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Earning points and miles is a common topic among travel hackers, but knowing how to keep points from expiring is often left out in the conversation. In fact, Bank Rate conducted a study a few years ago and found out that 3 out of 10 credit cardholders never used their points.
It’s such as waste having these points just go down the drain. Just imagine that you could be in a 5-star hotel or flying first class to a holiday destination right now.
How To Keep Points From Expiring
The most obvious thing you should do to keep points from expiring is to earn additional points before the older ones expire. Your points basically accumulate and roll over to the next expiration period.
You don’t have to spend on flights to earn more points because there’s no minimum number required to keep points from expiring. Your points are safe as long as you constantly earn them, and here’s what you can do:
1. Redeem Your Points
The first thing on the list on how to keep points from expiring is to use your travel credit cards to redeem points for flights or stays. Just make sure that you’re using your points on a flight or stay that you really want. You’ll hit two birds with stone if you do this.
2. Use Your Co-branded Airline Credit Cards
You earn points for every dollar you spend using your co-branded airline credit cards. Let’s say you use your Amex Business Platinum to purchase a cup of coffee during your travels, it will earn points and keeps your account from expiring. Just make sure to use it on a monthly basis.
3. Participate in Dining Rewards Programs
A lot of airlines have dining rewards programs where you can earn points whenever you eat at participating restaurants. A few examples of these programs are the Alaska Mileage Plan Dining, Southwest Dining Rewards, and Delta SkyMiles Dining. There’s no limit on how many programs you can join, however, you can only use one credit card per program.
4. Subscribe to Publications
A lot of airline and hotel companies tie-up with magazines and news publications. You can earn points and miles if ever you subscribe to any of them.
Read More: How To Increase Your Credit Limit In 5 Easy Steps
5. Use A Loyalty Program’s Shopping Portal
It’s common for loyalty programs to have shopping portals on their websites. These web pages usually contain a list of participating merchants where you can earn points if you purchase from them. Try to browse through the portal and look for products or services that you’re going to make in the near future. Or you can just purchase something inexpensive like a shirt or a mug.
6. Take Advantage of Mini Promotions
Airline companies usually have mini promotions where frequent flyer members do certain tasks and earn points. For example, companies might ask you to sign up for their newsletter or answer surveys then reward you 50 points.
7. Charity Donations
Did you know that airline companies have donation programs? You can use your points to donate and at the same time, keep points from expiring. If you’re feeling a little bit generous, why not share your blessings?
8. Apply for A Transferable Points Credit Card
Not all cards have this feature so make sure to get one that has this. Transferring your points from one credit card to another will keep points from expiring. Any amount of transferred points will reset the expiration date so just try to transfer the minimum amount. You can also choose to transfer your points to a family member if you think they would have a much better use for it.
You need to treat points and miles like real money. If you need help figuring out how to handle your credit card points, you can sign up for our travel concierge. We’ll help you manage your points, choose the right cards to sign up for, and get you the best travel redemptions.
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