Use It or Lose It!
Hello,
If you all have been with me for a little while, you know I LOVE a good loyalty program! If you offer perks, I’m coming back, simple as that. Wanna know what sucks?! Losing it all before you actually get to reap the benefits! It’s happened to me TWICE! When you sign up for reward programs, make sure you check the terms (expiration, blackout dates, etc.). I lost 11,000 Spirit Miles and 4,000 Frontier Miles! Those were free flights I just let slip right through my fingers. Some major airlines allow you to accumulate miles FOREVER! The smaller ones that are on the more affordable end have a tiny redemption window.
Here’s a quick run through of how long your miles/reward dollars are good for:
Allegiant Air: You can only earn points with Allegiant with their Mastercard (BOO!), but they do not have blackout dates and points remain active for 12 months after your most recent purchase
American Airlines: Miles remain active as long as there is some activity within 18 months.
Alaska Airlines: As long as your account is somewhat active they won’t expire, in other words, fly with them at least once every 24 months
Delta: FOREVER & EVER BABE
Expedia: 18 months after the last day of activity
Frontier Airlines will let you rack up on miles as long as you fly with them every 6 months. It’s a lot easier to do now because they’ve added more routes and locations.
Hawaiian Airlines: 18 months if you don’t have any activity
JetBlue: ALWAYS & FOREVER
Southwest: 24 months
Spirit will let you keep them if you fly with them every 3 months *side eye emoji* Check out this article that gives you a 15 ways to earn a lot of Spirit Miles. If you live in or near a city that Spirit services, have at it.
Sign up for Award Wallet to keep track of all of your travel accounts. Once you sync them, they’ll send you notifications to remind you to use your miles. Don’t miss out on a nearly free* flight like I did.
*Most airlines require that you pay taxes or some kind of redemption fee, which is still much less than purchasing a ticket outright
Talk to you later,
Demetria