We say it often on Milesopedia:
The hunt for points is a marathon, not a sprint.
Since reward points can be collected over months or even years, it would be a real shame to lose them simply because they’ve expired.
To avoid this, it’s essential to know the rules governing the validity of points and miles in rewards programs. What’s more, practical tools are available to help you manage your points.

Expiration of points and miles - Banking programs
Generally, bank programs do not let points expire as long as the credit card account remains active.
Sometimes you want to close a card and keep the points for future use.
Of course, if you close a credit card account, the points attached to that account will be lost (they can usually be used within 90 days of closing the account, but the process will be more complicated).
So here are some tips on how to keep your points when closing cards with the major programs.

American Express Membership Rewards
If you need to close a card and still have Membership Rewards points left in your account, you can keep them with this trick if you have more than one card. Contact American Express (by phone or chat) and ask the agent to combine your Membership Rewards points into one account.
Once your accounts are combined, you will see your points appear in a main account: it will say that “your loyalty information is linked to your card ending in…”.

If you cancel a card (even the main card on which your points are displayed), the points will remain in the same points account: another linked card will become the main card.
If you don’t use your Membership Rewards points before closing your card or combine them with another account, they will disappear immediately.
Scotiabank
As of 2021, Scotiabank’s in-house Scotia Rewards program no longer exists. The bank is now a partner of Scene+, an external rewards program. Refer to the Scene+ section below for rules on expiry of these points.
BMO Rewards
If you wish to cancel a card and still keep your BMO Rewards points, you will need to apply for another card BEFORE closing your account. We suggest you take out a no-fee card, such as the BMO eclipse rise Visa* card.
Once you receive your new card, you can call BMO and ask to link it to your existing BMO Rewards points account. And only after these steps have been completed will you be able to cancel your other BMO Rewards card if you wish.
NBC À la carte Rewards
If you wish to close a card associated with NBC À la carte Rewards and still keep your points, you can switch to a less expensive card. However, there is no card associated with NBC Rewards that has no annual fee. In addition, you will not be eligible for a new welcome bonus for the next 24 months.
In our opinion, it’s best to keep your National Bank World Elite Mastercard® active, taking advantage of its various benefits every year.
CIBC Aventura
When closing a CIBC Aventura Card, points can be transferred to another product. Consider the CIBC AventuraMD Visa* Card to keep your account open and pay no annual fee.
MBNA Rewards
When you decide to close your MBNA Rewards card, you have the option of transferring your accumulated points to another product. One option to consider is the MBNA Rewards Platinum Plus® MastercardMD PlusMD, which allows you to keep your account open without incurring annual fees.
TD Rewards
It is possible to transfer TD Rewards points before or after opening a new credit card linked to the program. In the event of a product change, points will be automatically transferred to the new card.
If a new TD Rewards Card is opened before cancelling the old one, points will be transferable between accounts under certain conditions:
- You are the primary account holder of both accounts and each account is linked to the TD Rewards program;
- Both TD Rewards Program accounts are open, active and in good standing;
- And you have a balance of at least 10,000 TD Rewards points to transfer to the other eligible TD Rewards Program.
The TD Rewards Card with no annual fee is the TD Rewards Visa* Card.
RBC Avion Rewards
RBC Avion points are transferable between accounts of the same primary cardholder. Points can therefore be transferred to a card with no annual fee, such as the RBC ION Visa card.
For Avion Select members, points expire after 24 months of inactivity on the account. Eligible activities include obtaining or using cash back, accumulating, redeeming, transferring or converting points.
Expiration of points and miles - Airline programs
As a general rule, airline programs do not allow points to expire as long as the account is active. Certain “activities” must have taken place on the account within the last 12 to 36 months, depending on the program.
An activity can be mileage accumulation or mileage redemption, for example. Generally speaking, once you’ve got miles with an airline, there’s not much else you can do but use them in the program.
What’s more, airline miles are generally not transferable to other programs. That’s why we always recommend transferring American Express Membership Rewards points or RBC Avion Rewards points ONLY when you’re ready to book an award ticket.
