Do airline miles expire?
Five of the twenty-two programs below never expire their miles. The rest fall into two camps: a rolling inactivity window that any activity resets, or a fixed life from the day each mile was earned. The table is sorted from the most forgiving rule to the strictest, and every row links to the airline's own terms.
Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .
| Program | Rule | Detail | Exemptions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United MileagePlus | Never expire | MileagePlus miles do not expire for inactivity; they are forfeited only if the account is closed. | – | United: MileagePlus miles never expire (August 2019 announcement) |
| Delta SkyMiles | Never expire | SkyMiles do not expire. | – | SkyMiles program rules |
| Alaska Atmos Rewards | Never expire | Atmos Rewards points do not expire. | – | Introducing Atmos Rewards (Alaska Airlines newsroom) |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | Never expire | TrueBlue points do not expire: JetBlue's 2025 annual report says they can be used any time with no blackout dates and never expire. | – | JetBlue Airways: 10-K for 2025, TrueBlue section (SEC) |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Never expire | Virgin Points do not expire. | – | Virgin Atlantic: changes to your miles (2020) |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 18 months of inactivity | Aeroplan points expire after 18 months with no earning, redemption or transfer activity, with a six-month window to recover them. Air Canada paused expiry and resumes it on November 30, 2026. | Primary holders of a TD, American Express or CIBC Aeroplan credit card, and Aeroplan Elite Status members, are exempt. | Aeroplan inactivity policy |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 18 months of inactivity | LifeMiles' own terms load only in its app. The LifeMiles card rules BAC Credomatic publishes in Panama say miles expire on a rolling 18-month basis under conditions LifeMiles sets, and Cardless says US cardholders keep their miles while they use the card, which points to activity keeping miles valid. Check the date in your LifeMiles account. | Holders of the US avianca lifemiles American Express cards keep their miles for as long as they use the card, according to Cardless. | BAC Credomatic: LifeMiles credit card accrual rules, Panama |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 18 months of inactivity | Asia Miles expire 18 months after the last earning or redemption activity; any activity extends the whole balance. | Miles credited before January 2020 keep the old three-year rule. | Cathay: Asia Miles expiry rule |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 18 months of inactivity | Qantas points expire after 18 months with no eligible earning or redemption activity; family transfers do not count. | – | Qantas points expiry |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 2 years of inactivity | AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months with no earning or redemption activity; any qualifying activity resets the period. | Members under 21 and primary AAdvantage credit cardmembers (while the card account is open) are exempt. | AAdvantage FAQ |
| Virgin Australia Velocity | 2 years of inactivity | Velocity Points expire 24 months, rounded to the end of the month, after the member's last Long Term Activity: earning or redeeming points, or transferring points in, with Velocity or a partner (family transfers and Family Pooling excluded), receiving points from a Virgin Australia Business Flyer member, or buying points through Points Booster. | No tier is exempt under clause 3.4 of the terms (effective 17 August 2026), and receiving Family Pool points, a family transfer or inherited points counts only as Short Term Activity, which moves the expiry date to one month after it, rounded to the end of the month, when that is later. | Velocity Frequent Flyer: terms and conditions |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 2 years of inactivity | Explorer members aged 18 and over keep Miles for 24 months from their last earn activity, and every earn activity (anything that earns Miles or XP) extends the whole balance by another 24 months, under article 1.2.9 of the Flying Blue terms in force since 4 May 2026. | Elite and Elite Plus members (Silver and above), holders of an eligible co-branded card, Flying Blue Extra subscribers while subscribed, and members under 18. | Flying Blue: Terms and Conditions (4 May 2026), article 1.2.9 |
| British Airways Club | 3 years of inactivity | Avios expire after 36 consecutive months with no collecting, spending, buying or sharing activity. | A household account stays protected while any Bronze or higher member in it is active. | The British Airways Club terms and conditions |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 3 years of inactivity | Privilege Club Avios expire after 36 consecutive months with no earning or redemption activity. | Expired Avios can be revalidated for a fee within one year of expiry, after which they are valid for another 36 months; the tier page states Platinum members' Avios do not expire. | Privilege Club terms and conditions |
