When Do Reward Points Expire on Indian Cards? The Full List
HDFC points don't expire. Axis EDGE Miles expire in 24 months. Amex MR points expire in 36 months. Here's the rest.
Aanya Iyer
Senior editor covering credit-card rewards and travel points. 8 years writing about Indian consumer finance.
Why reward expiry matters more than the headline rate
A card that earns 5X with a 36-month expiry is materially worse than one that earns 3X with no expiry, if you don't redeem every month. The headline rate is what the bank uses to sell the card. The expiry is what determines whether you actually collect the rewards.
The major Indian issuers, side by side
| Issuer | Program | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| HDFC Bank | Reward Points | None |
| HDFC Bank (Diners Club Black, Infinia) | Reward Points | None |
| ICICI Bank | Reward Points | None (legacy ICICI cards have a 24-month inactivity rule — see below) |
| Axis Bank | EDGE Miles / Edge Rewards | 24 months from earning |
| Axis Bank (legacy) | Reward Points | None on Atlas; 36 months on legacy cards |
| SBI Card | Reward Points / SBI Cashback | None on cashback; 24 months on points |
| Amex | Membership Rewards | 36 months from earning (with a $1 / ₹100 annual activity fee to keep) |
| Kotak | Reward Points | None on most cards; 12 months on a few legacy cards |
| RBL Bank | Reward Points | 12 months from earning |
| IDFC FIRST | Reward Points | None |
| HSBC | Reward Points | 36 months |
The hidden rule: inactivity, not just expiry
A handful of cards have a rule that even beats the expiry clock: if you don't earn or redeem any points for a set period, the entire balance forfeits.
- ICICI Bank has a 24-month inactivity clause on most reward programmes. If your card earns zero rewards and redeems zero rewards for 24 months, the entire balance zeroes out — regardless of expiry.
- Axis Bank legacy cards had a 12-month inactivity clause. This has been retired for EDGE Miles on Atlas and newer cards, but a few 2019-era cards still carry it. Check your MITC.
- RBL Bank has a 12-month inactivity clause across the board.
The fix is simple: put a small recurring charge on every card once every six months. A ₹50 Amazon Pay top-up or a ₹100 utility bill is enough to keep the points alive.
What about cashback and statement credit?
Cashback balances almost never expire. The programs where cashback is banked:
- Amazon Pay ICICI — 5% back lands as Amazon Pay balance. Doesn't expire as long as your Amazon account is active.
- Flipkart Axis — 5% back is a Flipkart Gift Card. No expiry.
- HDFC Millennia cashback — accumulates in the HDFC rewards portal and converts to statement credit at redemption. No expiry.
- SBI Cashback — credited as cash against the next statement. No expiry (and no separate balance to expire).
Statement credit doesn't sit in a wallet that can lapse. It's a credit on your next bill.
What about Amex Membership Rewards?
Amex MR has a specific quirk: every year, you must complete one "earn or burn" transaction to keep your points alive for another 36 months. The cheapest way to do this is to pay ₹100 for an Amazon voucher via the Amex rewards portal. That counts as "earn or burn" and resets the clock. Forget to do it for three years and the points are gone.
There's also a monthly inactivity reminder if you log into the Amex app — but it's not the same as an SMS alert, and many cardholders miss it.
What about EDGE Miles?
EDGE Miles (Axis Bank's reward currency on Atlas, Vistara, and a few premium cards) expire 24 months after the calendar quarter in which they were earned. So 1,000 EDGE Miles earned in April 2026 expire at the end of March 2028. The exact rule is "end of the 24th month after the earning quarter". The expiry is published in the EDGE Rewards portal under each mile balance.
A few EDGE Miles redemption routes pause the clock: transferring to airline partners "burns" the miles, so the expiry doesn't apply. So does converting to a hotel voucher.
What about vouchers?
Vouchers are usually a fixed-term instrument: Amazon Pay vouchers expire in 12 months from issue, Flipkart Gift Cards in 12 months, brand vouchers (Taj, Croma, Shoppers Stop) in 6 to 12 months. Once a voucher is sitting in your wallet, the clock is running. Redeem promptly.
How to set up an "expiry calendar"
If you have more than two cards, build a quarterly reminder. One entry per card per quarter:
- Last day of January: check HDFC points — no expiry.
- Last day of April: check Axis EDGE Miles earned in Q2 2024 (any balance older than Q2 2024 is at risk).
- Last day of July: check SBI points and Amex MR.
- Last day of October: check RBL points and any voucher expiry.
Even a one-line note in your phone's reminder app is enough.
The bottom line
The expiry clock is real and unforgiving. EDGE Miles lose 100% of their value at month 24. Amex MR at month 36. RBL points at month 12. The fix is either a calendar reminder or a recurring small charge that keeps every card "active". Either way, treat reward balances the way you treat perishable groceries — check them quarterly, use them before they go off.