Yes to both questions.
I am in the same boat with a 50$ vip reward, but a lot further away than only 15%. Don't chase the reward unless it would simply mean maybe an increased effort of volume at your current level because its so easy to take a thought that maybe move up a level to get them quicker but can so easily cause a busted br.
I can't say for sure that fpp's don't expire, but they would roll over into the new year. Obviously, someone correct me if I am wrong on this. Also I'm sure if you checked FAQ on the stars website it would likely have this information as well.