United Airlines handed travelers an unexpected bonus Wednesday, announcing that reward miles will no longer expire.
Under the airline’s MileagePlus program, miles had previously expired after 18 months with no activity. As of Wednesday, the carrier joins Delta and JetBlue, which also offer miles with no expiration date.
“We want to demonstrate to our members that we are committing to them for the long haul, and giving customers a lifetime to use miles is an exceptionally meaningful benefit,” Luc Bondar, United’s vice president of loyalty and president of MileagePlus, said in a statement.
The change leaves American Airlines and Southwest as the largest U.S. carriers with miles or points that expire if travelers don’t fly or take other action that would keep their accounts active. Miles on American expire after 18 months of inactivity; at Southwest, points expire in 24 months.
