Hilton Honors has just improved its points expiration policy…
Hilton Honors points now expire after 24 months
Hilton Honors points now expire after 24 months of inactivity. For reference, with Hilton’s previous policy, points expired after 15 months of inactivity, so points have an extra nine months of life. Hilton Honors members can keep their points active with any points earning or redemption activity, including:
- Staying at a Hilton Honors property
- Earning or redeeming points with any Hilton Honors partner
- Earning points with a Hilton Honors co-branded credit card
- Purchasing Hilton Honors points
- Donating Hilton Honors points to charity
Hilton says that this policy change is “permanent,” but who knows what that really means. In the loyalty industry, something is permanent until it’s not. I guess the point is that this isn’t just intended as a short-term policy in light of the current situation. For that matter, a 24 month policy isn’t unusually generous, so I expect the intention is to keep that policy around.
My take on this points expiration policy change
Personally I don’t mind loyalty programs expiring points at some point when a member is no longer active, though I think this policy change is a good move:
- Two years seems like a reasonable amount of time for points to stay valid
- I appreciate that the expiration of points can be extended with some activity; I find it frustrating how points with some programs expire with a set timeline even if there’s account activity
- The reason I don’t mind programs expiring points at some point is because loyalty programs have to prioritize the features they invest in, and I’d rather the focus be on rewarding active members; for example, Delta SkyMiles is a currency that doesn’t expire, and I wouldn’t say it’s exactly the best airline mileage currency
Bottom line
Hilton Honors points now expire after 24 months of inactivity, rather than the previous policy of 15 months. This is a great change, since 15 months was one of the stricter policies of any major hotel program. You can still reset the expiration of Hilton Honors points with any points earning or redemption activity.
What do you make of Hilton Honors’ new points expiration policy?
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