Flying for free using frequent flier miles is the only way to beat cheap fares, be they cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages. Unfortunately it is easier than ever to lose frequent flier miles since large legacy airlines changed their expiration policies in 2007. Major airlines used to give their frequent fliers three years to show activity in their frequent flier accounts before losing miles. Now airline miles are lost after 18 or 24 months of inactivity, depending on the airline.
Most airlines extend the life of a customers frequent flier miles if there is any activity in the account, such as when additional miles are earned or redeemed.
If you want to keep your frequent miles alive you should do the following:
Keep informed as to when your frequent flier miles will expire.
The easiest way to keep miles active is by using a credit card affiliated with the airlines frequent flier program. So long as you use such a credit card regularly, your miles will be extended month by month, indefinitely.
Be aware that it becomes more time consuming and often complicated when you are earning and trying to oversee miles earned in multiple frequent flier programs. The more programs you are in the more difficult they are to manage. By focusing your loyalty program participation on as few programs as possible that best suit your travel and consumption behavior, your miles are unlikely to expire.
If you want to earn frequent flier awards, avoid programs that terminate miles sooner than you can realistically expect to reach an award threshold. For an infrequent flier Southwests program does not make sense. In their program if you do not earn 16 credits within 24 months the earliest earned credits start to disappear.
If your miles expire, many programs allow you to reinstate miles for a fee. Reactivation fees vary widely by airline.
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