Most programs reset the inactivity clock with any earning or redemption activity, no matter how small. Here are seven ways to do it, sorted from cheapest to most reliable, plus how long each one takes to post.
Run any qualifying activity through your account before the inactivity window closes. A $5 shopping portal purchase, a single co-branded card transaction, a magazine redemption, or a points transfer from a flexible credit card program all reset the clock for another 18 to 36 months, depending on the program. The whole exercise can cost under $10 and take five minutes.
The hard part is remembering to do it. That's what the expiration reminder is for.
Sorted from cheapest and easiest to most expensive but most reliable.
| Method | Approx. cost | Time to post |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Airline shopping portal purchase A few dollars at a partner retailer | $5–10 | 7–14 days |
| 2. Dining program at a registered restaurant Any meal counts; need to register your card first | Cost of a coffee or meal | 7–30 days |
| 3. Small mileage purchase from the airline Buy 1,000 miles directly | $30–40 | Instant |
| 4. Redeem a small amount Magazine subscription, partial payment, gift card | $0 | Instant–7 days |
| 5. Transfer points from a credit card program Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi | $0 | Instant–48 hours |
| 6. Co-branded credit card purchase Any single transaction on the airline\'s card | Card annual fee + purchase | 1–5 business days |
| 7. Take a flight or partner flight Any flight that earns miles into the program | Cost of a ticket | 3–10 days post-flight |
Approximate costs vary by airline and partner. Check your specific program's rules before relying on any single method, especially "earning only" programs like Flying Blue.
Pick a method, then set a reminder so you actually do it before the deadline.
Done in seconds. No sign-up required.
If you keep a co-branded airline credit card and put even one transaction per month on it, you will essentially never see your miles expire. Most cards from American Airlines, Alaska, Aeromexico, British Airways, and others count any spend as qualifying activity.
The trade-off is the annual fee. The math works out if the card's perks (free checked bag, priority boarding, anniversary mileage bonus) cover the fee, or if you fly the airline often enough that the spend rewards justify it. If neither is true, a small annual portal purchase is cheaper than the card.
Some programs only count earning activity, not redemption. Air France/KLM Flying Blue is the most common example. If you redeem 5,000 miles for a magazine on Flying Blue, your clock does not reset. Only earning activity (a flight, a card spend, a transfer in) will extend the expiration date.
Even worse, "from earning" programs like Lufthansa Miles & More, ANA Mileage Club, and Singapore KrisFlyer expire miles 36 months after they were earned regardless of what you do afterward. No amount of activity will save those specific miles. The only protection is to redeem them before the deadline.
The full breakdown lives in the airline miles expiration policies chart.
Several programs let you pay a reinstatement fee to bring expired miles back. The window is usually 12 to 24 months past expiration, and the fee scales with the amount.
Reinstatement is almost always cheaper than the value of the miles you'd recover, but it's strictly worse than a $5 portal purchase done in time. Set a reminder so you don't end up here.
A small purchase through the airline's shopping portal is usually the cheapest way. Many programs accept any earning activity as qualifying, even if it's a few hundred miles from a $5 purchase. Total cost can be under $10, and the activity typically posts within a week.
Yes for most U.S. programs that still expire miles. American Airlines AAdvantage and Frontier explicitly count co-branded card spend as qualifying activity. A single purchase posts miles to your account and resets the inactivity clock for another full cycle. This is why holding the card is the most reliable long-term protection.
Card spend usually posts within 1 to 5 business days of the statement closing. Shopping portal purchases post within 7 to 14 days. Dining program activity can take 7 to 30 days depending on the restaurant's processor. Don't wait until the last week of your inactivity window — give the activity at least 30 days to land.
Yes for most airline programs that have transfer partners. A transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Capital One into your airline account counts as earning activity and resets the inactivity clock. Transfers are usually instant for major partners. Note that points held in the credit card program don't expire as long as the card is active, so transferring is mainly useful if you actually plan to redeem.
Yes for most inactivity-based programs. Redeeming any amount of miles, even a small magazine subscription or a partial-payment booking, counts as qualifying activity. Some programs only count earning activity (Air France/KLM Flying Blue, for example), so check your program's rules first.
Several programs offer reinstatement for a fee. American Airlines lets you reinstate within 24 months of expiration, with fees scaling by the number of miles. British Airways allows reinstatement within 36 months. Reinstatement fees range from about $30 for small balances to several hundred dollars for large ones — usually less than the value of the miles, but more than a $10 portal purchase would have cost.
Set a reminder for 60-90 days before your miles expire. When the email lands, do the $5 portal purchase, mark it done, and you're set for another 18-36 months.
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