Do airline miles expire? It depends on which loyalty program you’re using.
Most major U.S. airlines have eliminated mileage expiration. This means you don’t have to worry about losing your rewards just because you haven’t flown in a while. But a few programs still have expiration rules, and they’re not all the same.
Here’s how mileage expiration works across seven U.S. airline loyalty programs, including what you can do to keep your points and miles from disappearing.
American Airlines AAdvantage
American Airlines AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months without qualifying account activity.
Fortunately, keeping your miles alive is fairly easy. Earning or redeeming miles resets the clock, including through eligible partner activity (like using the AAdvantage eShopping portal, for example) or by buying, gifting, or transferring miles.
There are also two important exceptions. Members under 21 are exempt from mileage expiration until they turn 21. And if you’re the primary cardmember on an open AAdvantage co-branded credit card, your miles won’t expire under the standard 24-month rule.
United MileagePlus
United MileagePlus miles don’t expire, regardless of how long your account has been inactive.
As long as your MileagePlus account remains open and in good standing, your miles won’t go anywhere. There’s no activity requirement to keep them.
Delta SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles don’t expire, either.
You can go years without earning or redeeming miles and still keep your balance. However, Delta can close accounts under certain circumstances, which may result in forfeiting any remaining miles.
As long as your account remains open and in good standing, there’s no mileage expiration deadline to worry about.
Southwest Rapid Rewards
Southwest Rapid Rewards points don’t expire.
Like United and Delta, Southwest doesn’t require you to earn or redeem points periodically to keep them active.
However, closing your Rapid Rewards account will result in forfeiting any points you haven’t redeemed. So if you have a balance, keep the account open even if you’re not flying Southwest regularly.
JetBlue TrueBlue
JetBlue TrueBlue points never expire.
There’s no inactivity requirement, so you don’t need to book flights or earn additional points just to preserve your balance.
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards
Atmos Rewards points don’t expire.
That policy carried over when Alaska Airlines introduced Atmos Rewards and replaced its former Mileage Plan program.
Although accounts may be locked after extended inactivity and require identity verification to regain access, the points themselves don’t expire.
So there’s no need to earn or redeem points periodically just to keep your balance. Just make sure you can still access your account when you’re ready to use them.
Breeze Breezy Rewards
Breeze Airways is a notable exception. BreezePoints expire 24 months after they’re issued, regardless of whether you’ve had other account activity since then.
That means earning more points won’t reset the expiration date on your existing balance. Each batch of points has its own 24-month validity period, and Breeze uses your oldest points first when you redeem them.
There is one way around this: Primary cardmembers with an open Breeze Easy Visa account in good standing are exempt from points expiration. If you close the card, the points remaining in your account receive a new 24-month expiration period beginning on the closure date.
Leave a Reply