Your Mileage-Expiration Handbook

April 2018
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More complicated than you think? Yes and No.

We talk about transferring and buying miles/points all the time because, when published Business and First Class fares are high, buying miles can be a very inexpensive way to fly premium class.

There are two approaches to transferring and/or buying miles/points:

  1. Buying/transferring for a specific trip
  2. Buying/transferring to build a war chest (when they are on sale).

Buying and transferring for a specific trip is the less risky method because you can make sure that award space is available before purchasing or transferring miles or points often to a good extent.

On the other hand, buying and transferring miles/points to build up a war chest can be risky, with some airlines. That’s because the airlines often set an expiration date for those miles, so your miles could expire before you’ve had a chance to use them.

So, FCF wants to put your mind at ease with a handy playbook, on how to avoid having your miles confiscated, because you never want to find yourself in a situation where your miles have expired. We believe that the more you know, the better you’re prepared and can plan.

CUT OUT AND KEEP: EXPIRED MILES PLAYBOOK

Here’s a high-level overview of the various mileage programs. To dive into the details, see the chart below to find out if or when, and how to reset your mileage account clock.

Good as gold: Asiana and Korean, because miles are useable for 10 years before they expire. With Delta, miles never expire.

Good for up to 36 months: All Nippon, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Miles & More (Lufthansa, etc.), Singapore, and Virgin Atlantic.

Good for 18 to 24 months: Air France/KLM, Alaska, American, Avianca (LifeMiles), Hawaiian, Qantas, and United.

High risk, good for less than 18 months: Air Canada and Alitalia.

Extending Miles

There are many ways to generate activity to keep miles alive—in other words, reset your mileage account clock to the beginning, so you have more time to use your miles—with many mileage programs you can extend the life of miles easily by transferring credit card points to your mileage account, or crediting a car rental to your mileage account, or by redeeming a low-cost award, such as a magazine subscription.

However, with Alitalia, All Nippon, Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines, miles will expire regardless of account activity—meaning you must use the miles before the time frame shown in the chart below—so, with these mileage programs you might think about booking an award ticket as far out as you can before your mileage expiration date comes up.

Too late? Reactivating Expired Miles

Some airlines, among them American and United, offer the option to buy back your expired miles or take a challenge—pay a fee, plus take a flight—to reinstate them (for AA call customer service and request the Re-engagement Challenge; for United the challenge can be done online).

Expired Miles Playbook

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[["<strong>Airline<\/strong>","<strong>Expiration Without Any Account Activity<\/strong>","<strong>How To Extend Miles When You Can<\/strong>"],["<strong>Air Canada<\/strong>","18 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 12 months to extend the validity of your miles another 12 months. "],["<strong>Air France \/ KLM<\/strong>","24 months","Taking a qualifying flight at least once every two years to earn miles to extend the validity of your miles another 24 months."],["<strong>Alaska<\/strong>","24 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 24 months to extend the validity of your miles another 24 months. "],["<strong>Alitalia<\/strong>","24 months","Miles expire due to inactivity."],["<strong>All Nippon<\/strong>","36 months","Miles expire, regardless of activity."],["<strong>American<\/strong>","18 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 18 months to extend the validity of your miles another 18 months. "],["<strong>Asiana*<\/strong>","Varies: 10 to 12 years","Miles expire, regardless of activity."],["<strong>Avianca (LifeMiles)<\/strong>","12 months","Make one accrual transaction every 12 months, and the validity of all the LifeMiles in your account will extend."],["<strong>British Airways<\/strong>","36 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 36 months to extend the validity of your miles another 36 months. "],["<strong>Cathay Pacific<\/strong>","18 to 36 months","Miles earned before January 1, 2020, will still expire three years after you earned them. Miles earned as of January 1, 2020 will remain active as long as you earns or redeems miles regularly, otherwise they expire after 18 months."],["<strong>Delta<\/strong>","Miles never expire.","#colspan#"],["<strong>Emirates<\/strong>","36 months","Miles expire after three years, at the end of your birth month, regardless of activity."],["<strong>Etihad Airways**<\/strong>","Varies: 2 to 3 years","Miles expire, regardless of activity."],["<strong>Hawaiian<\/strong>","18 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 18 months to extend the validity of your miles another 18 months. "],["<strong>Iberia<\/strong>","36 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 36 months to extend the validity of your miles another 36 months. "],["<strong>Japan Airlines<\/strong>","36 months","Miles expire, regardless of activity."],["<strong>Korean Air<\/strong>","10 years","Miles expire, regardless of activity."],["<strong>Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS, etc.)<\/strong>","36 months","Miles expire after 36 months, regardless of activity. Unless, you have a Miles & More credit card and use it monthly, or you have Miles & More elite status, then miles will not expire."],["<strong>Qantas<\/strong>","18 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 18 months to extend the validity of your miles another 18 months. "],["<strong>Singapore Airlines***<\/strong>","Varies: 18 to 36 months","Miles expire, regardless of activity."],["<strong>United<\/strong>","Miles never expire.","#colspan#"],["<strong>Virgin Atlantic<\/strong>","36 months","You must redeem or earn, which includes transferring miles from a credit card or hotel program, one mile every 36 months to extend the validity of your miles another 36 months. "]]
<small>*Magic Miles, Silver and Gold Members have 10 years mileage validity, while Diamond Members have 12 years from the date of earning. **Etihad Guest Miles are valid for 2 years from the date they are earned for Etihad Guest Members; 2.5 years for Etihad Guest Silver Members; and 3 years for Etihad Guest Gold and Guest Platinum Members. ***KrisFlyer accounts that have activity are valid for 36 months from the end of the month in which the last activity occurred, after which the membership accounts will expire. KrisFlyer accounts that do not have any activity for a period of 18 months since enrollment will expire after that period of 18 months.</small>