Seventy-three percent of Americans who have frequent flyer miles or credit card rewards points don't know how many they have, according to new research from ThePointsGuy.com, a travel news and advice website. Younger people are the least likely to keep track of their miles and points; 80% of 18-29 year-olds who have accumulated rewards don't know how many they have.

"Failing to keep track of your rewards miles and points is like throwing money away," said Brian Kelly , founder of ThePointsGuy.com. "There are good rewards programs for every type of consumer. Whether you're redeeming miles and points for first-class plane tickets, gift cards, cash back or something else, the cardinal rule is that you have to keep track of how many you have. Websites and apps are making it easier than ever to manage rewards, yet almost three out of four Americans aren't taking good care of their miles and points. That's alarming."

Twenty-seven percent of Americans who have frequent flyer miles admit that they have let some or all of their miles expire at some point. Kelly says there are easy ways to keep miles from expiring, such as making a small purchase from an airline's online shopping portal.

ThePointsGuy.com also found that only 67% of Americans collect rewards miles/points, and only 41% of Americans understand how frequent flyer programs work.

The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) and can be seen in its entirety here: 
http://thepointsguy.com/2013/04/tpg-spring-cleaning-contest-and-national-survey-results-do-you-know-where-your-points-are