guide
Points expiry rules for every major UK scheme
When do your points expire? Expiry and inactivity rules for 16 UK loyalty, airline, hotel, card and cashback schemes, taken from each scheme's own terms.
By RewardsSorted editorial, Editorial desk. Updated 30 October 2026.
Last checked: 30 October 2026. Rules are summarised from each scheme's own terms. Always check your account before relying on a date.
Few schemes put a fixed date on individual points. Most use an inactivity rule: as long as something happens on your account within a set period, the whole balance stays live. The catch is that not every kind of activity counts.
The summary table
British Airways Club (Avios)
- Rule:
- 36 months of no activity
- What keeps points alive:
- Collecting, spending, buying or sharing at least 1 Avios. Buying and Boosting count
- Watch out:
- "Combine my Avios" moves and refunds don't count
Iberia Club (Avios)
- Rule:
- 36 months, whole balance expires
- What keeps points alive:
- Earning or spending Avios
- Watch out:
- Transfers between Avios programmes don't count (translated from Spanish) Not yet confirmed
Qatar Privilege Club (Avios)
- Rule:
- 36 months
- What keeps points alive:
- Collecting, spending, buying or gifting 1+ Avios
- Watch out:
- Expired Avios can be revalidated within a year at USD 0.015 each
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Rule:
- No expiry
- What keeps points alive:
- n/a
- Watch out:
- Full Flying Club T&Cs not located, so account-closure rules are unverified Not yet confirmed
Flying Blue
- Rule:
- 24 months (from 4 May 2026)
- What keeps points alive:
- Any eligible flight or partner activity extends the whole balance
- Watch out:
- No expiry for Elite, Elite Plus, Flying Blue Extra subscribers, co-brand cardholders and under-18s
Marriott Bonvoy
- Rule:
- 24 months
- What keeps points alive:
- Earning or redeeming, buying points, a qualifying stay, converting with designated partners
- Watch out:
- Gifting and transfers between members don't count. Lifetime Elite currently exempt
Hilton Honors
- Rule:
- 24 months
- What keeps points alive:
- A stay, earning (including co-brand card), buying points, or donating points
- Watch out:
- Whole balance is forfeited
IHG One Rewards
- Rule:
- 12 months (Club level)
- What keeps points alive:
- Earning or redeeming points
- Watch out:
ALL Accor
- Rule:
- 365 days
- What keeps points alive:
- Every points credit (or donation) extends validity by 365 days
- Watch out:
- Status points reset each 31 December
Amex Membership Rewards (UK)
- Rule:
- No time-based expiry in the T&Cs
- What keeps points alive:
- Keep the card open
- Watch out:
- Redeem within 30 days of closing the account. A late payment forfeits that statement's points
Tesco Clubcard
- Rule:
- Vouchers last 2 years
- What keeps points alive:
- Using the account
- Watch out:
- Accounts with no points for 2 years are deleted. Leaving forfeits points
Nectar
- Rule:
- No fixed expiry. Account may be closed after 12 months
- What keeps points alive:
- Earning or spending points
- Watch out:
- Digital account goes inactive after 12 months without a scan
Boots Advantage Card
- Rule:
- Not yet confirmed
- What keeps points alive:
- n/a
- Watch out:
- Not yet confirmed on an official Boots page.
Lidl Plus
- Rule:
- 24 months per point
- What keeps points alive:
- n/a (each point has its own date)
- Watch out:
- Points expire if you leave the scheme
TopCashback
- Rule:
- Account may be disabled after 6 months without a log-in
- What keeps points alive:
- Logging in
- Watch out:
- Cashback on a disabled account is forfeited
Quidco
- Rule:
- Balance forfeited after 6+ months without a log-in
- What keeps points alive:
- Logging in
- Watch out:
- Withdraw regularly
Scheme by scheme
Airline schemes
- BA Club. Avios last as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one every 36 months. The Avios T&Cs list what counts: buying Avios and Boosting do, and a gift counts for the person who receives it. Refunds and "Combine my Avios" moves don't.
- Iberia Club. A monthly process removes the full balance from accounts with no earning or spending for 36 months. Transfers between programmes don't count.
- Qatar Privilege Club. Activity every 36 months keeps your Avios. If they expire, you can revalidate them within a year for a per-Avios fee.
- Virgin Atlantic. Virgin promotes "points that never expire".
- Flying Blue. Since 4 May 2026, all Miles share a single 24-month validity date. Any eligible activity pushes the whole balance forward by 24 months. Several groups of members are exempt (see the table).
Hotel schemes
- Marriott Bonvoy. No qualifying activity for 24 months in a row means all points are forfeited and can't be reinstated. Accounts may be deactivated after five years of inactivity.
- Hilton Honors. You need eligible activity within any 24 consecutive months.
- IHG One Rewards. Club members lose their points after 12 months without earning or redeeming. Elite members keep them while their status lasts.
- ALL Accor. Reward points last 365 days, and every credit extends that by another 365 days. Otherwise all points are lost without notice.
Card, supermarket and cashback schemes
- Amex Membership Rewards UK. Amex's UK terms give no time-based expiry. Points are cancelled 30 days after an account closes unless you redeem them first or they move to a linked account.
- Tesco Clubcard. Vouchers are valid for two years. Points carried forward expire after two years if the account isn't used.
- Nectar. Nectar "may close any Nectar Account on which no points have been earned or redeemed for a continuous period of at least 12 months".
- Lidl Plus. Points are "valid for a full two years from the day you earn them". Coupons last 30 days.
- TopCashback and Quidco. It's your account that can lapse, not the individual cashback. Log in at least every six months.
How to never lose points
1. Diary a check every six months. That covers the shortest inactivity windows (IHG, Nectar, TopCashback and Quidco).
2. Make a small genuine earn. A shopping portal purchase or a small partner spend usually counts, but check the "what counts" column first.
3. Don't rely on transfers. Iberia, Marriott and BA's Combine tool all say some transfers don't count as activity.
4. Close cards carefully. With Amex, redeem within 30 days of closing.
5. Keep a near-expiry fallback. A low-value redemption at the floor rate beats losing everything. See how much your points are worth.
Rules summarised from official programme terms retrieved on 30 October 2026. See each programme profile for exact wording and sources.
Sources
Updated 30 October 2026.
- https://www.avios.com/en-GB/terms-and-conditions — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.britishairways.com/content/the-british-airways-club/avios — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.iberia.com/gb/iberia-club/condiciones/ — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.qatarairways.com/en-gb/Privilege-Club/terms-and-conditions.html — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.virginatlantic.com/flying-club/earn-points — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.flyingblue.com/en/news/extend-your-flyingblue-miles — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.hilton.com/en/hilton-honors/terms/ — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/customer-care/member-tc.html — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://all.accor.com/a/en/loyalty-program/legal/terms-and-conditions.html — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.americanexpress.com/en-gb/benefits/rewards/membership-rewards/ — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.tesco.com/shop/en-GB/zone/clubcard-terms-and-conditions — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.nectar.com/about/privacy-and-legal/collector-rules — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.lidl.co.uk/c/lidl-plus-terms-of-use/s10025414 — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.topcashback.co.uk/terms/ — retrieved 30 October 2026.
- https://www.quidco.com/quidco-account-holder-agreement/ — retrieved 30 October 2026.