Do Credit Card Points Expire? What You Need to Know

29.02.2024 - 18:57 / insider.com / Airlines / Credit Card

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It's easy to earn points and miles by using rewards credit cards and joining hotel and airline loyalty programs, but when it comes time to redeem them, there's often some fine print to parse through.

Not only do different hotel and airline rewards programs have their own award charts specifying how many points or miles you'll need to book a hotel room or a flight, but programs also have their own expiration policies that dictate the lifespan of your hard-earned rewards.

In most cases, your points or miles will expire in 12 to 24 months from your last "account activity," which could be anything from purchasing points or miles to taking a flight to using an airline or hotel credit card to make a purchase.

Unlike many airline miles and hotel points, credit card points don't expire as long as you keep your account open and in good standing (meaning you continue to pay off your balances or communicate with the bank if you need any financial assistance). 

Find out how much your airline, hotel, and bank loyalty program rewards are worth in Business Insider's guide to points and miles valuations.

Here are the main credit card points currencies, along with the top credit card options for earning each of them:

The Platinum Card® from American Express

American Express® Gold Card

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

19 airlines, including Delta, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic

Three hotels — Choice, Hilton, and Marriott

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Spark Miles for Business†

17 airlines, including Air Canada

Three hotels — Accor, Wyndham, and Choice

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

10 airlines, including Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic

Three hotels — Hyatt, IHG, Marriott

Citi Prestige® Card

Citi Premier® Card

These transferable credit card points can be extremely valuable, not just because you have so many options for using them to book travel, but also because there are certain sweet spots you can use to your advantage.

For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your Ultimate Rewards points are worth 50% more when you book travel through Chase or through Pay Yourself Back.