Travel Points MathTravel points strategy and award booking

Do Credit Card Points Expire? Chase, Amex, Citi and Capital One Rules

Chase, Amex and Capital One put no calendar expiration date on points while the account stays open and in good standing; Citi says it depends on the card. All four take points away on an account event: you close the account, the bank closes it, or (Amex and Citi) a payment is late or the card is converted to one that does not earn the points. The rules differ enough that closing or downgrading a card without checking them first can cost you the whole balance.

Travel Points MathReviewed September 26, 20269 min read

Chase, Amex and Capital One put no calendar expiration date on points while the account is open and in good standing, and Citi says it depends on your card. What actually loses a balance is an account event, and that is where the four banks differ. Read each bank's own page below before you close, downgrade or stop using a card with a balance — the four rules are different enough that the safe move on one card is the one that forfeits the whole balance on another.

Do the points expire on a calendar, bank by bank?

Bank What the bank's own page says Read
Chase Ultimate Rewards "No, your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points do not expire—as long as you keep your credit card account open." 2026-09-26
Amex Membership Rewards "Membership Rewards® points have no expiration date." 2026-09-26
Citi ThankYou Points "ThankYou Points may expire depending on your Citi credit card, though shared points expire 90 days after receipt." 2026-09-26
Capital One miles "Capital One rewards don't expire as long as your account is open and in good standing." 2026-09-26

Three of the four banks state flatly that points do not expire on a calendar. Citi is the exception on your own card, not just on points someone shares with you: Citi's own FAQ says the rule depends on your specific card, and separately confirms that ThankYou Points transferred to you from someone else's account ("shared points") expire in 90 days whether or not your own points do. Log in to ThankYou.com and check "My Points Summary" under "My Account" for any points expiring in the next 60 days — that page is the only place that shows your card's specific rule.

What actually takes the points away?

Every bank ties forfeiture to an account event, not a date. The events are not the same:

Bank Voluntary account closure Bank-initiated closure (missed payments, misuse, restricted/delinquent/default) Other forfeiture triggers
Chase Lose unused points, unless moved to another open Chase card first Forfeit points None stated on this page
Amex Forfeit immediately if you have no other American Express Card Forfeit points Missing a minimum payment can forfeit the points earned in that billing period; reinstate within 12 months for a $35 fee once the account is no longer past due
Citi Use the points within 60 days of closing the account or converting it to a card outside the ThankYou program, or lose them Closed for inactivity: 60 days to use the points. Closed for any other reason: points lost immediately A late payment can block redemptions until the account is current and you ask Citi to reinstate the points; if Citi cancels the program, 90 days from the cancellation date to redeem
Capital One "You could lose your rewards" "You could lose your rewards" if the account is suspended, restricted, delinquent or in default None stated on this page

Chase is the only one of the four whose expiration page spells out an escape route: if you hold another open Chase card, Chase says you can switch the points to that card before closing the one you are cancelling. Amex keeps the points available if you cancel one card but still hold another Amex card. Capital One's page does not describe a card-to-card move, so ask Capital One before you cancel rather than assume one exists.

A late payment costs points at Amex and can freeze them at Citi. Amex's FAQ says a missed minimum payment can forfeit the points earned in that statement's billing period; you can reinstate them for $35 within 12 months, once the account is current. Citi's ThankYou terms say a late payment can stop you redeeming until the account is current and you ask Citi to reinstate the points. Chase and Capital One tie the loss to the account being closed or not in good standing.

Citi is the only one with a day count you can act inside: its ThankYou terms give 60 days to use the points after you close the account or convert it to a card outside the program. After that, the points are gone. The version of the terms we read is the one for the Citi Double Cash Card; Citi's terms vary by card, so read the version linked from your own ThankYou account.

What should you check before you close or downgrade a card?

Run this before you close, downgrade to a card that does not earn the same points, or let a card go inactive:

  • I checked my balance and its bank's page above for the rule that applies to my situation (closing, downgrading, missing a payment).
  • If I am closing the account, I checked whether I hold another open card at the same bank that the points can move to first (Chase's page describes this; at Amex, points stay available while you hold another Amex card).
  • If it is Citi, I know the 60-day clock starts the day I close or convert the account, and I have a plan to redeem or transfer within it.
  • If a payment is late, I know Amex's rule can forfeit points earned in that billing period specifically, separate from the account-closure rule.
  • I am not relying on "points don't expire" as a reason to delay a decision the account event itself will force.
  • I logged in to check my own account's current balance and any bank-shown expiration note before making the call to close or downgrade — the bank's public FAQ page states the general rule; your signed-in account is the source of truth for your specific balance.

