Points expiry rules vary widely, and misunderstanding them is the main reason balances disappear. Some programmes expire points after a fixed period regardless of activity, while others expire them only after a period of inactivity, such as eighteen or twenty-four months without earning or spending. A few programmes never expire points at all, which is a genuine advantage worth considering when you choose where to concentrate your earning.

The details matter, because expiry can apply to your whole balance at once, not just to the oldest points. Losing an entire balance because of a single missed deadline is a painful and entirely avoidable outcome, so the first step in protecting your points is to read the expiry rules of each programme you use and note which of your balances are actually at risk.

The easiest way to prevent expiry in an inactivity-based programme is a small earning activity before the deadline, such as a purchase through the airline's shopping portal, a dining programme transaction, or a tiny points transfer from a credit card. These activities usually reset the inactivity clock for the whole balance, so a single small action can protect thousands of points.

A calendar reminder is the other essential habit. Set a recurring reminder to check each of your balances a few times a year, and note the expiry date alongside the balance in a simple spreadsheet or note. Checking takes only a few minutes, and it turns expiry from a nasty surprise into a routine task you handle before it becomes urgent.

If you have points in a programme you no longer use actively, consider whether they are worth keeping or better spent. A small balance might be best used for a magazine subscription, a small gift card, or a short flight, rather than left to expire, while a larger balance might justify a planned trip or a transfer to a partner programme you do use. Spending points at modest value is always better than losing them entirely.

For points you want to keep long-term, consider consolidating your earning into fewer programmes, so that each balance stays active through your normal activity. Spreading small balances across many programmes is the fastest route to expiry, because none of them sees enough activity to stay alive, while focusing on one or two programmes keeps them healthy almost automatically.

If points have already expired, contact the programme promptly and politely, because some programmes will reinstate expired points, sometimes for a fee or after a qualifying activity, especially if the expiry was recent. Reinstatement is not guaranteed, but asking costs nothing, and a polite explanation of the circumstances occasionally succeeds where silence would not.

Whatever the outcome, treat the experience as a lesson rather than a disaster. Update your tracking note, set the reminders you wish you had set, and simplify your programmes if needed. Points are meant to be enjoyed, and a small amount of organisation is all it takes to make sure they are still there when the trip you want finally comes along.

Points expiry is one of the most preventable losses in travel rewards, and it only takes a few minutes a year to avoid. Keep a simple list of your programmes, balances, and expiry rules, set reminders well before any deadline, and make one small earning activity in any programme that is about to lapse. Those tiny habits protect balances that took months or years to build, and they cost far less effort than earning the points all over again.