The following sections present the detailed points and miles expiry rules for the most popular airline programs in Canada. Next, a large table summarizes information for all airlines operating flights in Canada, plus a few popular U.S. airlines.

Aeroplan (Air Canada)
First of all, having an Aeroplan credit card keeps your account active, even if you don’t earn or use points.
What’s more, you can request a retroactive credit of Aeroplan points in your account up to six months after a forgotten transaction (such as a flight on which you did not provide your membership number).
If your Aeroplan points are about to expire and you have no travel plans with Air Canada, consider these tips to keep your account active:
- When staying at partner hotels or car rentals, please quote your Aeroplan membership number;
- Use theAeroplan eBoutique to store with online partners such as Amazon, The Bay, Apple and others;
- Provide your Aeroplan membership number when travelling on a partner carrier, including all Star Alliance member airlines;
- Use your Aeroplan points to purchase an award ticket, rent a car, book a hotel or purchase in-flight Wi-Fi;
- Transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to your Aeroplan account ;
- Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to your Aeroplan account ;
- Take surveys via e-Rewards and redeem your rewards in Aeroplan points;
- Transfer points to another member or donate your points to charity;
- Or, as a last resort, buy Aeroplan points.
Alaska Mileage Plan (Alaska Airlines)
If more than two years have passed since the last activity in your account, it will be locked. You will need to call customer service to verify your identity and reinstate your account.
But don’t worry: the miles you’ve accumulated in the past will still be there after you reactivate your profile. To maintain an active Alaska Mileage Plan account, you can :
- Use your miles to purchase an award ticket for a flight on Alaska Airlines or one of its partners;
- Credit miles to your Alaska Mileage Plan account for air travel on Alaska Airlines, Condor or one of our many partner airlines (American Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and all members of the oneworld alliance);
- When staying at partner hotels or renting a car, provide your membership number;
- Book hotels with Alaska Airlines Hotels;
- Shopping on Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping ;
- Buy a magazine subscription with your miles;
- Transfer your miles to another member or donate them to a good cause;
- And, as a last resort, buy Alaska Mileage Plan miles.
Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
To maintain an active Cathay Pacific Asia Miles account, you must receive or use at least one Asia Miles per 18-month period. When an eligible activity is carried out, the validity of the miles is extended for a further 18 months. To keep the activity in your account, you can :
- Book an award flight with Cathay Pacific or its Oneworldalliance partners;
- Earn miles for flights purchased and operated on Cathay Pacific or its partner airlines;
- Make a purchase with the MastercardMD Cathay World EliteMD, provided by Neo ;
- When staying at partner hotels or car rentals, please quote your membership number;
- Convert American Express, RBC Avion Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy Membership Rewards points to Asia Miles ;
- Shopping online at Cathay Shop;
- Earn Asia Miles at partner restaurants in Hong Kong;
- And use miles to book a hotel or car rental;
It is not possible to purchase Asia Miles simply to maintain account activity. Miles may only be purchased when booking an award ticket, and may not exceed 30% of the miles required for that ticket.
British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
British Airways Executive Club offers a Family & Friends account. This makes it even easier to keep your account active in a variety of ways, as long as one of your group members is involved in one of these eligible activities:
- Book an award flight with British Airways or its Oneworld alliance partners ;
- Earn miles for flights purchased and operated on British Airways, Qatar Airways, Iberia and other partner airlines;
- Make a purchase with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card;
- When staying at partner hotels or car rentals, please quote your membership number;
- Transfer American Express Membership Rewards , RBC Avion Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy points to British Airways Executive Club ;
- Use Avios to book hotels, car rentals, excursions or wine tastings;
- Donate your points to charity;
- And as a last resort, buy Avios.
The Avios expiry counter will be reset to zero for ALL members of the Family & Friends group.