What does this page not cover?

This page is about points sitting in a bank rewards account. It is not about airline or hotel miles after a transfer — those programs set their own rules once the points leave the bank, and some do put a calendar expiration on inactive accounts. See what happens to airline miles when someone dies for how program-level rules differ from the bank rules on this page, and orphaned miles after one booking for what to do with a small leftover balance in an airline account. It also does not cover a transfer bonus's own expiration window, which is a separate, dated offer — see should you transfer before the bonus ends.

FAQ

Do Chase Ultimate Rewards points expire?

Not on a calendar, as long as the account stays open. Chase's own page says you keep them "as long as you keep your credit card account open," but you lose unused points if you close the account without first moving them to another open Chase card, and you forfeit them if Chase closes the account for missed payments or program misuse.

Do American Express Membership Rewards points expire?

No stated expiration date. But Amex's own FAQ says you forfeit them immediately on voluntary cancellation if you have no other American Express Card, and a missed minimum payment can forfeit the points earned in that billing period (reinstatement: $35 fee, 12-month window, once the account is current).

Do Citi ThankYou Points expire?

It depends on your specific card, per Citi's own FAQ, and shared (gifted) ThankYou Points expire 90 days after you receive them regardless of your card. Citi's ThankYou terms give you 60 days to use the points after you close your account or convert it to a card outside the program; if Citi closes the account for a reason other than inactivity, the points are lost immediately.

Do Capital One miles expire?

Not while the account is open and in good standing, per Capital One's own page. You could lose them if you close the account or if it becomes suspended, restricted, delinquent or in default.

Which bank gives the most time to act after closing a card?

Of the four, only Citi states a number: 60 days after you close or convert the account, in its ThankYou terms. Chase, Amex and Capital One tie the loss to the closure itself. Chase lets you move the points to another open Chase card first, and Amex keeps them while you hold another Amex card.

What did we check, and when?

What we checked Source Checked
"No, your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points do not expire—as long as you keep your credit card account open"; unused points lost on voluntary closure unless moved to another open Chase card first; forfeited if Chase closes the account for missed payments or misuse Chase, Do Chase Rewards Points Expire? (issuer's own page) 2026-09-26
"Membership Rewards® points have no expiration date"; points may be forfeited as described in the program Terms and Conditions Amex, Do American Express Points Expire? (issuer's own page) 2026-09-26
Voluntary cancellation with no other Amex Card forfeits points not yet redeemed immediately; a missed minimum payment can forfeit points earned in that billing period, reinstatement available for a $35 fee within 12 months once the account is no longer past due Amex, Membership Rewards Points FAQ (issuer's own page) 2026-09-26
"ThankYou Points may expire depending on your Citi credit card, though shared points expire 90 days after receipt"; "My Points Summary" shows points expiring in the next 60 days Citi, Understanding Citi ThankYou Points: FAQs Answered (issuer's own page) 2026-09-26
60 days to use points after you close or convert the account, or after Citi closes it for inactivity; lost immediately if Citi closes it for another reason; late payment can suspend redemption until reinstated; 90 days to redeem if the program is cancelled Citi ThankYou Rewards Terms and Conditions, Citi Double Cash Card version effective 3/28/2022 (issuer's own terms) 2026-09-26
"Capital One rewards don't expire as long as your account is open and in good standing"; rewards can be lost if the account is closed, suspended, restricted, delinquent or in default Capital One, Do Capital One Rewards Expire? (issuer's own page) 2026-09-26

This page states each bank's published rule as of the date read. Account terms change; check your own bank's current page and your signed-in account before closing, downgrading or letting a card go inactive.

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-09-26. Recheck each bank's own page before relying on this for an account you are about to close.

Sources

  1. Chase, Do Chase Rewards Points Expire?, read 2026-09-26
  2. American Express, Do American Express Points Expire? (customer service FAQ), read 2026-09-26
  3. American Express, Membership Rewards Points Frequently Asked Questions, read 2026-09-26
  4. Citi, Understanding Citi ThankYou Points: FAQs Answered, read 2026-09-26
  5. Capital One, Do Capital One Rewards Expire?, read 2026-09-26
  6. Citi ThankYou Rewards Terms and Conditions (Citi Double Cash Card version, effective 3/28/2022), read 2026-09-26

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