Four Ways to Redeem Your Travel Rewards Before They Expire

Let’s say you’ve accumulated travel rewards into an airline or hotel loyalty program, but the remaining amount doesn’t cover the flight (or part of the flight credit) and there’s no way for you to earn more points or miles. in the near future.

Ideally, your travel rewards don’t expire, meaning you could eventually accumulate enough points or miles to use what you have if your balance is currently negligible. Or if they are expiring (or about to expire), there are ways to get them back or keep your account active until you have a reason to redeem them.

In any case, if you have random points or miles spread across multiple rewards programs for airlines you don’t normally fly with and you want them to work for you now, there are a few strategies to save your remaining rewards.

Buy extra miles

If you don’t have enough miles to book an award flight in the near future, it might make sense to fund your account by purchasing the required number of points. Airlines and hotels usually sell miles directly to loyalty program members.

However, this approach only makes sense if you need a limited number of Extra Points to use up the total and plan to fly soon, as the points may lose value over time remaining in your account. The Points Guy notes that it’s best to buy points and miles when loyalty programs offer promotions or bonuses, maximizing points per dollar spent.

Transfer of rewards between partners

If you have several hundred or thousands of Reward Points stuck in a loyalty program, you can benefit immediately by transferring points to increase your balance enough to redeem (or, in some cases, transferring those miles to an affiliate program where you also have rewards you can use). Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards can be transferred to airline and hotel partner programs.

Redeem points for non-travel rewards

Getting a new magazine subscription or a gift card isn’t as exciting as going on an international trip, but it’s one way to squeeze the last bit of value out of your few remaining rewards. Most airlines offer ways to spend points and miles without traveling , such as merchandise and charitable donations.

Donate points or miles to charity

If you have a small amount of points or miles left in your loyalty program account, you can reset them by donating the balance to charity . One option is the Miles4Migrants program , which uses donated frequent flyer miles to purchase airline tickets for refugees and asylum seekers affected by crises. The organization accepts donations from a long list of airline loyalty programs and credit card reward programs.

Alternatively, airlines and credit card companies partner with organizations to repay donations to charities. Check with your airline or loan provider for options.