Have points, will travel… but can’t? There’s almost nothing more frustrating than having a healthy pile of frequent flyer points, but being unable to actually use those points when you’re planning a trip. Worse yet, if those points are about to expire, and you’re running out of options. But what can you do?
Your next move really depends on the frequent flyer program those points are housed in. Some programs, like Qantas Frequent Flyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer, use rolling expiry dates. As long as you occasionally earn or spend points, the entire balance of points never goes away. But some programs, like Emirates Skywards and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, use hard expiry dates that don’t change, regardless of how many points you earn, or how often.
Let’s take a look at the paths you can take to avoid letting your points disappear into the abyss.
When points have a flexible expiry date
If the looming expiry date isn’t set in stone, there isn’t much you need to do to keep your points alive. In programs with a rolling expiry date, simply earning at least one new point is enough to push back the expiry of your entire balance. The same is true of spending points. Make one small booking, or one small redemption, and you’re set.
Need some inspiration? Here are a few quick ways to earn some frequent flyer points.
- Buy points outright. Many programs, including Qantas and Velocity, will happily sell you points. Usually, the asking price is on the higher side, so this may not make sense if buying in bulk. But if you’re in a bind, purchasing the minimum number of points gets the job done.
- Transfer points from a partner program. Sitting on some reward points with a major hotel chain? You may be able to swap these for frequent flyer points. Again, it usually won’t make sense to convert points like this in bulk – except, perhaps, from Marriott Bonvoy. But moving across a small number of points counts as account activity, and that’s all you need. If it’s Velocity Points you’re chasing, you might also be able to convert points across from your Flybuys account. These transfers are processed instantly.
- Convert points from a credit card. This one is more for programs like Velocity and Cathay – but if you have a credit card attached to a flexible points program, consider making a small conversion to your frequent flyer account. This works for Qantas, too, but the ability to manually convert personal credit card points is limited to those with metal American Express Cards, such as the Amex Platinum Card, which is attached to the Ascent Premium tier of Amex Membership Rewards.
- Buy wine. This one works well for Qantas – shopping for wine through Qantas Wine is an easy way to earn a few frequent flyer points. These usually hit your account within a few days of purchasing: often, before the wine even arrives. That’s your expiry situation taken care of.
Need to spend points instead?
If you’d prefer to spend your points rather than try and earn more, there are a couple of quick options you can take to reset the expiry date on your frequent flyer points.
- Donate points to charity. Okay, you don’t have to give away your entire balance of reward points. But donating even the minimum number of points (typically, a few thousand), counts as account activity. And, just like that, your entire stash will stay alive for longer.
- Transfer your points to another member. Note, this doesn’t count as account activity. But, it’s one way to get the expiring points out of your account. Usually, you can transfer points to an eligible family member. As long as their points aren’t also about to expire, at least those hard-earned reward will get some use. Be mindful too, these transfers won’t count as account activity for the recipient, either. That’s why we’ve suggested to only do this if your family member’s points aren’t also soon to expire. Or, if they’ll use the points very quickly after you transfer them… but then, you could have done that!
When points have a hard expiry date
If your points are close to expiry and can’t easily be extended, it’s time to use them. But if you can’t book the flight you want, what are some other ways to prevent those points from being wasted?
- Book a less desirable flight. Perhaps, you’ve been saving your points for a dream holiday – the trip of a lifetime. But if you’re stuck and can’t find those ‘life goal’ flights, you might consider planning a smaller trip in the meantime. Even if that means using your points for a short hop in Economy. At the end of the day, a point used is always far better than a point wasted.
- Transfer your points to a partner program. This move will vary from one program to the next. But quite often, you may be able to convert your airline frequent flyer points into hotel program reward points. The conversion rate isn’t usually great – from Emirates Skywards to Marriott Bonvoy, it’s 3 Skywards miles = 2 Bonvoy points – but this is all about loss minimisation for your soon-to-expire balance, rather than losing everything and getting nothing. In that same vein, you might consider converting miles from Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer to Velocity at a 1.55:1 rate.
- Book a flight you don’t want, and change it later. Sometimes, spending your points before the expiry date is all that matters. Booking a flight while those points are still valid, and changing that flight later on, can sometimes be a way to go. But you need to check the rules of your booking and frequent flyer program. Often, changes may be possible for a fee, but only be for travel up until a certain date. But if a trip ends up being cancelled outright, don’t expect to see those miles again.
In summary
In the world of frequent flyer points, it’s always better to get something rather than nothing. To that end, while you might have been saving your miles for First Class, securing an Economy Class flight is still better than staying home. Frequent flyer fans might giggle about people using their points for toasters and the like. But even that is better than allowing points to expire and getting nothing at all.
Have you had points get close to their expiry date? What did you do with them, or how did you keep your account alive? Share your tips will fellow readers in the comments below!
Also read: When do your frequent flyer points expire?
Featured image courtesy of Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto.
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