Not traveling? Don’t let your points expire.
It starts off with an email we often miss – like the one I got from Hertz saying my points will expire in 3 months.
After a period of inactivity most hotel brands and airlines points get forfeited. To refresh the shelf life of valuable points I have the top online tips and tricks that will keep your hard-earned travel points alive.
David Fleming known to the frequent flyer community as The Miles Guy is sought after for his skills in booking award flights and hotels in creative ways. He says there are a variety of simple things you can do to extend the life of your points.
Sign up for free Restaurant Rewards Network
Basically you set up your credit card sign into the rewards network, pick the airline that you like to travel with the most and every time you dine at a participating restaurant ..there’s thousands of them around the country.. you end up with points in your travel bank.. so its a great way to extend the life of your points just by eating out.
Shop Via Program Partners
Make a purchase through an airline or hotel chain’s shopping portal. Each online ching ching is as good as stepping onboard a flight or an overnight hotel stay. When you buy something you earn points which resets the expiration date.
Transfer Credit Card Points to Loyalty Account
When you transfer credit card reward points keep in mind that there’s usually a processing fee, but most programs allow you to move a small number of points typically around 1,000.
Donate Miles to Charity
Donating some miles to charity will work to keep the remaining points from vanishing. Each hotel and airline loyalty plan has a donation link that often refreshes the expiration date on the account.
CyberGuy Expert Tip: Use sites and apps like AwardWallet.com to organize your points into one spot. This not only helps them keep from expiring, it shows how to use your points across other programs.
It’s Time to Book Award Tickets Again
With travel demand down, you might be wondering if you should roll the dice by booking an award ticket into the future. Dave the Miles Guy says,”Yes, its a great time to book for next year because you are going to get in on some deals.. on lower mileage tickets.. for example, I was able to book five tickets business class to Paris next year for very low miles and that is a killer deal cause I booked way in advance.”
Keep in mind airlines treat changes, cancelations and redeposit of miles differently.
Easy Way to Keep a List of Your Loyalty Programs
Create a new contact on your phone called “Travel Profile” That’s where I keep all of my loyalty numbers. It makes it easy to use them when I’m back in the air again earning miles the old fashioned way soon.