Do Credit Card Rewards Expire?

Which Credit Cards Rewards Expire?

It might surprise you to learn that some credit card rewards expire, but it's usually only under certain circumstances. First, consider the type of rewards your credit card earns: Are they airline miles, hotel points, cash back or points with an individual issuer like Amex or Chase? Once you sort that out, it should be easy to find the rules specific to each program.

Airline Miles and Hotel Points

If you have co-branded credit cards that rack up airline miles with specific frequent-flier programs, or hotel points with a particular chain, you will need to look up those programs' individual rules for how and when their points or miles expire. Unfortunately, many types of airline miles and hotel points do expire, though it's relatively easy to prevent that from happening.

• Some program earnings do not expire. You might already use a program that has no-expiration policies.
• Credit cards can help. Let's say you participate in a program with miles that do expire, though. For example, American Airlines AAdvantage requires you to earn or redeem miles on American Airlines or with an AAdvantage partner at least once every 18 months. That means taking flights with American Airlines or associated carriers such as British Airways and Alaska Airlines, redeeming miles for award flights, or earning miles through other activities such as buying things through American's online shopping portal.
• It's OK to close a card. If you decide to close your hotel or airline credit card, your rewards should still remain in your loyalty program membership account. Just remember that they'll be subject to the regular expiration rules. In other words, you don't lose your points or miles immediately just because you close your card. But if the program has an expiration policy, your points or miles could be gone after the window for qualifying activity has passed.

Credit Card Issuer Rewards

Now, let's say you have a credit card that earns points within an issuer's points program or the miles you accumulate with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Then, your points and miles will be subject to that program's rules, and you'll need to review the terms and conditions of your specific product. The good news is, if your account is open and in good standing, you're usually safe. Complications may arise if you decide to close your card account, though.

Current Credit Card Rewards Expiration Policies

In general, the following types of credit card rewards will not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing.

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Bank of America^® Travel Rewards
• Capital One Venture Miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards

That said, these rules can vary from card to card (even those from the same issuer), and are subject to change at any time. Be sure to check with your bank before making any decisions.

What Happens if You Close Your Card?

Closing your credit card can, but does not necessarily, mean losing all of your points. If points are lost, the questions then become: What will happen, exactly? And when?

• Immediate expiration: Closing certain credit cards means losing your rewards at the same time.

Or:

• Your rewards might be automatically credited to your account: If deadlines aren't your thing, some cards will automatically credited rewards to your account when the account closed or if it hasn't been used it in a while. Even if it slips your mind or you start using other rewards cards more, you don't have to worry about losing your cash back rewards. Different cards will have specific scenarios where this can happen, so be sure to read the fine print to understand how and when rewards would be automatically redeemed.

The timing and sequence of events when you cancel a card will depend on the loyalty program with which it earns points, the issuer's rules, and even the terms particular to individual cards. If you read your benefits guide and still don't know what will happen when you cancel your card, your best bet is simply to call your issuer's customer service line directly and ask.

How to Avoid Losing Your Credit Card Rewards

It would be a shame to spend years racking up rewards only to see them go up in smoke. Here's how you can stop that from taking place.

• Keep your account open and in good standing. As you've probably noticed by now, the simplest way to keep your credit card rewards from expiring is simply to keep your credit card open and in good standing by making your payments on time. With airline and hotel cards, specifically, using the card and earning more points will reset the expiration date on your points or miles per each program's rules, so making small purchases with them is a great way to keep your rewards active in general.
• Combine your points with another account. If you plan to close your card, you might be able to transfer your points to another rewards account you have with the same program, or share them with someone in your household who has an open and active account. This option varies from program to program, so you'll need to check what's possible with your specific cards.
• Downgrade to another card. Rather than canceling your account altogether, consider what's called "downgrading" to a related credit card with a lower annual fee.
• Transfer points to partners. Some credit card rewards programs allow members to transfer their points to partner airlines and hotels.

Whether you have a card that earns cash back, hotel points, airline miles or rewards you can put toward travel and other redemptions, you don't want to lose them unexpectedly if they expire or you close your account. Luckily, it's easy to keep your credit card rewards alive by making sure your accounts are open and in good standing, and keeping any important dates in mind. If you decide to close your rewards credit card, examine all your options before pulling the trigger, and make sure your points are safe before doing so. To find rewards credit cards that meet your needs, you can see options matched to your credit profile when you use Experian CreditMatch™.


All information about the Wells Fargo Rewards^® Card has been collected independently by Experian and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card.