Originally Posted by
philemer
I have usually trusted the AS FAQ, which doesn’t talk about the one year:
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...s/faq-benefits
But due to your post I just checked the T&C, which are ultimately what governs the program:
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...and-conditions
Account and mileage expiration
Mileage Plan Miles do not expire. However, Mileage Plan accounts that are inactive for two years or more are deactivated and must be reactivated in order to access Mileage Plan Miles in such accounts. Activity in an account includes redeeming a Mileage Plan award or accruing mileage in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program.
A deactivated Mileage Plan account can be reactivated, and any miles in the deactivated account can be reinstated, for up to a year after deactivation. If your Mileage Plan account is locked due to inactivity, simply call
customer care to verify your identity, and they’ll reactivate the account for you at no charge. If a deactivated Mileage Plan account is not reactivated within 1 year after deactivation (3 years after your last qualifying activity), it may not be reactivated in the future, and all Mileage Plan miles previously associated with that account will be forfeited.
Frankly, I consider misleading to state that miles don’t expire when after three years they will be forfeited. They don’t expire in the sense of some programs where you have a certain fixed period to use them (like milk), but that’s not how expiration is used by many programs.