When do points expire? d Point wipes out unused old points on 2 December 2026; Rakuten points do not extend when you spend; PayPay's regular points never expire

Each point programme in Japan has its own expiry date base and its own list of actions that extend it. One has a deadline this December: NTT Docomo says that d Points held on 30 November 2025 and not used (earned or spent) since 1 December 2025 all expire at 00:00 on 2 December 2026.

Five programmes: the basis, and what extends it

Limited-period points have their own expiry at every company and do not extend the regular points (Rakuten, V Point and PayPay's official pages).

d Point: from 48 months to 12 months after last use

• Until 30 November 2025: each batch of points lasted until the end of the month 48 months after it was earned.
• From 1 December 2025: 12 months after the last time you used d Points (earned or spent). Later use extends it automatically.
• On the change date the expiry of old-scheme points moved once to 1 December 2026. If there has been no use since 1 December 2025, they expire at 00:00 on 2 December 2026 (notice of 25 August 2026). Anyone who has used d Points since 1 December 2025 has already been extended and needs to do nothing.
• Awards that do not extend the expiry: points for Docomo mobile, Docomo Hikari, Docomo Denki and Docomo Gas charges and standing awards tied to those contracts; awards for monthly or flat-rate Docomo service fees; and limited-period and limited-use points from campaigns or survey answers (notice of 20 October 2025).
• Only "d Points (regular)" are covered; limited-period and limited-use points do not extend. The back of d Point cards handed out in shops still says 48 months, but the new rule applies from 1 December 2025.
• It can take days for a shop's use to reach Docomo, so Docomo asks you to act early. Check your expiry on the d Point Club app or site under "point details".

Rakuten Point: earning extends, spending does not

Regular Rakuten Points last for the year including the month you last earned points. Earning at least once in that period extends it, but earning limited-period points does not. In Rakuten's own example, 1,000 points earned in January and 600 spent in May leave 400 points that still expire at the end of December; earning another 500 in May moves the whole balance to the end of April the next year. If you earn on 11 October 2026, the expiry is 2027-09-30 (30 September 2027). Regular points show no expiry date, so you have to count it yourself (Rakuten Ichiba help).

V Point: every earn, spend or exchange restarts one year

Sumitomo Mitsui Card says V Points last one year from the last change (earning, spending or exchanging), and each use extends them automatically. With no use in that period they expire. There are two exceptions: store-limited V Points do not extend when the balance changes, and ANA-mileage points have their own terms (platinum 4 years, gold 3, classic and UnionPay 2).

V Points exchanged from PayPay Points last 365 days from the exchange and can be used in only some places (PayPay's page). In the other direction, V Points exchanged into PayPay Points have no expiry. Exchange started on 24 March 2026, once a day, from 100 points, up to 30,000 points a month.

Ponta Point: one year from last use, with ID-linking variants

Ponta's FAQ says expiry is the same day one year after your last use (earning or spending); points earned on 4 August 2026 expire on 4 August 2027. Use on 11 October 2026 would give 2027-10-11. Depending on whether your Ponta ID is linked to a Recruit ID or au ID, some categories instead expire at the end of the month 12 months after the last earning. Awards shown as "KDDI regular award" in an au account history do not extend the expiry. Check your own date on PontaWeb.

PayPay Point: regular points never expire

PayPay's help lists regular PayPay Points as having no expiry. Limited-period PayPay Points are restricted to certain services and dates, and are used before regular points, nearest expiry first. Check dates on the points screen of the app.

What to check

• Open your own account screen and read the expiry (d Point Club, Rakuten point history, Vpass, PontaWeb, the PayPay app), then compare it with the basis in the table.
• Find out which actions extend each programme before you plan recurring payments. At Rakuten, spending alone does not extend.
• Even a small balance is lost when it expires. Moving points to a no-expiry programme is possible, but exchange limits and where the new points can be used change, so read the terms first.

What this page has not verified

• Expiry for points not listed here (WAON, nanaco, JRE POINT, airline miles).
• V Point rules were read on Sumitomo Mitsui Card's official pages (one article dated November 2025); the V Point operator's own screens, and differences by ID linking, were not checked.
• Companies' terms may differ from their notices, and rules change with notice. This page will be revisited after 2 December 2026.

For tax on points you earn, see is point-hunting taxable?

This is general information from each company's official pages (checked on 11 October 2026), not tax, legal, or financial advice. Rules can change without notice; confirm on the company's page and your account screen.