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Air India is India's national flag carrier. The airline is a Star Alliance member and serves 40 international destinations from its bases in Delhi and elsewhere in India. Due to its location, some of the airline’s routes to the U.S. are among the longest in the world — especially those between San Francisco and Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Your Air India Flying Returns points will expire if you have no specific activity on your account for a period of time. Let's take a look at the policy details.
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Do Air India Flying Returns Points Expire?
Your Air India Flying Returns points will not expire as long as you take an Air India flight at least once every 24 months. Per the Air India Flying Returns FAQs page:
“The expiry date of all your points is extended by 24 months from the date of travel every time you take an Air India flight (not valid for reward flights). This means that as long as you keep flying with us, your points do not expire.”
This policy went into effect after major changes to the Flying Returns program in early April of 2024.
How To Keep Your Air India Flying Returns Points Active
There is only one way to extend the validity of your Air India Flying Returns points. You have to take a flight with Air India at least once every 24 months to extend the validity of your points balance. One thing to keep in mind is that earning points by any other means, including crediting flights with other Star Alliance partners, does not count toward extending the validity of your points.
Reinstating Expired Air India Flying Returns Points
Fortunately, if you have Air India Flying Feturns points that have already expired, you can reinstate them relatively cheaply. Per the Air India Flying Returns terms and conditions page:
“Flying Returns Points that have already expired can be extended, by paying 60 paise per FR Point for a limited period or as specified & notified by Air India, from time to time, either by email to FR members or by member communication on the FR website.”
Paise is essentially the cents of Indian Rupees, so 100 Paise yields 1 Rupee.
At current exchange rates, 60 Paise is around 0.72¢ per point. Therefore, reinstating 1,000 points for $7.20 is relatively cheap compared to other carriers.
Earning Air India Flying Returns Points
With a fixed expiration deadline, you don’t need to worry about activity to keep your points alive. Instead, you can focus on accrual and building up a points balance towards your next award redemption. You can earn Air India Flying Returns points as follows:
- Fly with Air India or Star Alliance partners.
- Stay at a host of hotel brands, including Soneva and Evolve Black Resorts.
- Rent a car with Zoomcar, Discover Cars, and more.
- Earn Air India points for lifestyle purchases from IGP, Kiehl’s, and more.
- Earn points from experiences with the likes of Sherpa and Fratelli.
One thing to note is that Air India is not a transfer partner with any flexible points currency in the U.S. or Europe. Thus, the only way to build up points balances with Air India Flying Returns is earning them the old-fashioned way.
Use AwardWallet To Track Air India Flying Returns Points Expiration
Although 24 months is a generous amount of time, it is still worth keeping track of your Air India Flying Return points. With such an extended validity, it is easy to forget about your expiration deadlines; your miles could expire before you know it.
The easiest way to stay on top of your Air India Flying Returns points expiration is to use AwardWallet to track their validity. Simply link your Air India account to AwardWallet, and you're set. You will receive a timely reminder if you have any points at risk of expiration.
Related: How To Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
24 months is the standard when it comes to points expiration deadlines. It is long enough to not worry much about expiration, letting you focus on earning points towards your next redemption. That said, it is still short enough that you need to stay on your toes. Make sure you either take action to extend your points' validity or use them before they are gone.
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