Procedure when FFPs expire miles after 3 years inactivity
 

Most programs seem to have adopted the policy that they can expire miles after 3 years of inactivity in the FFP account.

How do programs handle the procedure? Which programs reserved the right to do this but haven't actually expired any miles? Does the FFP account holder get a warning letter first, giving them some amount of notice?

Good question but I don't think (I could be wrong here) that it's been 3 years since most of the programs put this policy in place.

I do know that in the past with expiring miles just vanished if unused, however the upcoming expiration dates were clearly printed on the the monthly statements...but now if you are inactive, the airline programs don't send statements either.

Usually, I try to find "deals" that would register as account activity and allow my miles to remain. For example, filling out an online form and receiving 250 miles counts as "activity" and would keep my miles intact for another three years...

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"What do you mean you didn't get miles for that?!"

We had over 30,000 UA miles expire when we moved to Australia. At the time I never realised that my husband even had a UA account (no statements) otherwise I would have followed up. I'm really kicking myself now.

Another expat asked me to research his options for 90,000 BA miles due to expire. I found that if he transferred them from the USA program to the Oz program he would be entitled to another 5 years to use them.
He was very happy http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Most airline programs have a dining program. You only have to register a credit card to that program and eat in a restaurant to have something posted to your account. Or transfer click miles, or diners club. I think we have enough ways to make sure something posts once every three years.

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DtG

Personally, I'm well aware that most programs which adopted a provision of expiring miles at 3 years accept any activity -- earning or spending -- as sufficient to reset the 3-year clock. But I'm glad it's come up in the thread for those who didn't know.

I guess nobody around here has actually had the 3 year expiration happen to them....?

It happened to my 17-year-old son. He lost 6500 United miles. Reinstating his account did not bring them back.

Bruce

Does anyone know if the transfer of Aviators miles from TWA to my AAdvantage account counts? I have 18,000 AAdvantage miles; I don't remember when I earned them and can't honestly recall the last time I flew AA in the past 3 or 4 years.... but I flew TWA 1-way MCI-STL in November and earned 3,000+ miles that they will (or may already have) transfer to my AA account....

My understanding is that the TWA miles will transfer in November as bonus miles to your AA account. That counts as activity, which will reset the 36-month clock.

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He who dies with the most miles ... is dead.

bdschobel, did your son get any letters or a warning on a statement indicating that he had miles about to expire?

It's really easy Holland to extend your AA miles without any real activity. If you sign up at aa.com to get your monthly statement via email, you get 1K miles, and your balance is now good for another 3 years. You can switch back to paper if you like as soon as you get the miles.



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Celebrating 4 years of United Airlines free travel this August!

pshuang,

No, not a thing.

Bruce

This must have happened before this switch of any activity extends the life of your miles because all unexpired miles got a 3 yr extension. United had, I think for two years, a way of extending miles for 1 more year. I don't remember where I had seen this (perhaps at their web-site) and was able to "save" my daughter's expiring miles by doing this. Now I am attaching different credit cards to different programs so not only can we eat out more than once a month and get miles, but accounts will easily be kept active.

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DtG

In the early 1990's, I lost about 3,000 miles in my America West account. (I'm a little vague on this, but I think miles were only good for two or three years, after which they expired, regardless of whether you were still "active" or not.) I clearly remember three things about this experience:

1. When my miles DID expire, there was no special notice or anything. They just quit sending statements, and in those pre-internet days I had to make a phone call to learn that the mileage had disappeared.

2. When I learned that my miles had expired, and tried to get America West to reinstate these miles, they ignored all my letters and phone calls.

3. Over the past ten years I have successfully avoided doing business with America West, largely because I couldn't see taking the risk of losing miles again.

I realize that things are different today, but since there is so little experience with the current three-year expiration policy I thought some past history might be useful.

At that time, the policy was true for many programs, so it wasn't exclusive to America West. My Dad lost miles in AA - didn't fly much and never accumulated enough for a ticket within a 3 yr window. I got some magazines with United on my husband's account because he would have lost his miles - but then United allowed a 1 yr rollover (2 times I think) and we "saved" my miles and my daughter's miles. Continental have never expired. I don't recall what was the policy with Delta. My only award tickets have been with AA, and we always looked carefully at all accounts to make sure we were using soon to expire miles. This change with the airlines has made such a difference. I wouldn't be collecting the miles I have been collecting if I had to use them within 3 years of earning them - or lose them. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to lose miles now with so many "easy" ways to get activity without flying.

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DtG