• 07 Nov, 2024

Many Airlines have frequent flier Programs designed for travelers who fly with them weekly, monthly, or once a year. However, passengers who have joined the Airline Loyalty program can earn miles and points on every trip. Hence, some Airlines call miles and points. In contrast, others consider them Avios, but there is no difference as these all work similarly well as the favored technique to earn miles by flying with any particular Airline; otherwise, you can collect them using the right travel rewards credit cards, shopping, dining partnership, and more. 

Let's dive into the following tips to prevent miles from expiring.

  • To avoid losing Air points, you should keep your account active. This absolutely doesn't mean you need to fly regularly, but to prevent miles from expiring, you can use these miles for shopping, or you can transfer them.
  • If the traveler owns any credit card that has its own currency, including Chase Ultimate Reward, Amex Membership Rewards, or Bilt Rewards, to avoid losing air points, you can choose to transfer credit card points to Airline frequent flier programs, which typically count as activity.
  • For passengers who have American Airlines miles, there are no worries, as the Airline will automatically extend the mileage expiry date to 24 months, which counts from the date of the traveler's most recent activity. Therefore, the activity must include flying, accruing mileage credit, participating dining partners, credit cards, and several other AAdvantage Program service partners.
  • Although some Airlines allow their travelers to reactivate their Avios after paying a reactivation fee, the fee will be determined based on the exact number of miles you want to reactivate. One condition to remember is that the Airline won't let you reactivate miles more than two years after the expiration.

How often should you use your air points to avoid expiration?

Usually, the expiry date of Miles and points is extended by 24 months, which is valid from the date of travel. Although you can't use these miles on award tickets, you can use these points to keep flying with the specific Airline to avoid the expiration. 

How can you earn or transfer points to prevent inactivity?

Passengers who regularly fly with the specific Airline can easily earn points and miles if they join the frequent flyer programs. To prevent these points from expiring, you must keep your account active by transferring the points. To transfer miles, visit the MileagePlus webpage and select the transfer miles option. Then, enter the number of miles you want to transfer and enter the collector details, including mileage account number and first name. Therefore, you need to pay the additional charges of $10 per 1000 miles. 

How can you use air points for small transactions to stay active?

The finest way to keep your account active is to avoid using your card or cash for small transactions. Redeem your travel credit points and use these miles to pay for everything else. To stay active, you can also prefer to transfer miles to another person. Some Airlines do not permit transferring miles but allow using them for others.