For individuals passionate about accumulating miles & points, a crucial aspect to monitor is the policies surrounding mileage expiration. Different programs implement various rules regarding whether miles can expire, and if so, what actions will keep your miles from losing validity.
Even as someone who may invest an excessive amount of time in loyalty programs, I’ve experienced the disappointment of having airline miles expire, which is undeniably frustrating. In this article, I aim to thoroughly examine the airline mileage expiration regulations. When do airline miles lose validity, and what steps can you take to prevent that? In a different article, I discussed hotel points expiration policies.
In this article:
When do airline miles expire?
The principal airline loyalty programs possess differing policies concerning the expiration of miles. Generally, these policies fall into one of three categories (ranked from most favorable to least favorable):
– Miles do not expire, requiring no activity
– Miles expire after a specific period, but only if there hasn’t been any account activity
– Miles expire after a certain duration, regardless of any account activity
With that established, let us delve into the policies of major airline loyalty programs.
Air Canada Aeroplan points expiration policy
Air Canada Aeroplan points will expire after 18 months of inactivity. Any activity related to earning or redeeming points will reset the expiration of your points for an additional 18 months.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue mileage expiration policy
Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles will expire after 24 months of inactivity. It is important to note that only mileage earning activities will reset the expiration of your miles (redeeming miles does not affect expiration). Elite Flying Blue members will not have their miles expire as long as they retain their status.
Alaska Atmos Rewards mileage expiration policy
Alaska Atmos Rewards miles do not expire. However, if there is no account activity for more than two years, your account may be locked for security measures, and you can access your miles by contacting Atmos Rewards and confirming personal information.
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club mileage expiration policy
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club miles expire 36 months after being earned. This expiration is final, and there is no option to extend your miles further. The sole exception applies to Diamond members and million miler members, whose miles do not expire.
American AAdvantage mileage expiration policy
American AAdvantage miles will expire after 24 months of inactivity. Any activity related to earning or redeeming miles will reset the expiration for another 24 months. Additionally, AAdvantage members under the age of 21, along with primary cardholders on a co-branded American Airlines credit card from Barclays or Citi, will not see their miles expire, irrespective of account activity.
Avianca Lifemiles mileage expiration policy
Avianca Lifemiles will expire after 12 months of inactivity. Keep in mind that only earning miles can extend the expiration by another 12 months, as redeeming miles does not alter the expiration (in contrast to most other programs).
Breeze Airways Breezy Rewards points expiration policy
Breeze Airways Breezy Points will expire 24 months post-issuance, regardless of any earning or redemption activities. The exception is that individuals with a co-branded credit card do not face points expiration limitations.
British Airways Club Avios expiration policy
British Airways Club Avios will expire after 36 months of inactivity. Any activity related to earning or redeeming Avios will reset the expiration for an additional 36 months.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles mileage expiration policy
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles will expire after 18 months of inactivity. Activities related to either earning or redeeming miles will reset the expiration for another 18 months.
Copa ConnectMiles mileage expiration policy
Copa ConnectMiles miles will expire after 24 months of inactivity. Any activity related to earning or redeeming miles will reset the expiration for another 24 months.
Delta SkyMiles mileage expiration policy
Delta SkyMiles do not expire, regardless of any account activity.
Emirates Skywards mileage expiration policy
Emirates Skywards miles expire approximately three years after being earned. The term “approximately” is used because they actually expire at the end of your birthday month three years later. For instance, if you earned miles on January 1, 2024, and your birthday is April 1, your miles would expire on April 30, 2027. This expiration is final, and there is no method to extend your miles further without incurring extra charges.
The sole exception is that Emirates Skywards Platinum members will not be subject to mileage expiration regulations as long as they maintain their status.
Etihad Guest mileage expiration policy
Etihad Guest miles expire after 18 months of inactivity. However, the only activity that can reset the expiration is crediting an Etihad flight.