Earning hotel points to fuel your travels for pennies on the dollar is one of the best ways to be a thrifty traveler. But accidentally letting those hard-earned points expire? Talk about frustrating.
Every hotel sets its own policies for when their points expire, making it hard to keep track of when your stash of points might lapse. On the bright side, there are different things you can do to reset the clock on your expiration date – earn points, use points, etc.
So we'll break down the policies of all the major U.S. hotel chains, and give you some tips on how to make sure your points don't accidentally expire.
Choice Privilege Rewards
Hilton Honors
World of Hyatt
IHG Rewards Club
Marriott Bonvoy
Radisson Rewards
Wyndham Rewards
Choice Hotels Privilege Rewards Points
Choice Hotels is the hotel chain behind brands like Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Mainstay Suites, and many others. If you have Choice Privileges Rewards points, they will not expire as long as you have at least one qualifying activity every 18 months to maintain an active account.Â
Any points in a rewards account that have no qualifying activity during the previous 18 consecutive calendar months will be forfeited.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Choice hotels have paused points expiration until May 31, 2020. You can read more about Choice Hotels' coronavirus updates here.
If you have a stash of Choice Privileges rewards points with that may expire soon soon, you can keep them alive by any activity that earns points. This includes transferring points into your account from American Express Membership Rewards.
Hilton Honors Points
Hilton Honors points will expire if there is no eligible activity in any 12-month period. However, during the coronavirus pandemic, Hilton is freezing that expiration for any points through Dec. 31, 2020.Â
When your Hilton Honors are about to expire, there are a number of ways you can keep your stash of points active. Below are some easy ways to keep your Hilton points active.
- Stay at a Hilton hotel on a rate that is eligible to earn Hilton Honors Points.
- You can make a charge on any of the co-branded Hilton Honors credit cards. This will reset the clock on your points expiration.
- Like many U.S. airlines, Hilton has its own dining program. You can sign up and link a credit card here and earn extra points for eating out.
- You can also transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Hilton and this will reset the expiration clock.
Critically, Hilton provides the ability to pool points with other members to make booking award nights easier. However, points pooling will not reset the clock on your points expiration.
World of Hyatt Points
World of Hyatt points will expire after 24 months of inactivity. At that time, your account will be closed and any remaining points will be forfeited.
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hyatt is suspending the forfeiture of points due to inactivity through Dec. 31, 2020.Â
As long as you are earning and/or redeeming points in your Hyatt account, your account will remain active and your points will not expire. Below are some easy ways to keep your World of Hyatt points active.
- Holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card will allow you to earn points for every dollar you spend, resetting the clock on your points expiration.
- You will earn Hyatt points for any paid reservation – including reservations at MGM MLife Resorts. Even redeeming your Hyatt points will reset the clock on your points expiration.
- World of Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards. So if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer points into your Hyatt account to reset the clock on your points expiration.
- You can combine your points with another World of Hyatt program member. Combining points is considered an eligible activity and will reset the 24-month activity clock. You can see our guide on how to do this here.
IHG Rewards Club Points
IHG Rewards Club points will expire if you have no activity in your account for 12 months. However, if you have elite status with IHG, your points will not expire.
Just for holding the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, you will receive automatic Platinum Elite status with IHG. This means as long as you hold the card open, your points will not have an expiration date.
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, IHG is extending the points expiration date to Dec. 31, 2020.
Like with other programs, as long as you are earning and/or redeeming points in your IHG account, your account will remain active and your points will not expire. Here are some easy ways to keep your IHG points active:
- Holding the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card will allow you to earn points for every dollar you spend. But that's not even necessary, as holding the card gives you automatic Platinum Elite status – which keeps your points active indefinitely.
- You will earn IHG points for any paid reservation. Even redeeming your IHG points will reset the clock on your points expiration.
- IHG Rewards Club is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards. So if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer points into your IHG account to reset the clock on your points expiration.
Marriott Bonvoy Points
Marriott Bonvoy points will expire if you have no activity in your account for 24 months. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marriott is extending the points expiration date to at least February 2021, at which point they’ll only lapse if your account has been inactive for two full years.
You might be noticing a pattern. As long as you are earning and/or redeeming points in your Marriott account, it will remain active and your points will not expire. These are some other easy ways to keep your IHG points active:
- Holding a co-branded Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card will allow you to earn points for every dollar you spend, and keep your points from expiring.
- You will earn Marriott Bonvoy points for any paid reservation. Even redeeming your Bonvoy points will reset the clock on your points expiration.
- Marriott Bonvoy is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards, So if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Green, Gold or Platinum Amex cards, you can transfer points into your Marriott account to reset the clock on your points expiration.
As is the case with Hilton, Marriott makes it possible to transfer Bonvoy points to other members. However, it will not reset the clock on the expiration date for either party.
Radisson Rewards Points
Radisson Rewards points will expire after 18 months without any account activity. And even if you have activity in your account, all points will expire after four years. This means if you have points, you need to have a plan to burn them up.
During the pandemic, Radisson Hotels is extending its point expiration dates by six months, effective on March 1, 2020. So for example, if you had points set to expire in April, they are now valid through October 2020. You can read more about Radisson Hotels coronavirus updates here.
Wyndham Rewards Points
Wyndham Rewards points will expire after 18 months with no activity. And even with account activity, your points will be good for no longer than four years. Because of this, it's important to use them up if you have them.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wyndham has paused points expiration until May 31, 2020. It's not clear yet whether or not this date will be extended. You can read more about this here.
Bottom Line
If you have a stash of hotel points, they will expire at some point. The good news is there are plenty of ways to keep them active. Make sure you understand the rules and have a plan in place to keep your points and avoid losing them.
Great and relevant article- thank you. Expiring points are my pet peeve with any system.
Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it, Jerry!