Hotel Point Expiration Policies For Every Major Brand

Hotel Point Expiration Policies

Last week we created a resource page with all of the policies relating to airline program mileage expiration. This week, we’ve compiled this resource to give you the hotel point expiration policies for all of the major brands. Each program name contains the link to their loyalty program terms and conditions to make it easier for you to find any information you’re looking for.

Ways to Keep Points Alive

For most of the programs listed below, your points will expire after a specified period of “inactivity”. The most popular ways to keep your points from expiring are to complete a stay or redeem points for an award night. The majority of the programs will also consider any activity that changes your points balance as qualifying activity with a few notable exceptions listed under the specific loyalty program. That would include transferring points from a transferrable currency into the hotel loyalty program (at least most of the time).

Quick Reference List

Here is a table for quick reference to the policy for each. There are more details on the hotel point expiration policies below, plus ways to keep your points active for each:

Hotel Point Expiration Policies By Loyalty Program

Let’s take a look at the different hotel point expiration policies for each hotel program.

All Accor

All Accor points expire 12 months from the day you earned them. You can easily extend these by earning a point. That will extend ALL (pun intended) of your points for 12 months. Transfers from transferrable currencies should activate this 12 month roll over.

Best Western Rewards

Best Western has one of the hotel point expiration policies where the points never expire. That is great news, since they are some of the most difficult to earn as they are a transfer partner of no major currencies.

Choice Privileges

Choice Privileges points expire after 18 Months with no qualifying activity. Here are the ways to extend the life of your Choice Privileges points:

• Qualifying point-eligible stay (earning points, miles, or Amtrak Guest Rewards points),
• Redeeming Choice Privileges points (free nights, gift cards etc.)
• Earning points with the Choice Privileges Visa® card (US members only)
• Purchasing points
• Referring a Friend
• Choice cruise page
• Transferring points in should work as well

Hilton Honors

Points expire after 24 months with no qualifying activity. Here are the ways you can reset the 24 month clock on your Hilton Honors points:

• Stay at a hotel within the Hilton Portfolio pursuant to the terms herein
• Earn Hilton Honors Points through any third party source of Hilton Honors Point accumulation, including a Hilton co-branded credit card, pursuant to its terms;
• Purchase Hilton Honors Points; or,
• Donate Points through The Hilton Honors Giving Back Program.
• Lyft rides with their partnership
• Hilton Honors dining
• Transfer a small amount of points from Membership Rewards when there is a transfer bonus

IHG Rewards Club

All points will expire after 12 months if there’s no account activity. But it’s easy to maintain your points balance.

• Just earn or redeem once a year through any of our IHG hotels or partners.
• Earn elite status- points never expire for elite members (cardholder)
• IHG dining program

Marriott Bonvoy

Points expire after 24 Months with no qualifying activity. You can roll over the 24 month clock the following ways:

• Earning or redeeming points (excluding the following activities
  • 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; or
  • Earning Points through social media programs, such as #BonvoyPoints.
• Marriott Bonvoy dining program
• Transfer a small amount of points from Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards when there is a transfer bonus

Radisson Rewards Points

The hotel point expiration policy for Radisson Rewards is that your points expire after 24 consecutive months with no qualifying activity. You can extend their life the following ways:

• Book a stay
  • Remember that Choice Hotels owns the domestic hotels, so this would have to be international Radisson properties.
• Redeem points
• Buy, transfer, or gift points

World of Hyatt

Points expire after 24 Months with no qualifying activity, unless you are a World of Hyatt credit card holder. You can extend the 24 month clock with the following activities:

• Receive points
• Redeem points (free night stays, room upgrades, Dining, Spa & More, Avis car rentals, etc.)
• Receive credit with a travel partner for a stay at a Hyatt hotel or resort
• Gift eligible awards to another member
• Convert points into miles/credit with a travel partner
• Purchase points
• Combine points with another World of Hyatt member’s account
• Transfer points from Bilt Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards

Wyndham Rewards

Points expire after 18 Months with no qualifying activity AND regardless of activity 48 months after they are earned. Wyndham has the most unique hotel points expiration policy of the bunch. Having a four year hard cap for your points is kind of brutal.

You could always transfer points nearing the hard cap to Caesars Rewards. You could then, at least in theory, transfer them back to Wyndham. There are yearly caps on these type of transfers though.

Hotel Point Expiration Policies For Every Major Brand: Final Thoughts

Hopefully this hotel point expiration policies guide helps you keep your points active. It is a bit surprising that so many hotel loyalty programs have expiring points when airlines are kind of the opposite these days. The worst policy overall has to be the four year hard cap from Wyndham. Although, the twelve month ALL Accor expiration is close behind.

Let me know if you have ever lost hotel points because they expired? Let me know down below or over in the MTM Facebook group.