Can I use my frequent flyer number for someone else?
Quick insights
- Another person can use your frequent flyer number but you won’t likely earn rewards or miles from their flight.
- Most frequent flyer programs require the name on the frequent flyer membership and the ticket to match to earn miles.
- Some airlines allow frequent flyer members to combine or pool points among groups or transfer them to another person, often for a fee.
Joining an airline’s frequent flyer or loyalty program allows the member to earn miles or rewards when they book travel through the airline, with redemption options often including upgrades or even complimentary flights if you’ve accumulated enough miles. If your goal is earning as many miles as possible, you may be wondering, “Can I use my frequent flyer number for someone else?” It’s a valid question.
Let’s learn more about whether it’s possible to earn miles from someone else’s flight, and how to potentially share miles if you’re feeling generous.
How to get a frequent flyer number
To get a frequent flyer number, you must be part of an airline’s loyalty program—otherwise known as a frequent flyer program. When you sign up for a frequent flyer program, you’ll be assigned a membership number that you can enter when you book travel with that airline. Any miles you earn within the loyalty program will be tied to this frequent flyer number.
A frequent flyer number allows you to earn miles with that airline that can be redeemed for airline perks which may include:
- Paying for a flight using accrued miles or points
- Upgrading to a higher status level
- Getting priority boarding, complimentary checked bags, discounted (or waived) fees, complimentary food and beverages or other perks
Miles earned through the airline’s frequent flyer program aren’t necessarily indicative of how many actual miles you’ve flown. Some programs determine miles earned based on the dollar value of your trip while others may correlate to the miles flown. Additionally, earning and redemption rates differ by program, so miles earned at one mile per dollar spent may not translate to a one-dollar redemption value.
Can I let others use my frequent flyer number?
You may be wondering if you can earn miles from someone else’s flight by letting them use your frequent flyer number. They typically can use your number, but you likely won’t earn points or miles from it.
Most frequent flyer programs require the name on the frequent flyer membership and the name on the ticket to match in order to earn miles. This is true even for children and people with recent name changes.
If your name has changed, make sure you update it on your frequent flyer account to continue earning miles. If you have children, you’ll likely need to create a separate frequent flyer account for each child if you want them to earn miles for those flights.
Can frequent flyer miles be transferred to another person?
Some airlines may allow you to pool points within a group. This allows the group to combine miles into a shared account and potentially redeem rewards quicker. Of note, that feature isn’t common with domestic airlines in the U.S.
If you aren’t part of a frequent flyer program that lets you pool miles with friends or family members, you may still be able to transfer your frequent flyer miles to someone else.
Most frequent flyer programs charge a fee for transferring miles. Some have a flat transfer fee, some charge a fee per each mile you transfer and other frequent flyer programs do both. For example, one program may charge $35 to transfer miles or 1.5 cents per mile transferred and another may do a combination.
If you and a friend or family want to transfer frequent flyer miles, it must be within the same loyalty program. Additionally, there are often maximum limits on the number of miles you can transfer to another person. The limit varies by airline, but it may be anywhere from 100,000 miles to 200,000 miles.
You also may want to note that miles earned as rewards are often not equivalent to miles by measure. In other words, if your flight is traveling 3,200 miles, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can redeem 3,200 frequent flyer miles to cover that flight. Each airline has a different model for how they determine what a flight is worth in frequent flyer miles, but it is typically not a one-to-one rate.
In summary
You typically can let other people use your frequent flyer number when they book a flight (or you book a flight for them) but don’t expect their flight to earn frequent flyer miles for you. The name on the ticket and the name of the frequent flyer member usually must match in order to earn miles. However, if you want to share your miles, most airlines do allow you to transfer miles to other accounts—at times, with a fee. You may also be able to pool accumulated points within a household or group of people.