Etihad Guest
To maintain an active Etihad Guest account, you must receive or use at least one mile per 18-month period. When an eligible activity is carried out, the validity of the miles is extended for a further 18 months. To keep the activity in your account, you can :
- Earn miles for flights purchased and operated on Etihad Airways or its partners;
- Book an award flight with Etihad Airways or its partners (Air Canada, Air France-KLM, American Airlines, Korean Air and others);
- When staying at partner hotels or car rentals, provide your membership number;
- Convert American Express or Marriott Bonvoy Membership Rewards points into Etihad Guest Miles ;
- Earn or use miles to book a hotel or car rental through Etihad Travel Rewards;
- And, as a last resort, buy Etihad Guest Miles.
For Platinum members, Etihad Guest miles do not expire.
Flying Blue (Air France-KLM)
Flying Blue divides mileage extension transactions in two. Here are the “global extension transactions” which extend the validity of ALL your miles by two years from the date of the transaction in question:
- Take an eligible flight at least once every two years with Air France, KLM, Joon, HOP!, Aircalin, Kenya Airways, TAROM or other SkyTeam partners;
- Make a purchase with the Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® or another eligible co-branded credit card.
These are the types of “partial extension transactions” which extend the validity of miles earned with one of these partners by 2 years from the date of the transaction. These transactions do NOT extend the validity of miles earned with “global extension transactions”:
- Earn Flying Blue miles when you stay at partner hotels, rent a car with a partner agency or book experiences.
All other account activities do not extend the miles validity period. For members with Elite or Elite Plus status, miles do not expire.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Avios)
To keep your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account active, you can :
- Book an award flight with Qatar Airways or its Oneworldalliance partners;
- Credit miles for flights purchased and flown on Qatar Airways, British Airways, Iberia or other partner airlines;
- Shopping at Qatar Duty Free at Doha airport;
- When staying at partner hotels or car rentals, provide your membership number;
- Transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club ;
- Use Avios to book a hotel or rental car;
- And as a last resort, buy Avios.
If your Avios have expired, they can be reclaimed up to one year after expiry, for a fee of 0.015 USD per point.
Finally, for members with Platinum status, Avios do not expire.
WestJet Rewards
Base WestJet dollars include :
- Dollars earned through eligible WestJet purchases, such as flights, vacation packages, car rentals and partner flights;
- Dollars earned on purchases made with a WestJet co-branded credit card;
- Dollars earned by transferring RBC Avion Rewards points to WestJet Rewards ;
- Dollars purchased from a retailer such as points.com.
WestJet Bonus Dollars received as part of a contest or promotion expire on the dates specified in the promotion terms and conditions. In the absence of conditions, dollars will expire one year after being granted.
SkyMiles (Delta Air Lines)
Expiration of points and miles - Summary table
Here is a summary of the expiry rules for airline loyalty programs. The last column indicates whether it is possible to extend the validity of points or miles by performing an eligible activity on the account.
Airline | Loyalty Program | Expiration of points or miles | Possible to extend? |
Aer Lingus | AerClub | 36 months | Yes |
Aeromexico | Aeromexico Rewards | 24 months | Yes |
Air Canada | Aeroplan | 18 months | Yes |
Air China | PhoenixMiles | 36 months | No |
Air France-KLM and Transavia | Flying Blue | 24 months | Yes* |
Air India | Flying Returns | 36 months | No |
Air New Zealand | Airpoints | 48 months | No |
Alaska Airlines and Condor | Alaska Mileage Plan | Do not expire | Yes |
American Airlines | AAdvantage | 24 months | Yes |
ANA | ANA Mileage Club | 36 months | No |
Asiana | Asiana Club | 10 years | No |
Avianca | Avianca LifeMiles | 12 months | Yes |
Azores Airlines | SATA Imagine | 36 months | No |
Biman Bangladesh Airlines | Biman Loyalty Club | 24 months | No |
