Are Your Points Safe?

I’m a millionaire.

I’m not talking about my tangible assets.  I’m talking about one of the most liquid things I own – my frequent flyer miles and hotel points – where I’m actually a multimillionare thanks to some hoarding.

But do you ever stay up at night wondering “are your points safe”?

The experts are worrying for you.

Two recent articles caught my eye.

The first from Skift questions the overall cost of loyalty program fraud.

The second from Krebs on Security came out a week later and includes details about an actual hack into the Hilton HHonors program that recent hit many frequent travelers.

Both have me asking many questions:

* Do I check my accounts often enough?

* Are my PINs and passwords secure enough?

* Are my overall balances too high?

That last question always nags at me.  On one hand, I like having enough points to know that I could get any ticket or room I want at any time.  On the other hand, with program devaluations, it’s easy to watch your assets depreciate overnight.  Case in point, I hoarded my United miles for lucrative first class tickets on Lufthansa which for me out of DFW were an easy last minute way to get to Europe in style.  Suddenly this option went away (and I only managed to squeak out one last LH award before it did).

What about you?  Are your points safe?  What do you do to help prevent fraud or devaluation of your own points and mileage assets?