Credit card rewards generally do not expire on their own. As long as your account is open, current, and seeing occasional activity, cash back, points, and miles sit in your account indefinitely. What actually makes rewards disappear is something happening to the account itself: a serious late payment, months of inactivity that lead to closure, canceling the card, or a change the issuer makes to the program.
Delinquency Can Freeze or Erase Your Balance
Falling behind on payments is the fastest way to lose access to rewards. Most cardholder agreements let the issuer suspend earning and redemption while an account is past due, and if the delinquency continues to the point the account is closed, the accumulated balance is typically forfeited.
Federal law does draw a line around what counts as late. Under Regulation Z, an issuer cannot treat your minimum payment as late for any purpose if it arrives within 21 days after the periodic statement is mailed or delivered.1eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.5 – General Disclosure Requirements “For any purpose” reaches penalty interest, late fees, negative credit reporting, and cancellation of rewards.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1026 (Regulation Z) – 1026.5 General Disclosure Requirements Past that window, the protection ends and the issuer’s contract terms take over.
Some issuers will restore a frozen balance once you bring the account current, but that’s a matter of issuer policy, not a legal right. A penalty APR on top of a delinquency makes things worse: interest at the higher rate quickly outruns whatever the rewards are worth, so paying the balance to zero is usually the only path back to a normal rate and full access to the program.
Inactivity Can Lead to a Closed Account
Even with a spotless payment history, a card left untouched can be closed by the issuer. Most define inactivity as roughly 12 months without a purchase, though the exact window varies. The closure itself is what wipes out the rewards; once the account no longer exists, the contractual obligation to honor the balance ends with it.
A small purchase every few months resets the clock. A minor recurring charge on a card you rarely use, such as a streaming subscription, is one of the simplest ways to keep an account alive and its rewards intact.
Airline Miles and Hotel Points Have Their Own Expiration Rules
Rewards earned through a co-branded airline or hotel card live in two systems: the issuer’s and the loyalty program’s. Once points or miles cross into the airline or hotel program, that program’s terms control expiration, not the credit card agreement. Many of those programs impose their own inactivity-based expiration, typically after 18 to 24 months without qualifying activity.
What counts as qualifying activity depends on the program. Some reset the clock any time you earn or redeem points, including through purchases on the co-branded card. Others require partner activity such as booking a flight or a stay. A handful of major domestic airlines have removed points expiration entirely, while American Airlines AAdvantage still forfeits miles after 24 months of inactivity. Hotel programs run a similar range: some never expire your balance while you hold the co-branded card, while others require periodic activity regardless of card status.
Because these rules change often, checking the terms of each loyalty program you belong to at least once a year is the safest habit.
Closing a Card Puts Rewards at Immediate Risk
With most issuers, rewards are tied to the specific account that earned them. Closing that account cuts the link.
If You Close the Card
Redeem or transfer your balance before you cancel. Some issuers let you move points to another card within the same rewards family. Others let you push points to airline or hotel partners, though those transfers are typically irreversible and must be done in set increments. A limited grace period after voluntary closure, often 30 to 90 days, exists at some issuers but not all, and the length varies. Confirm the policy before you close the account.
If the Issuer Closes the Card
When the issuer initiates closure, whether for delinquency, suspected misuse of the rewards program, or risk management, the odds of recovering rewards are slim. Issuers generally offer no redemption window in that situation, and rewards attached to the closed account are forfeited when the closure is processed. That includes closures tied to suspected behavior that conflicts with the intended use of the program, such as opening and closing cards repeatedly to harvest bonuses.
Issuers Can Change the Program, With Notice
Card issuers can modify or end a rewards program, but they have to warn you first. The Truth in Lending Act requires written notice at least 45 days before a significant change to your cardholder agreement takes effect.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1637 – Open End Consumer Credit Plans The notice has to explain the change and tell you about your right to cancel before the new terms apply.4eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.9 – Subsequent Disclosure Requirements Canceling in response cannot be treated as a default, and the issuer cannot demand immediate full repayment because you canceled.
Common changes include cutting earn rates, raising the number of points needed for a given redemption, dropping bonus categories, or swapping the entire rewards currency. When one bank acquires another’s card portfolio, you may have to convert older rewards into the new system by a deadline. Miss the deadline and the balance can expire or lose value.
In December 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a circular warning that issuers may violate federal law when they devalue rewards consumers have already earned, revoke rewards based on vague or buried conditions, or deduct points without delivering the promised benefit.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CFPB Circular 2024-07 The circular noted these practices can be unfair, deceptive, or abusive even when the fine print technically allows the conduct. It does not create new binding rules, but it signals closer regulatory attention to how programs are run.
How to Keep Your Rewards From Disappearing
Most reward losses come from a handful of preventable situations. A few habits protect the value you have already earned:
- Put a small purchase on each card every few months. A minor recurring charge on a card you rarely use keeps the issuer from closing it for inactivity.
- Pay at least the minimum on time. Regulation Z protects you from having a payment treated as late within 21 days of your statement, but consistent on-time payments are what keep the account in good standing and the rewards accessible.1eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.5 – General Disclosure Requirements
- Track loyalty program terms separately. If your card earns airline miles or hotel points, the program’s own expiration rules apply once those points land in the loyalty account. Review them at least yearly.
- Redeem or transfer before closing a card. Once the account closes, any grace period is short at best, and often nonexistent.
- Read notices about program changes. Issuers must give 45 days’ written notice before significant changes take effect. They often arrive by email or as statement inserts and are easy to miss.4eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.9 – Subsequent Disclosure Requirements