'Loyalty Points Expiring' Phish
A message says your loyalty or rewards points are about to expire and links to a fake login to 'redeem' them — stealing your account or card.
Think a message like this reached you? You can check it right now.
What this scam is
You get an alert that your airline miles, store points, or credit-card rewards expire soon and you must log in to redeem them now. The link leads to a fake login that captures your credentials, or a 'redemption' page that asks for card details or a fee. Loyalty accounts are valuable and often reused with weak passwords, making them attractive to take over.
What it usually looks like
- A 'your points expire soon' message with a redeem link.
- A login or redemption page not on the real brand's site.
- A small 'redemption fee' or card request.
- Urgency about losing your points.
Common warning signs
- Redeem links to non-official sites.
- A fee to redeem your own points.
- Pressure about imminent expiration.
- Requests for card details to 'claim' rewards.
Example wording scammers use
“Your 24,500 reward points expire in 48 hours. Log in to redeem them now: rewards-redeem-portal.net”
“Action required: claim your expiring miles before they're lost.”
These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.
What the scammers want
- Your loyalty-account login.
- Card details or a 'redemption fee.'
- Points to cash out or resell.
What to do
- Log in through the brand's official app or typed address to check points.
- Do not redeem via an emailed/texted link.
- Use a unique, strong password on loyalty accounts.
- Delete and report the message.
What to do if you already responded
- Change the account password and check for redemptions you did not make.
- Call your card issuer if you entered card details.
- Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.