Do Credit Card Points and Miles Expire?
Bank points usually do not expire
Transferable bank points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Capital One miles generally do not expire as long as the account that earns them stays open and in good standing. Close the card (or all cards in that program) and you can lose them, sometimes immediately, so downgrade rather than cancel if you want to keep a balance.
Airline and hotel miles can expire
Co-branded and loyalty-program miles are more likely to expire, typically after 12 to 24 months of no qualifying activity. Many programs have softened or removed hard expiration (and holding the co-branded card often keeps miles alive), but rules vary by program. Any earning or redeeming activity usually resets the clock.
The real risk is devaluation
Expiration is easy to avoid; the bigger threat is devaluation, where a program quietly raises award prices so your points buy less. That is why the smart habit is earn and burn: collect toward a specific redemption and use them, rather than banking a huge balance that can lose value. See what points are worth.
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