Do IHG points expire?
Yes — IHG One Rewards points expire after 12 months of inactivity for Club members, though Elite members and IHG Premier cardholders are exempt. Here's what resets the clock, and how to never lose a balance.
Yes. IHG One Rewards points expire after 12 months with no account activity — the shortest window among the major hotel programs. Any earning or redemption resets it. IHG Elite members and IHG One Rewards Premier cardholders, who hold Platinum Elite, are exempt and keep their points regardless.
- Club members lose IHG One Rewards points after 12 months with no earning or redemption.
- A stay, a points purchase, a redemption or partner activity restarts the clock, but the annual free-night certificate from an IHG card does not count on its own. IHG Elite members and IHG One Rewards Premier cardholders, who hold Platinum Elite, are off the clock entirely.
- Club member without a Premier card? Find your last earn or redemption and count 12 months from it.
Points expire. Yours won't slip away.
IHG's 12-month window is one of the shortest in hotels, and it only bites if you forget it. Nanvero keeps your IHG balance in view, tracks when it last saw activity, and warns you before the clock runs down — so a single stay resets it in time.
Inactivity clock per program
On this page
IHG's 12-month clock and who is exempt
Yes — for IHG One Rewards Club members, points expire after 12 consecutive months with no account activity, and any earning or redemption resets that 12-month clock. Two groups are exempt: IHG Elite members, and anyone holding an IHG One Rewards Premier credit card (which grants Platinum Elite status and keeps points from expiring). One trap to know: the annual free-night certificate from an IHG card doesn't by itself count as qualifying activity. IHG's 12-month window is shorter than Marriott's or Hyatt's 24 months, so a balance slips away here faster than at most chains.
Pick the month your account last saw activity — a stay, a flight, a card purchase that earned points, or any redemption.
Your IHG One Rewards points lapse around September 2027 — about 12 months away. One qualifying earn or redemption before then resets the whole 12-month clock.
An estimate from the published 12-month rule and the month you gave, not a reading of your account. Confirm the date with the program before relying on it. Calculated as September 2026 plus 12 months, giving 2027-09.
Half the window Marriott and Hyatt give you
The windows are not the same across programs, and several of the biggest have no window at all. Where a rule below differs from the one you remember, it is because the program changed it: Hilton doubled its window, and Alaska, Southwest and United each dropped theirs outright.
| Program | Expires after | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Avios | 36 months of inactivity | — |
| Amex Membership Rewards | Never | points are forfeited if you close your last Membership Rewards-earning Card, or for an unpaid billing period |
| American AAdvantage | 24 months of inactivity | AAdvantage credit-card holders and members under 21 |
| Delta SkyMiles | Never | — |
| United MileagePlus | Never | — |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | Never | points are only lost if you close your Rapid Rewards account |
| Alaska Atmos Rewards | Never | — |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 24 months of inactivity | — |
| Hilton Honors | 24 months of inactivity | — |
| World of Hyatt | 24 months of inactivity | — |
| IHG One Rewards | 12 months of inactivity | IHG Elite members, and IHG One Rewards Premier cardholders (who hold Platinum Elite) |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | Never | points are forfeited if you close the Chase card they sit in |
| Nectar | 12 months of inactivity | — |
Beat the IHG deadline, or skip it with Elite status
IHG's 12-month window is one of the shortest in hotels, and it only bites if you forget it. Nanvero keeps your IHG balance in view, tracks when it last saw activity, and warns you before the clock runs down — so a single stay resets it in time.
- IHG One Rewards balance tracked automatically
- Warned before the 12-month inactivity deadline
- No password, no logging in as you
IHG points expiry — common questions
For Club members, yes — IHG One Rewards points expire after 12 consecutive months with no account activity. IHG Elite members don't have their points expire, and holding an IHG One Rewards Premier card gives you Platinum Elite status, which keeps points from expiring.
Any earning or redemption activity posted to your account — a stay, a points purchase, redeeming points, or partner activity — resets the 12-month timer. Note that using the annual free-night certificate from an IHG credit card does not, on its own, count as qualifying activity.
Have any qualifying activity post at least once every 12 months, hold IHG Elite status, or keep an IHG One Rewards Premier card (which grants Platinum Elite and protects your balance). The hard part is simply remembering the 12-month deadline.
Yes — IHG's 12-month window is shorter than many. Marriott and World of Hyatt use 24 months, while some programs don't expire at all. A balance that would be safe with another chain can lapse at IHG in half the time, which is exactly why a single view of every program matters.
Nanvero keeps your IHG One Rewards balance current automatically from the emails IHG already sends, with no password, and warns you before the 12-month inactivity deadline — alongside every other airline, hotel and card balance. It's free to track up to five programs.
Every window on this page is read from the program’s own published terms, or from a source that quotes them, and recorded in one file with the date it was checked — so a figure here and a figure anywhere else on Nanvero are the same figure. Where a program has changed its rule the old value is not quietly overwritten, as with Hilton’s move from twelve months to twenty-four. The whole expiry cluster works from the same table.
Where these numbers come from: AwardWallet “points will expire after 12 months if there's no account activity” for Club members; Elite members and IHG Premier cardholders are exempt (4 December 2025); Head for Points points expire after “no 'earn' or 'redeem' transactions, for any period of twelve (12) months or longer”; “Elite Members' Points do not expire as long as Elite level membership is maintained” (20 December 2025). Programs change these rules, so we re-check them and date what we find. Confirm against your own account before relying on a deadline.
What are IHG points worth?
An IHG One Rewards point is typically worth about 0.55 cents, between published valuations of 0.5 and 0.6 cents, so 100,000 points come to roughly $550. Budget brands and cheap dates land nearer 0.45 cents, and better hotels or the fourth night free around 0.65 cents. The calculator converts any IHG balance into dollars, pounds and euros.
Do Avios expire?
Yes. Avios lapse after 36 months with no activity on your British Airways Club account, not on a fixed calendar date. Any single earn or spend, however small, resets the clock on your entire balance. Other Avios programs, including Iberia, Aer Lingus and Qatar, set their own inactivity windows.
Do Marriott points expire?
Yes. Marriott Bonvoy points expire after 24 consecutive months of account inactivity. Any qualifying activity — a stay, a card purchase that earns points, or a points transfer — resets the 24-month clock on the whole balance. There is no fixed expiry date, so an active account never loses points to time.
Never lose points to a deadline.
Nanvero tracks your IHG balance and warns you before the 12-month clock runs out — next to every other program you hold. Free to track up to five programs.
Track IHG automatically with Nanvero →
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