miles is through dining rewards programs. Every major hotel and airline loyalty program also has a meal rewards component. When you dine at a participating restaurant and use the credit card you registered with the program, you will earn miles or points. Your credit card rewards will increase by this amount.

The Conclusion

Some frequent flyer miles and points have a time limit, often between 12 and 36 months. Miles and points from many major airlines and one hotel brand (Best Western) never expire. If you have questions about when your loyalty program points will expire, you may either give them a call or check into your account. However, it is not always simple to verify this in software. AwardWallet is a useful application since it consolidates the expiration dates of your various frequent flyer miles and points.