How to keep your hotel points from expiring without staying in a hotel

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We’ve written about how to keep your airline miles from expiring without flying. Here’s how to keep your hotel points from expiring without staying in a hotel.

Pro tip: The easiest (and most mindless!) way to keep your points from expiring is to use one of the best hotel credit cards for a reoccurring monthly bill like Netflix. That way you can set it and forget it, and you won’t ever have to worry about your points expiring.

Points expire in most U.S.-based hotel programs after 12 to 24 months of no earning or redemption activity. And some programs like Choice and Wyndham hotels expire after two and four years and there is nothing you can do to extend the expiration, so you might as well use them before they expire.

Award Wallet is a good tool to track your miles and points balances and expiration dates.

But it is really, really easy to keep your hotel points active without staying in the hotel. Sometimes, all you need to do is to make an award booking and cancel it later, for free. This will generate redemption activity when you make the award and earning activity when you cancel the award and reset the point expiration clock. But be sure to check the cancellation policy when you book.

You can easily extend the expiration by buying something cheap or making a $1 donation from the airline’s online shopping mall, or using a credit card to keep your points active. Read below for all the ways to keep your hotel points from expiring!

Choice Hotels International

Link:  Choice Privileges

Choice points expiration policy

Choice says: “As long as you stay an active Choice Privileges member, we’ll make sure you keep the points you earn. Now, as long as you have a qualifying activity every 18 months, you keep your points.”

1.   Keep Your Choice Hotels Points Active By Earning Points

• Complete a point-eligible stay at any Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Mainstay Suites, Suburban, Econolodge, Rodeway Inn, Cambria Hotel & Suites, or Ascend Collection hotel
• Use the Choice Privilages^® Visa Signature^® Card
• Shop through the Choice Privileges Online Mall
• Purchase points from Choice Privileges
  
• Refer-a-friend to Choice Privileges

2.   Keep Your Choice Hotels Points Active by Redeeming Points

• Redeem for a free night at any Choice Hotels location
  
• Use Points + Cash to book an award stay
• Redeem points for gift cards
• Transfer points for airline miles
• Redeem points for cruises, magazines, memberships, music downloads, or charitable donations
• Transfer points to airline partners

Radisson Rewards

Link:  Radisson Rewards

Radisson Points expiration policy

Radisson says: “As long as you actively participate in the program by earning or redeeming points within the previous 24-month period, Gold Points do not have an expiration date.”

1.   Keep Your Club Carlson Points Active By Earning Points

• Stay at any Radisson, Radisson Blu, Park Plaza, Park Inn, or Country Inn & Suites
• Rent a car with companies like Alamo and Avis
• Plan a meeting 
• Shop for wine with Vinesse wine club
• Purchase points from Club Carlson

2.   Keep Your Club Carlson Points Active by Redeeming Points

• Transfer points, for free, to another Radisson account
• Redeem for a free night at any Radisson property
• Book and cancel an award night for free with no cancellation fees (but double check the cancellation policy)
• Donate to the SOS Children’s Village or The Red Cross
• Redeem points for gift cards
• Transfer points for airline miles
• Use points for a prepaid debit card

Hilton Honors

Link:  Hilton Honors

Hilton points expiration policy

Hilton says “Hilton Honors points expire after 12 months with no activity.”

1.   Keep your Hilton points active by earning points

• Stay at any Hilton hotel
• Use a Hilton credit card
• Buy, Give, or Receive Hilton points
• Rent a car with a Hilton rental partner
• Sign up for Honors Dining

• Transfer American Express Membership Rewards points Citi Thank You or Diner’s Club points to Hilton

2.   Keep your Hilton points active by redeeming points

• Redeem for a free night at any Hilton brand property world-wide
• Book and cancel an award night for free with no cancellation fees (but double-check the cancellation policy)
• Donate Hilton points to local charities
• Transfer points to airline mileage accounts

Hyatt

Link:  World of Hyatt

Hyatt points expiration policy

Hyatt says “If an account is left inactive for more than 24 calendar months, the account may be deleted and all points in the account forfeited.“

1.   Keep your Hyatt points active by earning points

• Stay at any Hyatt hotel
• Use the World of Hyatt Credit Card
• Purchase Hyatt points
• Rent a car with Avis
• Transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Hold a meeting at a Hyatt
  

2.   Keep your Hyatt points active by redeeming

• Redeem for a free night at any Hyatt hotel
• Book and cancel an award night for free with no cancellation fees (but double-check the cancellation policy)
• Use points for dining or spas at Hyatt hotels
• Combine points with any other Hyatt member to redeem for an award
• Transfer points to airline partners
• Redeem points for Avis car rentals
• Transfer points to a friend or family member

IHG

Link:  IHG Rewards

IHG points expiration policy

IHG says: “All points will expire after 12 months if there’s no account activity.”

1.   Keep your IHG Rewards points active by earning

• Stay at any IHG hotel
• Earn IHG Elite Status and IHG points won’t expire for as long as you keep your status
• Sign-up for Rewards Network and dine at a participating hotel
• Sign-up for the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, which gives you Platinum status for as long as you have to card, so your points won’t expire

2.   Keep your IHG Rewards points active by redeeming

• Book an award stay at an IHG hotel
• Donate your points
• Redeem points for flights
• Redeem points for car rentals
• Use points for gift cards
• Redeem points for digital downloads (music, ebooks, and games)
• Transfer points to a friend or family member

Marriott

Link:  Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Points expiration policy

Marriott says: “Marriott Bonvoy points expire after 24 months without qualifying activity.”

This means that earning and redeeming Marriott points will extend the life of the points.

However, there are exceptions which do not qualify as earning or redeeming activity:

• Gifting or transferring points (however, converting points to miles or miles to points does count toward maintaining an active status)
• Receiving points as a gift or transfer
• Earning points through social media programs, such as #MRPoints

1.   Keep your Marriott Rewards points active by earning

• Stay with any Marriott hotel
• Use one of the top Marriott credit cards
• Transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Purchase items from ShopMyWay Mall
• Take a cruise through a Marriott partner
• Earn points for Hertz car rentals
• Hold a meeting or event at a Marriott hotel
• Refer a friend to Marriott Rewards
• Buy Marriott points

2.   Keep your Marriott Rewards points active by redeeming

• Book an award stay at a Marriott hotel
• Transfer points for airline awards or book Hotel + Air packages which include airline miles and 7 hotel award nights
• Take a cruise with points
• Shop with points
• Donate points to charities like the Unicef or the Red Cross

Wyndham

Link:  Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham points expiration policy

Wyndham says “Wyndham Rewards points expire after 18 months of no account activity. They also expire 4 years (48 months) from the date earned, regardless of account activity.”

What this means is that your points will expire four years after earning them and there is nothing you can do to extend this four year period.  But your points will expire sooner if you have no account activity for 18 months.

1.   Keep your Wyndham points active by earning points

• Stay at any Wyndham hotel
• Use the Wyndham credit card
• Plan a meeting or event with Wyndham
• Rent a car through Avis or Budget
• Buy Wyndham points

2.   Keep your Wyndham Points active by redeeming points

• Use points for a free night at a Wyndham family hotel
• Book and cancel an award night for free with no cancellation fees (but double-check the cancellation policy)
• Redeem for a Wyndham gift card or a donation
• Redeem points for flights and cars
• Transfer points to an airline partner