6 Ways To Keep Your Travel Reward Points & Miles From Expiring

If you’ve gotten quite a bit of rewards and miles stocked up from your previous travels, then don’t let them go to waste. In the travel rewards world, many points and miles have expiration dates.

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In our guide, we will go over the six easy ways to keep your rewards active. This will help keep the rewards you earned stay active so you can use them towards your next dream vacation.

When Do Points & Miles Expire?

There are plenty of rewards programs out there and they all have varying expirations depending on the period of inactivity, often two or three years. So, if you go 24 or 36 months without earning or redeeming points or miles, you will lose them.

Each program has their own expiration policy. Some are going to be more restrictive than others while others are going to be more easy-going. Below, you will find a list of the most popular airline and hotel programs with their points and miles expiration details.

As you can see, some programs allow any activity to extend your rewards’ expiration. Other programs don’t allow any extensions, period.

We love the programs that don’t have any expiration on their rewards, because you’ll never have to worry about losing your points or miles. That includes Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, United Airlines and Best Western Rewards.

6 Easy Ways To Keep Your Points & Miles Active

There are plenty of options out there in terms of keeping your miles and points active,  but here we will focus on what we think are the six best and easiest ways to do so. Keep in mind, you will want to give yourself a couple of months before your rewards expire, so there is enough time for the new activity to post to your account.

CoBranded Credit Cards

As mentioned above, using cobranded credit cards in any way can waive rewards expirations on select loyalty programs.

UNITED? EXPLORER CARDDELTA SKYMILES® RESERVE AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDSOUTHWEST RAPID REWARDS® PREMIER CREDIT CARDIHG® REWARDS CLUB PREMIER CREDIT CARDHILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS SURPASS® CARDMARRIOTT BONVOY BRILLIANT™ AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARDWORLD OF HYATT CREDIT CARD

The United Explorer Card offers 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. You'll earn: • 2x miles on United® purchases, dining, and hotel stays. • 1x mile on all other purchases Perks of this card include: • Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary • Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply. • Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit • 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card There is a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95. Member FDIC Click here to learn how to apply

The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card offers 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $5,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Enjoy complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club when you fly Delta. Effective 2/1/25, Reserve Card Members will receive 15 Visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of Visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the Card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter. Once all 15 Visits have been used, Eligible Card Members may purchase additional Delta Sky Club Visits at a per-Visit rate of $50 per person using the Card. Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion Lounge when you book a Delta flight with your Reserve Card. Receive a Companion Certificate on a Main Cabin round-trip flight within the U.S. and to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central America each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Ticket requires payment of the government-imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for round-trip domestic flights and no more than $250 for round-trip international flights (both for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details. You'll earn: • Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. • Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. • $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required. • $200 Delta Stays Statement Credit: Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Members can earn up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit annually on eligible prepaid Delta Stays bookings on delta.com. • Receive four Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes each year when you fly together on Delta. After that, you may bring up to two guests at a per-visit rate of $50 per person, per location. • Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees. Want even more flexibility? Take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem with Pay with Miles when you book on delta.com. Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. This card does come with a $650 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. In addition, you'll earn 6,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary each year. You'll earn: • Earn 3X points on Southwest purchases. • Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. • Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming. You're able to redeem your points for flights, hotel stays, gift cards, access to events and more. This card does carry a $99 annual fee, but there are no foreign transaction fee. Click here to learn how to apply

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts • 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. • 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases This card offers several perks that you'll sure enjoy like: an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts (plus, enjoy a reward night when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG hotel stay) And as long as you're a cardmember, you'll have Platinum Elite status. You'll get Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $100 ($120 starting 10/1/24) every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card. There is an annual fee of $99. Click here to learn how to apply

The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card offers 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025. You'll earn: • NEW Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card. • Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio. • Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations. • NEW Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases. • Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card. Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card. Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year. This card does carry a $150 annual fee & no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. With this card, you'll earn: • 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. • 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. • 2X points on all other eligible purchases. • $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide. A Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member will earn 50% more points on eligible purchases at participating hotels for each U.S. dollar or the currency equivalent that is incurred and paid for by the member. Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck. $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card. This card comes with a $650 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. However, you can receive 1 free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy(R). Certain hotels have resort fees. (See Rates & Fees) Furthermore, enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass Select membership. Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

Reinstating Expired Points & Miles

Let’s consider that your account has already expired, what can you do? Is there any way you can salvage your points and miles? That all depends on the program. Some airlines and hotel chains will let you reinstate your rewards, but for a fee. It is up to you to decide whether or not the reinstatement fee is worth the expires points or miles.

Bottom Line

Knowing when your points or miles expire is key to keeping them active. Using this guide can show you some easy ways that you can keep your account from expiring and how to get the most out of your loyalty program. While expiration policies will differ from each loyalty program, most require some activity in a set period of time. Use a cobranded credit card to easily keep your account active!

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