Are your airline travel miles about to expire? How you can still save them

Dubai: Did you know that your frequent flyer miles expire after several months of inactivity? What it means is that you can no longer use the travel miles you were able to accumulate after it the date lapses. However, there are still ways you can save them and prevent them from going waste.

“For many of us, earning enough airline miles for that free trip can take a while. But while we're waiting to collect enough, we might risk losing what we've already earned,” said Sophia Sanchez, travel planning manager at a UAE-based European tour operator.

“While each frequent flyer program has its own set of rules, most will erase your miles if you don't use them or earn new miles for a period of 24-36 months. Check your airline's loyalty program to see how long you have before your miles disappear.”

Steps to consider to save miles before expiry

There are ways you can plan ahead and ensure the accumulated travel miles aren’t accidentally forfeited. For instance, you can ‘reset the clock’ on your frequent flyer miles with even a small purchase. However, you will have to make the purchase using airline-designated portals.

“While not all programs extend validity of miles with account activity, many still do. When that’s the case, earning or redeeming can reset the clock and establish more time before having to commit to using your entire stash of miles,” said Dubai-based travel agent and itinerary consultant Richa Dev.

“In some cases, you may get away with earning or redeeming a single mile to qualify. While flying and crediting flown miles to your account is often how frequent flyer miles are extended, now you need to also consider the fact that some basic economy fares may no longer earn miles.”

What if you don’t have any travel planned soon?

Earning more miles can keep your stash of airline currency stay active, but so can redeeming them for other reasons. For instance, often times you can choose how you want your miles to be redeemed, be it by buying merchandise or gift cards.

“If you don't have any travel planned or are saving up for a big trip, consider cashing in a small number of airline miles for a gift card. However, only certain programs offer this option, and you may also need the program's co-branded credit card to be eligible,” added Dev.

“Also, a better option than taking on debt may be to redeem your points or miles tucked away in your loyalty accounts for gifts. However, redeeming miles for non-travel redemptions isn’t always cost-effective as you'll usually get a higher value when you redeem them for travel instead.”

Airline dining programs help keep miles active

Airline dining programs also offer an easy way keep your miles active. Each airline's program has different restaurants, and the number of miles you'll earn will vary, but they all work similarly: You sign up for the program, dine at a qualifying restaurant, and then earn miles for what you spend.

“Airline dining programs also help reset the expiry date on your airline travel miles. But if you don't want to deal with a complicated dining program or dine at specific restaurants, using a rewards shopping portal is another easy way to save your miles,” added Sanchez.

“Nearly all major airlines worldwide offer an online mall or portal that lets you earn extra bonus miles for each UAE dirham or US dollar you spend through the site. Also, any purchase will reset the clock on your airline account. You don't need to spend hundreds of dirhams or dollars.”

Key takeaways?

According to a recent survey by British multinational hospitality company IHG Hotel & Resorts, 42 per cent of survey respondents reported having unused points. What’s the fix? Audit your loyalty accounts to know exactly how many points you have and which ones are on the verge of expiring.

Since every frequent flyer program sets their own policies on how expiration of travel miles are handled, it’s important to keep an eye on dates to ensure you can redeem rewards before they expire.

“It’s usually easy to confirm dates in your online account, and more importantly, it’s often easy to extend miles if you need more time to solidify travel plans before cashing in your rewards for another trip,” added Dev.

“Keep in mind that tracking your travel points also helps prevent them from being redeemed without permission, helping you identify suspicious activity and allowing you to take action quickly to get your points back and secure your account.”