While most hotel loyalty points do not expire, you need to have some type of qualifying account activity to keep them active. If you don’t, you’ll lose your points, and it’s very difficult to impossible to get the programs to give them back.
Here’s a list of the current expiration policies from the major hotel programs:
Marriott Bonvoy
Normal point expiration – 2 years
Yes, Marriott Bonvoy® Points can expire. Marriott Bonvoy® Members must remain active in the Marriott Bonvoy® Loyalty Program to retain Points they accumulate.
- If a Member Account is inactive for twenty-four (24) consecutive months, that Member Account will forfeit all accumulated Points.
- Members can remain active in the Loyalty Program and retain accumulated Points by earning Points for completed Stays, Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy® Points, or Purchasing Points in the Loyalty Program at least once every twenty-four (24) months.
Please find some examples of keeping your Account active:
- Completed Stays posted to the Account
- Food and Beverage Earned without a Stay (where applicable)
- Completed Marriott Bonvoy® Event
- Marriott Bonvoy® Points earned from Marriott Bonvoy® CoBrand Credit Cards
- Purchasing Marriott Bonvoy® Points online (for your own Account)
- Converting Marriott Bonvoy® Points to Miles
- Converting Miles to Marriott Bonvoy® Points
- Earning Marriott Bonvoy® Points from a Marriott Bonvoy® Tours and Activities
- Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy® Points
IHG
Normal point expiration – 12 months
Club level membership Points (see Member Benefits, including levels of membership, here) will expire if your membership account point balance becomes inactive, meaning there was no “earn” or “redeem” transactions, for any period of twelve (12) months or longer, which means your Points will be removed from your account and will no longer be available for redemption. To maintain your account points balance and avoid points expiration, you must have at least one “earn” or “redeem” transaction posted to your account every twelve (12) months. Use of the one night per year provided to IHG One Rewards credit card holders does not constitute an “earn” or “redeem” activity to prevent Point expiration. Elite Members’ Points do not expire as long as Elite level membership is maintained.
Hyatt
Normal point expiration – 24 months
If a Member’s account is inactive for twenty-four (24) consecutive months, all points in that Member’s account will be forfeited at that time, but the Member’s account will remain open (with the ability to earn new points thereafter) unless the Member’s account is otherwise terminated in accordance with these Terms.
Hilton
Normal point expiration – 24 months
Members must keep their Hilton Honors account active in order to keep their Hilton Honors Points. Under the new policy, if your account is inactive for 24 consecutive months, your total Point balance will expire.Keep your Hilton Honors account active to avoid your Points expiring: simply stay at any hotel in the Hilton Portfolio, earn Points with a Hilton Honors credit card, earn or redeem Points with any Hilton Honors partner, buy Points or donate Points, or register for a Hilton Honors promotion, Opens new tab.
Wyndham
Normal point expiration – 18 months
All accrued points in a Member’s Wyndham Rewards account may be cancelled or forfeited if the Member has no Account Activity (as defined below) for a period of approximately, but never less than, eighteen (18) consecutive months. For purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “Account Activity” means any (i) point earning, and (ii) redemption or transfer activity involving a change in the Member’s Wyndham Rewards point balance, in each case, conducted in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. All issues related to the value, redemption and expiration of Travel Partner Currency will be governed by the terms and conditions then in effect for the applicable program.
Wyndham Rewards points also expire 4 years after they are earned.
Except as may otherwise be required under applicable law, Wyndham Rewards points expire four (4) years after the checkout date of the stay for which the applicable points are posted to the Member’s account (the “Four Year Rule”), unless the points are forfeited or cancelled earlier due to membership inactivity (as more particularly described below), or otherwise in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
Choice Hotels
Normal point expiration – 18 months
As long as you are an active Choice Privileges member, your points never expire. You must, however, complete at least one qualifying activity every 18 months to maintain an active account and to retain your accumulated points. Choice Privileges points are forfeited in accounts that have no qualifying activity during the previous 18 consecutive calendar months.
Radisson
Radisson Rewards in the US has merged with Choice Hotels. However, there is still a program for Radisson hotels outside of the US.
Normal point expiration – 24 months
To extend the validity of your points for an additional 24 months, you need to either book or use your points (buy/gift/transfer points to extend the validity of your points).
Best Western
Best Western points never expire, so there was no need to issue a point expiration extension.
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1 comment
I am still waiting for Hyatt to extend the expiration of FNCs.