Quicker Expiration of Airline Miles

If you are a member of airline mileage programs, be warned: Without account activity, you could lose those miles you've worked so hard to accumulate.

Low-cost carriers like Southwest and Jet Blue tend to have programs that expire miles after a set period of time. They simply nullify those points after a year, if you do not use those and there's nothing you can do about it. Most major carriers, however, will let you keep your miles indefinitely — provided your account remains active. But, as of January, several airlines started imposing new, quicker expiration dates in place for miles:

Delta SkyMiles expire after two years of account inactivity, instead of three.

United Airlines Mileage Plus miles expire after just 18 months of account inactivity. Previously, they expired if you hadn't added new miles to your account balance within three years.

U.S. Airways Dividend Miles expire after 18 months of account inactivity. Before the January change was put in place, consumers had three years.

Each major airline has dozens of ways to earn or redeem miles and keep accounts active. For all your options, visit the frequent-flier section of the airline's web site.