Four Ways to Prevent Airline Miles and Hotel Points From Expiring

Travelers sitting on unused airline miles or hotel points have several ways to keep those rewards from expiring, according to guidance from CNBC Select aimed at loyalty program members worried about losing their balances.

Most airline and hotel loyalty programs require some form of periodic account activity to keep points active. When an account goes dormant for too long, without a qualifying flight, stay, or purchase, the accumulated miles or points can be forfeited, erasing rewards that may have taken years to build up.

Simple Steps to Stay Active

Among the options highlighted are making a purchase with a loyalty program's co-branded credit card, booking a flight or hotel stay directly through the program, and shopping through an airline or hotel's affiliated online shopping portal, all of which typically count as qualifying activity. Some programs also let members buy or transfer a small number of points to reset the clock on an inactive account, while others periodically run promotions that extend expiration deadlines for enrolled members.

The advice is particularly useful for travelers who accumulated rewards in the past but have since stopped flying or staying with a particular brand regularly, since even a single qualifying transaction can often be enough to keep an account, and its associated miles or points, active for another year or more.

Because expiration rules and qualifying activities differ from program to program, travelers are encouraged to check the specific terms of their airline or hotel loyalty accounts directly rather than assume a uniform policy applies across providers.