American Express Membership Rewards is a popular flexible points program offering valuable transfer partners and redemption options. A common question for cardholders is whether their hard-earned Membership Rewards points expire.

American Express Membership Rewards Expiration Policy

The good news is that American Express Membership Rewards points generally do not expire, provided you meet one key condition:

  • You must keep at least one Membership Rewards-earning American Express card open and in good standing.

As long as you have an active Membership Rewards-earning card (like The Platinum Card®, American Express® Gold Card, etc.), your points balance is safe from expiration due to time or inactivity.

This policy allows members to accumulate points over time for significant redemptions without worrying about losing them due to inactivity alone.

Other Reasons You Could Lose Your Amex Points

While Membership Rewards points don’t expire, there are still ways you could lose them. According to the program’s terms and conditions, any of the following situations may cause American Express to close your account and forfeit your points:

1. Missing payments on your card

Amex requires that you pay at least the minimum due each statement period. If you don’t, the points you earned during that billing cycle can be wiped out.

The good news? If you catch up on your payments, you can usually reinstate the lost points—either by chatting with customer service or through the “Summary” tab in your online account.

Keep in mind you’ll be charged a $35 reinstatement fee for each billing period you’re restoring, and there’s a time window of 12 months for personal cards and 6 months for corporate accounts.

2. Misusing your account

Amex also keeps a close eye on how people earn points. If they find that you’re bending the rules or abusing the system, you could lose your balance.

Examples include fraudulent activity, trying to cheat the points system, or manufacturing spending (artificially creating transactions to rack up rewards).

If Amex flags your account, they can close it entirely, suspend your ability to earn or redeem points, or even claw back points you’ve already earned. In some cases, this can leave you with a negative balance, which is another fast track to account closure.

Account Closure Considerations

It's crucial to understand what happens if you close your only Membership Rewards-earning card:

  • Forfeiture: If you cancel your last Membership Rewards-earning card, you will typically forfeit any remaining points in your account.
  • Product Changes: If you product-change your last Membership Rewards-earning card to a non-Membership Rewards-earning card (like a cashback card), you may also forfeit your points.

Before closing or changing your last Membership Rewards-earning card, ensure you have a plan to use your points or open another eligible card to maintain your points balance.

If your last Membership Rewards card is a corporate card, the rules work a little differently. You may still have up to 30 days to use your points after the account is closed. For New York cardholders, that window can extend to 90 days if you call the number on the back of your card for assistance.

Returning purchases made with points

If you use points to pay for a purchase and later return that item, Amex will refund you with a statement credit. The catch is that the points you earned on that transaction will be deducted from your balance, so you could end up losing points in the process.

Ending up with a negative points balance

A negative balance means any new points you earn will go toward paying off that deficit before you can redeem them again. This usually happens if you return a purchase made with points and don’t have enough to cover the reversal.

It can also occur if Amex takes back points from a bonus or incentive award that you weren’t eligible for, leaving your account in the red.

Earning points on ineligible purchases

Not every purchase is eligible for rewards. If Amex later decides a charge shouldn’t have earned points, those points will be removed from your account.

The same thing can happen with corporate cards if the company is unable to keep up with payments or goes bankrupt. In that case, the account can be suspended, and you’ll lose the ability to earn or redeem points.

For cardholders in New York, there’s a small safety net: you may still have access to those points for up to 90 days if you call the number on the back of your card and speak with customer service.

If Amex closes your account for other reasons

Certain life events can also cause your points to disappear. If a cardholder dies or declares bankruptcy, the account will be closed and any points in it will be lost.

There are a few exceptions:

  • If Amex cancels your card by mistake, your points can be reinstated.
  • If your account is closed due to inactivity, you get 90 days to use your points before they vanish.

In the event of death, a personal representative or estate executor can make a one-time redemption of the deceased cardmember’s points by calling 1-800-297-3276.

Official Policy

For the most current and detailed information, refer to the official American Express Membership Rewards program terms and conditions:

How to Keep Your Amex Points

Even though there are plenty of ways to lose your hard-earned Membership Rewards points, the good news is there are just as many ways to protect them. Whether you’re thinking about closing a premium American Express card or just want to make sure your stash is safe for an upcoming trip, here are your best options.

Open a no-annual-fee Amex card

You don’t need to hold onto a pricey premium card like The Platinum Card®, the Gold Card®, or the Green Card® just to keep earning Membership Rewards. If you’d rather save on annual fees and still rack up points, consider a no-annual-fee option.

Cards like the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card or the lower-fee Amex EveryDay Preferred® Credit Card let you continue earning points without the premium price tag.

If you already carry a premium card but don’t want to keep paying the fee, opening an EveryDay card ensures your existing points stay active and redeemable.

Downgrade your card

Another option is to downgrade your card within the same category. That means charge card to charge card, or credit card to credit card.

For example:

  • Platinum or Gold cardholders can downgrade to the Green Card.
  • Amex EveryDay Preferred cardholders can move to the no-annual-fee Amex EveryDay Card.

Just remember you can’t cross categories, so you can’t downgrade from a Platinum charge card to an EveryDay credit card.

A few things to note:

  • You’ll need to call the number on the back of your card to make the switch.
  • Ask the rep about retention offers, since Amex sometimes throws in incentives to keep your existing card open.
  • Downgrading won’t hurt your credit score, but it also won’t make you eligible for a new welcome bonus.
  • You will lose premium perks like lounge access and certain travel benefits when you step down to a lower-tier card.
  • Always confirm with the rep that your points will carry over, especially since Amex offers so many different card categories.

Transfer your points to a travel partner

If you’re planning to close your account entirely, one of the best ways to protect your points is to transfer them to a travel partner first. Amex has 18 airline partners and three hotel partners, most at a 1:1 transfer ratio.

One important thing to keep in mind: not all transfers are instant. So don’t wait until the last minute to move your points if you’re canceling a card.

Redeem Amex Points for Travel, Merchandise, and More

American Express Membership Rewards® points are flexible, giving you plenty of ways to redeem them. You can use points to book flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and other travel through American Express Travel, or apply the Pay With Points feature when booking. They also work for shopping, whether that’s paying with points at Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers, or redeeming for gift cards from more than 100 different brands.

If you prefer to cut down on everyday expenses, you can turn points into statement credits to cover eligible charges. Cardholders with an American Express Rewards Checking or Business Checking account even have the option to cash out points directly.

Bottom Line

In the end, Amex points are designed to be flexible. As long as you keep your card account open and in good standing, your points never expire. That means you can take your time saving them and redeem however it makes sense for you — whether that’s booking travel, picking up gift cards, shopping online, or simply erasing charges from your statement.

Disclaimer: Program terms and conditions can change. Always refer to the official American Express documentation for the latest rules. This guide is for informational purposes only.