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Best Western may not have the luxury cachet of Hyatt or Marriott, but with more than 4,700 properties worldwide — including 2,000 in the U.S. — it’s a major player for budget-friendly and midscale stays. Its loyalty program, Best Western Rewards, stands out for one very simple reason: Best Western points never expire.
That makes it one of the most consumer-friendly programs in the hotel space, letting members focus on earning and redeeming instead of worrying about points quietly disappearing.
Do Best Western Rewards Points Expire?
In short, no. Best Western Rewards points don't expire. In Best Western’s own words, per its FAQs page:
“No. Best Western Rewards points never expire.”
Track your points and miles expiration for 620+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
Earning Best Western Points
Best Western doesn't offer as many earning options as some other hotel loyalty programs. That being said, there are still a few options to boost your Best Western points balance. Here's a quick overview of ways to earn Best Western points:
- Stay at 4,700+ Best Western properties around the world.
- Rent cars with multiple partners, including Sixt, National, Budget, and Avis.
- Shop for wine with Vinesse Wine Club or have flowers delivered with Teleflora.
- Buy Best Western points — up to 20,000 per transaction.
Additionally, you can earn Best Western points on everyday spending when you use a co-branded Best Western credit card like the Best Western Rewards® Premium Mastercard® (no longer available to new applicants). Also, you can earn bonus points through Best Western promotions.
Related: Pay With Points: A New Way to Use Your Best Western Rewards Points
How To Boost Your Points Balance
Unfortunately for travelers looking to boost their Best Western points balance, Best Western isn't a transferable partner of any major bank program.
However, in a pinch, you can transfer certain airline miles to Best Western. Just remember that transferring airline miles to a hotel program is generally a horrendous use of your miles. However, if you need a few hundred points to complete a booking, then it may be your only choice.
Track Your Best Western Rewards Points With AwardWallet
Even though your Best Western Rewards points do not expire, keeping track of them is always a good idea so you know when you are hitting status thresholds and more. This can be especially helpful as you approach elite status thresholds and near the end of the year.
The easiest way to do this is to use AwardWallet to keep track of your Best Western points. All you need to do is add your Best Western account to your AwardWallet account, and you are set.
Related: How to Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
Best Western Rewards doesn’t get as much attention as the big global chains, but for road trips, small-town stays, or budget-friendly options, it can be a practical choice. And its no-expiration policy makes it especially appealing if you only stay occasionally.
While earning points isn’t as flexible as with other programs, knowing your balance is safe from expiration removes one of the biggest stressors in the loyalty world. If you stay even occasionally at Best Western, it’s worth joining — and letting AwardWallet keep track of your credits and elite progress along the way.
I don’t have chances to use them very often. So, it’s very good they don’t expire.
This is one of the reasons why I prefer BW over other hotel chains
In the Pacific Northwest, sometimes the only hotel is a Best Western. They are usually quaint little hotels but can certainly be in spectacular settings. It’s great that the Rewards points never expire but the gift cards, which are often part of their promotions, usually do expire a relatively short time after you earn them, so be careful of that if you participate in this program.
Best Western group is still one of the hospitality groups to provide non-expiry points, which is the greatest advantage comparing to other programmes. However, I do hope that the flexibility of redemption options and program-to-program transfer/conversion are added to make the points much more useful and attractive to members or even non-members.
I’ve stayed at a Best Western a few times. It is great to know that their points never expire.
BW obviously doesn’t have the portfolio that makes them “attractive,” but I’ve had a few nice stays if you can get a good location and a newer hotel.
Haven’t gone to a best western in ages but always nice to see friendly award expiration programs!
The kind of stays I’m looking for when considering Best Western as an option don’t often go hand in hand with loyalty programmes – that said, any opportunity to earn works for me. I did have a status matched account, but no idea when I last stayed with a BW, I assume it’s been deleted now.
Glad they don’t expire, I really don’t get a chance to use them very often.
BW used to have a decent breakfast buffet too but it has not been as good during 2020-2021 because of closures/limitations during Covid.
Best Western isn’t a chain I pay a lot of attention to, in fact I can’t remember the last time I stayed in one. It is good that their points don’t expire, but from what I recall there are options for receiving airline miles instead of their points. I prefer to take the airline miles as they will be easier for me to use.