5 easy ways to keep your points from expiring

One of the easiest things to do is forget you have points or miles in a loyalty account and lose them to expiration. This is especially an issue since a lot of loyalty programs suspended point expirations during the pandemic, but now they have re-implemented their old policies. Thankfully, there are numerous ways to keep them alive, but here are 5 easy ways to keep your points from expiring.

I was reminded that Singapore Airlines miles normally expire if you don’t use them within 36 months ( they’re automatically extending them for 6 months if they expire this year ). I received an email and checked my account. Without the pandemic extension, I’d lose nearly 100k miles to expiration!

How often do points and miles expire?

Great question….Here’s a basic chart that will help keep track

Program	Expiration after	Extend?	Transfer Partner
Aeromexico	24 months	with activity	Amex
Air Canada	18 months	with any activity	Amex
Alaska Airways	Accounts locked after 24 months of inactivity	Call to restart	Marriott
American Airlines	18 months	with any activity	Bilt, Marriott
ANA	36 months	nope	Amex
Asiana	10 years	nope	Marriott
British Airways	36 months	with any activity	Chase, Amex, Cap1, Marriott
Delta	Never		Amex, Marriott
Emirates	3 years	nope	Bilt, Chase, Amex, Citi, Cap1, Marriott
Etihad	18 months	Acitivty	Amex, Citi, Marriott
EVA	36 months	nope	Cap1, Citi
Flying Blue: KLM/Air France	24 months	Activity	Amex, Bilt, Chase, Citi, Cap1, Marriott
Hawaiian	No expiration		Amex, Bilt
Iberia	36 months	Activity	Chase, Amex, Marriott
JAL	36 months	nope	Marriott
Jetblue	Never		Amex, Cap1, Marriott
Korean Air	10 years		Marriott
Lufthansa	36 months	nope Credit card holders of more than 3 months = no expiration Elites = no expiration	Marriott
Malaysia	36 months	activity	Citi, Marriott
Qantas	18 months	activity	Amex, Citi, Cap1, Marriott
Qatar	36 months	activity	Citi, Cap1, Marriott
Singapore	36 months from earning.	Not with activity. But you can pay a fee per 10,000 miles	Amex, Chase, Cap1, Citi, Marriott
Southwest	None		Chase
Turkish	36 months	For a fee ( $10 per 1k miles ) for another 3 years	Bilt, Citi, Cap1, Marriott
United	None		Bilt, Chase, Marriott
Virgin Atlantic	None		Amex, Bilt, Chase, Cap1, Citi, Marriott
Hotels
Accor	None		cap1
Best Western	None
Choice	18 months	Activity	Cap1, Citi, Amex
Hilton	24 months	Activity	Amex
Hyatt	24 months	Activity	Bilt, Chase
IHG	12 months unless elite then none	Activity	Bilt, Chase
Marriott	24 months unless lifetime elite	Activity	Amex, Chase
Radisson	24 months	Activity
Wyndham	18 months	Activity	Cap1, Citi

1) Transfer points to keep them active

This is why I love flexible point currenies…it gives you options. If you’re not staying at a hotel or flying on an airline to keep your points active…just transfer points in. Not every airline or hotel program is like this, but the vast majority of them are.

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2) Keep a co-branded credit card to keep your points alive

Credit cards are an easy way to keep your points alive as well. Any activity you make on that card extends the life of your points. Also, cards like the IHG Rewards Premier from Chase keep your points from expiring just for holding the card.

3) Buy points

You can easily buy points to create activity. An easy purchase of 1000 points may set you back $30 or $40, but it’ll keep that cache of points active. Totally worth the money.

4) Dining Programs

If you aren’t participating in a dining program you definitely should.  You simply link your credit card to the program and you’ll earn the points of that loyalty program, in addition to your credit card points, when you dine at participating restaurants You can read a full description of Dining Programs here, but these are the programs that currently offer them:

• Alaska Airlines
• United Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta SkyMiles
• JetBlue
• Spirit
• Southwest
• Hilton
• Marriott
• IHG
• Choice

5) Use a shopping portal

Loyalty programs have their own online shopping portals that will code your order to earn points in their program. It’s a super easy way to keep your points alive, but also earn tons of bonus points for items you’d buy anyways. All you have to do is log into the mall and then link into the retailers’ normal site. You’ll not only earn your credit card points, but you’ll also earn the points of the portal you’re using.

• Aeromexico
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France Flying Blue 
• Alaska Airlines
• ANA
• American Airlines 
• British Airways 
• Cathay Pacific
• Delta
• Etihad 
• Finnair 
• Hawaiian
• Japan Airlines
• JetBlue
• KLM
• Lufthansa 
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airwaysf
• Southwest
• United
• Virgin Atlantic 
• Virgin Australia

Hotels

• Choice Hotels
• Hilton 

Other

• American Express: Rakuten
• Barclays 
• Chase

My favorite way to see which portal is offering the biggest bonus is CashBackMonitor

Overall

As you can see, these are 5 easy ways to keep your miles and points from expiring without even leaving your house.