Points Expiration Is Real and Brutal
Many travelers have had the painful experience of checking their miles balance before a big trip only to find it's been zeroed out. Points expiration policies vary widely — some programs are generous, others will delete years of accumulated miles after just 12 months of inactivity. Understanding which programs are safe and how to keep others active costs nothing and can save thousands of dollars in value.
Programs That Don't Expire (Safest)
These programs have either no expiration or expiration only at account closure:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards: Never expire as long as your card is open
- Amex Membership Rewards: Never expire as long as you have an eligible card
- Capital One Miles: Never expire
- Citi ThankYou Points: Never expire as long as you have an eligible account
- Bilt Rewards: Never expire
- Southwest Rapid Rewards: Never expire with activity; points post from the Companion Pass
- JetBlue TrueBlue: Never expire
- World of Hyatt: Expire after 24 months of inactivity — but activity is broadly defined
Programs Requiring Activity to Stay Alive
- United MileagePlus: Miles expire after 18 months of inactivity. Earning or redeeming any miles resets the clock. Shopping portal purchases, dining rewards, and hotel partner stays all count.
- American AAdvantage: Miles expire after 24 months of inactivity. Any earning or redemption activity resets the clock.
- Delta SkyMiles: Miles never expire (Delta removed expiration in 2011) — one of Delta's few advantages.
- British Airways Avios: Expire after 36 months of inactivity. Shopping portal or dining program activity counts.
- Air Canada Aeroplan: Points expire after 18 months of inactivity.
- Marriott Bonvoy: Points expire after 24 months of inactivity — but any hotel stay resets the clock.
- Hilton Honors: Points expire after 24 months of inactivity. Shopping portal or dining activity counts.
Cheap Ways to Reset the Inactivity Clock
You don't need to fly or book a hotel to keep miles active. Most programs count any qualifying transaction:
- Shopping portals: United, American, Delta, and most airline programs have online shopping portals. Buy something for $5 and earn 1 mile — clock reset.
- Dining programs: United Dining, American AAdvantage Dining, and similar programs credit miles for restaurant purchases already on linked credit cards.
- Program-linked credit card purchases: If you hold the co-branded card, any purchase earns miles and resets the clock.
- Transferring in a small balance: Transferring 1,000 credit card points into the program usually counts as activity.
- Magazine subscriptions: Some programs accept partner activity like magazine subscriptions or Audible/Amazon for earning.
Set Calendar Reminders
The simplest protection is a calendar reminder. For every program with an activity requirement, set a recurring event 2–3 months before your expiration date. If you haven't flown or earned naturally by then, trigger a small activity (shopping portal purchase) to reset the clock. This takes 5 minutes and costs nothing.
What to Do If Points Already Expired
Act immediately. Most programs will reinstate expired miles for a fee — often $30–$50 plus a surcharge per thousand miles reinstated. Call the airline's loyalty line and ask. American and United both have reinstatement policies. The fee is almost always worth it if you have a significant balance, because the miles are worth far more than the reinstatement cost.