When you decide to transfer your hard earned credit card points to one of the airline mileage programs, it’s important to know their expiration policies. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people had their miles stranded with various airline mileage programs due to overall disruption in travel and even though some programs extended or paused miles expiration, it was still unfortunate to have your miles and points locked with a program that has a harsh miles expiration policy.
We decided to put this article together to have a quick and up to date reference to domestic and international airline mileage programs and their miles expiration policies.
Domestic Airlines
| Airline | Alliance | Program | Transfer Partner | Expiration Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | Oneworld | Mileage Plan | — | 🟡 24 months. Extendable. |
| American Airlines | Oneworld | AAdvantage | — | 🟡 18 months. Extendable. |
| Delta Airlines | SkyTeam | SkyMiles | MR | 🟢 Do not expire. |
| Hawaiian Airlines | — | HawaiianMiles | MR | 🟢 Do not expire. |
| JetBlue | — | TrueBlue | MR, UR, TYP | 🟢 Do not expire. |
| Southwest Airlines | — | Rapid Rewards | UR | 🟢 Do not expire. |
| United Airlines | Star Alliance | MileagePlus | UR | 🟢 Do not expire. |
International Airlines
| Airline | Alliance | Program | Transfer Partner | Expiration Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Oneworld | AerClub | MR, UR | 🟡 36 months. Extendable. |
| Aeromexico | SkyTeam | Club Premier | MR, TYP, C1 | 🟡 24 months. Extendable. |
| Air Canada | Star Alliance | Aeroplan | MR, UR, C1 | 🟡 18 months. Extendable. |
| Air France / KLM | SkyTeam | Flying Blue | MR, UR, TYP, C1 | 🟡 24 months. Extendable. |
| ANA | Star Alliance | Mileage Club | MR | 🔴 36 months. No way to extend. |
| Avianca | Star Alliance | Lifemiles | MR, TYP, C1 | 🟡 12 months. Extendable. |
| British Airways | Oneworld | Executive Club | MR, UR, C1 | 🟡 36 months. Extendable. |
| Cathay Pacific | Oneworld | Asia Miles | MR, TYP, C1 | 🔴 36 months. No way to extend. |
| Emirates | — | Skywards | MR, TYP, C1 | 🔴 36 months. No way to extend. |
| Etihad Airways | — | Etihad Guest | MR, TYP, C1 | 🟡 18 months. Extendable. |
| Eva Air | Star Alliance | MileageLands | TYP, C1 | 🟡 36 months. Extendable. |
| Finnair | Oneworld | Finnair Plus | C1 | 🟡 18 months. Extendable. |
| Iberia | Oneworld | Iberia Plus | MR, UR | 🟡 36 months. Extendable. |
| Malaysia Airlines | Oneworld | Enrich | TYP | 🔴 36 months. No way to extend. |
| Qantas Airways | Oneworld | Frequent Flyer | TYP, C1 | 🟡 18 months. Extendable. |
| Qatar Airways | Oneworld | Privilege Club / Qmiles | TYP | 🟡 36 months. Extendable. |
| Singapore Airlines | Star Alliance | KrisFlyer | MR, UR, TYP, C1 | 🔴 36 months. No way to extend. |
| TAP Air Portugal | Star Alliance | TAP Miles&Go | C1 | 🔴 36 months. No way to extend. |
| Thai Airways | Star Alliance | Royal Orchid Plus | TYP | 🟡 36 months. Extendable. |
| Turkish Airlines | Star Alliance | Miles & Smiles | TYP, C1 | 🟡 36 months. No way to extend. |
| Virgin Atlantic | — | Flying Club | MR, UR, TYP, C1 | 🟢 Do not expire. |
