When do credit card rewards, airline miles, hotel points expire?

Just like the milk in your fridge, your credit card rewards could have an expiration date.

Ignore that deadline and you’re throwing away money.

“There’s a lot of confusion around loyalty currency expiration, and that’s not a surprise, given how complicated and inconsistent the individual policies can be,” says Zach Honig, editor-in-chief at The Points Guy.

Every card plays by a different set of rules. And, as that fine print on your card agreement informs you, card issuers can change the terms at any time.

So, if you’ve ever lost card rewards, you’re definitely not alone.

“We all go through this,” says Daniel Tulbovich, co-founder of RewardExpert.com. “You forget – then you really can lose some of them.

“The best advice, especially for those who don’t want to keep track: It’s not about the card, it’s about the program,” he says. “You simply get a flexible program that gives you the most value and points – and doesn’t expire at all.”

Either that, or really dig in to understand all the rules and regs behind your favorite rewards programs, says Tulbovich. And read every email or bill flier you receive, to stay current.

Need to check the current rules on your favorite rewards cards? Here’s a rundown on everything from rewards cards to co-branded airline and hotel cards – along with a few tips for keeping rewards fresh:

Rewards credit cards
Even some rewards with no expiration date are only valid if your credit card account is in good standing. If you want to keep accumulating those rewards, follow the same rules you would to build good credit:

• Make every payment on time.
• Always pay at least the minimum.
• Never exceed your credit limit.

In some rewards programs, even one missed or late payment could mean waving bye-bye to those goodies you wanted to get gratis.

“One surefire way to forfeit your credit card rewards is to close the only card you have linked to your credit card program,” says Honig. But that doesn’t apply to airline and hotel programs. “Once your points arrive in a partner account, they’re safe once you close your card – though individual program expiration policies will apply,” he says.

Hotel rewards credit cards
Hotel rewards cards often combine their own affinity rewards programs with a rewards credit card. Cardholders who want to keep all their rewards from expiring need to ask both about the affinity program requirements and the rewards credit card rules, says Honig.

Airline/rail rewards credit cards
Like hotel-branded cards, many airline cards combine card rewards with their own affinity programs. That means that, with some, you may have to use the card within a specific time frame to keep the rewards – even when rewards technically don’t expire.

*The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date. Please see the banks’ websites for the most current version of card offers.

See related: Maximizing card rewards after you’ve earned the sign-up bonus