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Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced millions of Americans to shelter in place, many people are reconsidering their travel rewards credit cards. In response, many premier travel card issuers (including Amex, Chase, Citi and Capital One) have updated their rewards programs to offer limited-time redemptions on groceries, streaming and takeout.
Likewise, cobranded hotel loyalty cards, like the World Of Hyatt Credit Card and most Marriott Bonvoy cards, have modified their promotions to temporarily allow both existing and new customers to boost their loyalty status faster under these new conditions.
But what about airline credit card miles? Usually, most airline credit card miles expire within a few months to two years. But there are a few airlines with points that never expire.
Below, CNBC Select breaks down each airline’s credit card point expiration policy, and we shares our top picks to add to your wallet.
Miles and points expiration terms by airline
| Airline | When points expire |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 2 years from last account activity |
| American Airlines | 18 months from the date of your most recent activity |
| Delta | Miles never expire |
| Frontier Airlines | 180 days or 6 months from last account activity |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 18 months from last account activity |
| JetBlue | Points never expire |
| Southwest | Points never expire, unless you close your account |
| United | Miles never expire |
As you can see, just a few airlines — Delta, JetBlue and United — guarantee that their points do not expire. Southwest also has never-expiring points, given that your account remains open.
Alaska Airlines’ two-year expiration policy is also quite generous. If you frequently travel in the Pacific Northwest, you may want to consider this as a viable option during an era when airline travel is so uncertain. Alaska Airlines’ major hubs include Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco and Seattle.
Best airline credit cards with points that don’t expire
While the travel industry rebounds and reimagines how we use our most trusted credit cards, consumers will be glad to have an airline card with flexible rewards.
We picked our top four flexible airline credit cards from the list above, and here are the best of the bunch:
| Airline | Delta | JetBlue | Southwest Airlines | United |
| Credit card |  Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card |  JetBlue Plus Card |  Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card |  United℠ Explorer Card |
| Annual fee | $250 | $99 | $149 | $0 first year, then $95 |
| Rewards | Earn 3 miles per dollar spent at hotels, 3 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases, 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants, 2 miles per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases | 6X points on every $1 spent on JetBlue purchases; 2X points at restaurants and grocery stores; 1X points on all other purchases | 2X points on every $1 spent on Southwest purchases; 1X points on all other… |
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