| Etihad Guest | Fixed life of 18 months | For Bronze, Silver and Gold members, miles expire 18 months after they are earned unless an Etihad or partner flight extends them by a further 18 months. | Platinum and Emerald members' miles never expire. | Etihad Guest FAQ |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Fixed life of 3 years | KrisFlyer miles expire three years after they are earned, on the last day of that month, regardless of account activity. | PPS Club members' miles do not expire; other members can pay to extend a batch by six or twelve months. | KrisFlyer terms and conditions |
| JAL Mileage Bank | Fixed life of 3 years | JAL Mileage Bank miles expire 36 months after the month they are earned, regardless of activity. | – | JAL: JMB rules and conditions, rule 13 (mileage validity) |
| ANA Mileage Club | Fixed life of 3 years | ANA miles are valid until the end of the 36th month counting from the month the flight or service was used, and account activity does not extend them. | Miles do not expire while a member holds Diamond status, and never expire for Million Milers (1,000,000 lifetime miles on ANA Group flights). Campaign miles (account groups 2 to 4) have their own campaign-specific validity. | ANA: Mileage Club terms and conditions (as of May 19, 2026) |
| Lufthansa Miles & More | Fixed life of 3 years | Miles & More award miles expire 36 months after they are earned, at the end of that quarter. | Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle members, and co-branded cardholders in some countries, are exempt. | Miles & More mileage protection |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Fixed life of 3 years | Miles&Smiles miles expire at the end of the third full calendar year after they are posted, regardless of activity. | Miles can be extended for three years at $20 per 1,000 miles; no tier is exempt. | Miles&Smiles terms and conditions |
| Emirates Skywards | Fixed life of 3 years | Skywards miles expire three years after they are earned, at the end of the member's birth month. From June 1, 2027, newly earned Miles will be valid for three years from the flight or partner activity date, rounded to the end of that month; Miles already in the account keep their current expiry. | Platinum members are exempt, and a 12-month extension can be bought. | Emirates Skywards FAQ |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | Fixed life of 10 years | SKYPASS miles earned since July 2008 are valid for ten years, expiring on December 31 of the tenth year, with no extension. | Miles earned before July 2008 never expire. | Korean Air: SKYPASS mileage validity (SkyTeam accrual page) |
What the rules mean for a large balance
A never-expiring balance is not free to hold. United, Delta, Alaska and Virgin Atlantic all raise award prices over time, so miles that sit for years buy less each year even though they never disappear. The decision for those programs is about purchasing power, not a deadline.
Inactivity rules are the easiest to manage: a single small transaction every year or so keeps the whole balance alive, and most members with a co-branded card never notice the rule. The risk is the member who stopped flying and whose card was closed, which is how large AAdvantage, Qantas and Avios balances lapse.
Fixed-life rules are the ones to plan around. Singapore KrisFlyer, JAL, ANA, Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Lufthansa (for members without status) all remove miles on a schedule regardless of activity, and the dates are visible in the account. A balance within a year of its date has three outcomes: a redemption you actually want, a paid extension where the program sells one, or a cash sale before the miles vanish.
Programs change these rules without much notice. Flying Blue's terms of 4 May 2026 let a single earn activity extend a whole balance, Emirates shortens its rule in June 2027, and Air Canada paused Aeroplan expiry until November 2026. We re-check every row against the airline's terms before updating the review date above; if you spot a change we have missed, tell us.
Mileage expiry FAQ
- Which airline miles never expire?
- Miles in United MileagePlus, Delta SkyMiles, Alaska Atmos Rewards, JetBlue TrueBlue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club do not expire. Among the others, elite members are often exempt: PPS Club at Singapore, Frequent Traveller and above at Lufthansa, Platinum at Emirates, and Platinum and Emerald at Etihad.
- What is the difference between inactivity expiry and a fixed expiry?
- Inactivity expiry cancels the whole balance after a period with no earning or redemption, and any activity resets the clock. A fixed expiry gives each mile a set life from the date it was earned, so old miles lapse even in an active account. Fixed expiry is the harder rule to manage and the stronger reason to redeem or sell before the date.
- How do I stop my miles from expiring?
- For inactivity programs, any qualifying transaction resets the period: a short flight, a shopping portal purchase, a dining program meal or a small transfer from a bank program. For fixed-life programs, only redeeming, a paid extension where offered, or elite status helps. If neither is practical, selling the balance before the date turns it into cash instead of nothing.
- Can expired miles be reinstated?
- Sometimes. American AAdvantage reinstates miles for a fee within 24 months of expiry, Aeroplan allows recovery within six months, and Turkish Airlines and Emirates sell extensions before expiry. Most fixed-life programs, including JAL and Singapore KrisFlyer after the extension window, do not restore lapsed miles.