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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
How to get your points and miles back after they expire
Kyle Olsen is the former points and miles reporter at TPG. He specializes in maximizing points and miles, elite status and credit cards so readers travel more comfortably and at a lower cost.
May 27, 2023 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
Many airline and hotel loyalty programs still allow points and miles to expire, though some have removed expiration policies.
Several programs offer options to reinstate expired rewards, typically for a fee that varies by program and amount reinstated.
Reinstatement fees can be costly and may not always be worth paying, depending on the value of the points or miles per TPG's valuations as of June 2024.
Preventing expiration through regular account activity is generally the best strategy.
What to consider
Reinstatement fees and policies differ by program, with some charging flat fees and others basing costs on the number of points or miles reinstated.
Certain elite members, minors or primary cardholders may be exempt from expiration policies in some programs.
Some programs may show flexibility even without a published reinstatement policy, so contacting customer service can be beneficial.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of reinstatement options and costs for major airline and hotel loyalty programs, plus practical tips for keeping rewards active.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
No one likes when their hard-earned points and miles expire. Fortunately, some programs, like HawaiianMiles, Southwest Rapid Rewards and United MileagePlus, have eliminated mileage expiration in the last several years.
However, your rewards from most loyalty programs may still expire. Some may expire if you don't keep your account active, while others may expire a set amount of time after you earn them.
It's generally in your best interest to keep your points and miles from expiring. But some programs allow you to reinstate your rewards after they've expired. So in this guide, we'll highlight some ways to get your rewards back after they've expired.
Should you pay to reinstate your points and miles?
American Airlines miles generally expire after 24 months without activity. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Overall, recovering expired rewards through a buyback option can be costly. You need to carefully consider if it's worth incurring this expense for the potential value you can derive from your reinstated rewards.
Refer to TPG's monthly valuations to get an idea of the approximate worth of your points and miles. If the cost per reinstated point or mile exceeds these valuations, buying back your expired rewards is generally not advisable.
Flying Air Canada is one of the many ways to extend Aeroplan points. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Several airlines allow you to reinstate miles for a fee after they've expired. Each airline has its own fee structure; some charge a flat fee, while others calculate their fee based on the miles you reinstate.
Airlines that don't have a published reinstatement policy may still show travelers flexibility on a case-by-case basis. For instance, a couple of years ago, some TPG readers reported that British Airways reinstated their expired Avios without any fees. So, it's worth contacting your airline to see about reinstating your expired miles, even if it doesn't have a published policy.
Now, let's explore some major airlines offering options for recovering expired points or miles.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Expiration policy: 18 months from last activity; can extend with activity.
Air Canada Aeroplan has paused the expiration of its points until Sept. 30, 2024. But if your Aeroplan points expire once this pause ends, you can reinstate them by paying 1 cent per point plus a $30 fee and taxes.
Another option to reinstate your points is flying Air Canada within six months of their expiration. If you do so, Aeroplan will reinstate your expired points. You can book your flight after your points expire, but travel must occur within the six months following the expiration of your points.
If you're under 18, have Aeroplan elite status or are the primary cardholder on an Aeroplan cobranded card like the Aeroplan® Credit Card, (see rates and fees) your points won't expire.
Expiration policy: 24 months from last activity; can extend with activity.
American AAdvantage members can pay a reactivation fee to reinstate their miles. If you lost American miles to expiration within the last 24 months, go to American's website to check your options.
While American doesn't publish what it charges to reactivate expired miles, Travel Summary reported these fees for 113,864 expired miles in July 2022:
Expiration policy: 12 months from last activity; can extend with accrual activity.
Avianca LifeMiles charges $10 per 1,000 miles, plus taxes, to reinstate miles.
If you're an Avianca elite member or hold an Avianca credit card, your miles expire 24 months after your last activity, up from 12 months for general LifeMiles members.
Expiration policy: At the end of the month in which you were born three calendar years from the date of travel; not extended with activity.
You can reinstate up to 50,000 Emirates Skywards miles for an extra 12 months by paying $20 per 1,000 miles, but you must do so within six months of their expiration. With a reactivation fee of 2 cents per mile, we don't advise paying to reactivate your Skywards miles since TPG's valuations peg the value of Emirates Skywards miles at 1.2 cents each.
Platinum members are exempt from mileage expiration.
Frontier Miles
Expiration policy: Six months from last activity; can extend with accrual activity.
If your Frontier Miles expire, you can reinstate them for $50 to $500, depending on the number of miles.
Number of Frontier Miles
Reinstatement fee
1 to 25,000 miles.
$50.
25,001 to 50,000 miles.
$100.
50,001 to 75,000 miles.
$150.
75,001 to 100,000 miles.
$200.
100,001 to 125,000 miles.
$250.
125,001 to 150,000 miles.
$300.
150,001 to 175,000 miles.
$350.
175,001 to 200,000 miles.
$400.
200,001 to 250,000 miles.
$450.
250,001 or more miles.
$500.
Based on TPG's valuations, Frontier Miles are worth about 1.1 cents each. So calculate your reactivation cost per mile and the value of your anticipated redemption. In some cases, it might be worthwhile to reactivate expired Frontier Miles.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Expiration policy: 36 months from earning; not extended with activity.
You can extend the validity of Turkish Airlines miles for another three years if you pay $20 per 1,000 miles. Like Emirates, the 2 cents per mile Turkish Airlines charges for extending its miles is significantly higher than our 1.3 cent valuation of Turkish Airlines miles.
You can reinstate Hilton points to book an award night at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa in French Polynesia. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
Hilton Honors is the only major hotel rewards program that allows you to reinstate expired points.
Hilton points expire if you don't have any eligible account activity for 24 months. But you may be able to reinstate expired Hilton points on Hilton's website. Generally, reinstating Hilton points costs 0.25 cents per point. But, some FlyerTalk users have reported Hilton's customer service may reinstate points without a charge.
Many programs extend the expiration of your points and miles with activity, so one of the easiest ways to keep rewards from expiring is to keep earning and redeeming them. For example, you can:
It's generally not ideal to pay to reinstate expired points and miles. When deciding whether to reinstate your rewards, focus on determining whether the value you can derive from your rewards justifies the reinstatement cost.
Remember, the best approach is to prevent your points and miles from expiring in the first place, as that will save you from the hassle and expenses of reinstatement.
Additional reporting by Ariana Arghandewal.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