British Airways | British Airways Executive Club | 36 months | Yes |
Cathay Pacific | Asia Miles | 18 months | Yes |
Copa Airlines | ConnectMiles | 24 months | Yes |
China Eastern | Eastern Miles | 36 months | Yes |
China Southern Airlines | Sky Pearl Club | 36 months | No |
Delta Air Lines | SkyMiles | Do not expire | – |
Egyptair | EGYPTAIR Plus | 36 months | No |
Emirates | Emirates Skywards | 36 months | No |
Ethiopian Airlines | ShebaMiles | 36 months | No |
Etihad Airways | Etihad Guest | 18 months | Yes |
EVA Air | Infinity MileageLands | 36 months | No |
Frontier Airlines | Frontier Miles | 6 months | Yes |
Hawaiian Airlines | HawaiianMiles | Do not expire | – |
Iberia | Iberia Plus | 36 months | Yes |
Icelandair | Saga Club | 48 months | No |
JAL | JAL Mileage Bank | 36 months | No |
JetBlue | TrueBlue | Do not expire | – |
Korean Air | SKYPASS | 10 years | No |
Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS and LOT | Miles & More | 36 months | No |
Malaysia Airlines | Enrich | 36 months | No |
Philippine Airlines | Mabuhay Miles | 24 months | Yes |
Porter Airlines | VIPorter | 24 months | Yes |
Qantas | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 18 months | Yes |
Qatar Airways | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 36 months | Yes |
Royal Air Maroc | Safar Flyer | 36 months | No |
Royal Jordanian | Royal Club | 18 months | Yes |
Singapore Airlines | KrisFlyer | 36 months | No |
SAS | SAS EuroBonus | 60 months | No |
Southwest Airlines | Rapid Rewards | Do not expire | – |
TAP Air Portugal | TAP Miles&Go | 36 months | No |
Tunisair | Fidelys | 36 months | No |
Turkish Airways | Miles&Smiles | 36 months | Yes |
United Airlines | MileagePlus | Do not expire | – |
Virgin Atlantic | Flying Club | Do not expire | – |
WestJet | WestJet Rewards | Do not expire | – |
*Special conditions apply. See previous sections for details.
Best Western Rewards
Hilton Honors
To keep your account active by earning or redeeming points, you can :
- Stay at any hotel from the Hilton portfolio;
- Provide your membership number when renting a car from Alamo, Enterprise or National ;
- Use points for car rentals or show tickets;
- Link your Hilton Honors account with Lyft and make an eligible ride;
- Earn points at select U.S. restaurants with the Hilton Honors Dining program;
- Participate in Guest Opinion Rewards surveys;
- Donate your points to a charity;
- And, as a last resort, buy Hilton Honors points.
Marriott Bonvoy
To keep your Marriott Bonvoy account active, you can :
- Stay at a Marriott Bonvoy portfolio hotel;
- Make a purchase with a co-branded credit card;
- Complete a vacation home stay via Homes & Villas by Marriott International;
- Transfer Membership Rewards points from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy ;
- Convert Marriott Bonvoy points into miles on partner airlines ;
- Earn restaurant points with Eat Around Town (U.S. only) and book excursions with Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities;
- Link your Uber account and perform an eligible ride or delivery (U.S. only);
- Indicate your membership number at participating Marriott golf courses or spas;
- Donate your points for a good cause;
- And, as a last resort, buy Marriott Bonvoy points.
Free-night certificates obtained each year with a Marriott BonvoyMD American ExpressMD* Card or a Marriott BonvoyMD Business American ExpressMD* Card expire one year after issue.
Finally, giving or transferring points to another member or receiving points as a gift or transfer from another member is not considered an eligible activity.
AIR MILES
Scene+
If you hold a Scotiabank product affiliated with the Scene+ program, your points do not expire as long as the account remains open. Otherwise, at least one Scene+ point must be accumulated or used every 24 months to keep the account active. You can:
- Earn Scene+ points by shopping at partners such as IGA, Rachelle-Béry, Les Marchés Traditions, Cineplex, Home Hardware, Harvey’s and many others;
- Earn and use points with Scene+ Travel by Expedia;
- Shop online with Rakuten Scene+.
A tool to help you monitor points expiry
To help you keep an eye on the expiry dates of your rewards programs, we recommend you sign up for the excellent AwardWallet tool.
Finally, you can find a detailed presentation of its functionalities in this article: