Do airline miles expire?

Do airline miles expire? As unsatisfying as it may seem, the answer is “it depends on the airline.” But before you review the fine print on your credit card agreement, remember that we are talking about airline miles, not credit card reward miles or cash back rewards.

This article talks about the specifics of airline miles, loyalty programs and frequent flyer programs, and how they differ from credit card rewards programs. It also takes a brief look at credit card rewards programs, how you can lose airline miles, and steps you may be able to take to recover your rewards.

What you’ll learn:

• Airline miles are loyalty reward programs.

• Each airline runs its own airline miles loyalty rewards program, so expiration dates and details vary from airline to airline.

• Credit card rewards programs aren’t managed by airlines. They’re run by credit card issuers.

• As long as your account remains open and in good standing, Capital One credit card rewards—including miles—don’t expire.

Airline miles are a type of travel loyalty program that rewards frequent passengers with benefits they can use to help pay for future flights and other travel-related expenses. They come in a wide range of forms, with different reward tiers and rules, depending on the airline.

Travelers can earn airline miles as part of an airline’s loyalty program, sometimes called a frequent flyer program. Another way to earn airline miles is by shopping with an airline’s retail partner.

There’s no set rule for how or when airline miles expire. Some never expire. Others might expire after a certain time or if you haven’t redeemed rewards or earned new ones.

Few things are more frustrating than saving up airline miles over the years only to wind up at square one because your miles expired. Many airlines have a no-expiration policy for airline miles. But some have “use them or lose them” policies.

But there are workarounds for some airlines. Sometimes it’s as simple as earning more miles or redeeming existing miles. Redemptions may not even have to be travel related if the airline has retail partners.

Each airline has its own policies, but you can check airline websites to see how long your miles last.

Every airline has different policies, but many airlines with expiring miles policies offer ways for customers to recover their lost miles. For example, you may be able to buy back points or have them reinstated by flying with the airline.

If your airline miles have expired, check the airline’s website to see if they offer a way to earn them back.

Unfortunately, the answer to this is also “it depends.” All travel rewards credit card issuers set their own policies. One thing you can rely on is that Capital One miles don’t  expire for the life of the account.

One big difference between airline loyalty programs and general credit card rewards programs is flexibility. With a general credit card, you may have more options than one airline. That means you could book a flight through a different airline based on the lowest fare or find a flight at a more convenient airport.

Some credit card issuers offer additional options too, including the ability to book travel and earn elevated rewards or transfer rewards miles.

As long as your account remains open and in good standing, Capital One credit card rewards don’t expire.

Airline mile expiration policies are set by each individual airline. Some airlines offer miles with no expiration. But not all.

Capital One offers travel rewards credit cards with exclusive benefits and elevated rewards that can help make your travel experience more enjoyable.

• Explore travel rewards cards with unlimited miles you can actually use. 

• Earn a one-time 75,000-mile bonus and receive an additional 10,000 bonus miles every year, starting on your first anniversary, with the Venture X card.

• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day, and earn a one-time 75,000-mile bonus with the Venture card. 

• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day, with the VentureOne card.