Can I accumulate miles if I purchase a ticket for someone else?

Perhaps you owe a friend a favor, or maybe you're simply generous.

Regardless of the reason, if you're buying a flight ticket for someone else (ideally using a rewarding credit card), can you still earn the miles for that journey? After all, it’s your expense.

Let’s explore which points and miles you can accrue as the person funding the ticket—and which ones you won’t earn, no matter how much you wish you could.

Who earns miles on this flight: the passenger or the payer?

Most airline loyalty programs offer various ways to accumulate miles. You might earn them by renting a car with a partner, shopping through the airline's duty-free catalog, or using one of their credit cards. But what happens with flights—specifically, when you purchase a ticket but someone else is the one flying?

To simplify, we’ll refer to two parties in this situation: the passenger (the individual flying) and the payer (the one who covers the ticket cost with points, miles, or cash). Let’s examine who actually earns the miles for that flight.

Frequent flyer programs stipulate that the name on the ticket must match the name on the frequent flyer account; otherwise, no miles or flight credits will be granted.

This can be challenging for individuals who have recently changed their name or have hyphenated last names, as not all computer systems accommodate these variations.

For instance, Qantas mentions in its help center:

"Is it necessary for the name on my Frequent Flyer account to match the name on my airline ticket?"

Absolutely. Qantas and our airline partners mandate name verification before awarding Qantas Points to a Frequent Flyer account. Points will be credited automatically if the name on your airline ticket aligns with that on your Frequent Flyer account. If there are discrepancies between these names, you might not receive Qantas Points and Status Credits through the automatic process."

Therefore, it’s essential that the names on both the Frequent Flyer account and the airline ticket are identical. You cannot use your loyalty number on a ticket belonging to someone else to earn miles for a flight where you were not the passenger.

Even if you purchased the ticket, only the traveler accumulates miles from the flight. This rule also applies to parents who buy tickets for their children. That’s why it’s essential for children to have their own frequent flyer accounts.

How can you collect rewards when funding someone else's flight?

Although the passenger collects miles for their journey, the individual who paid can still earn points and miles through different means.

To start, you can earn rewards with your credit card. By utilizing a travel rewards credit card that features "flights" or "travel" as a bonus category, you can receive additional miles or points for every dollar spent on the ticket. This also holds true if you're covering only the taxes and fees on award tickets booked with miles.

Additionally, if you're buying the ticket online, you might take advantage of shopping portals to earn extra points, miles, or cash back. While most airlines do not partner with these platforms, numerous online travel agencies do.

Be mindful of the possible drawbacks of booking through third-party websites rather than directly through the airline.

Finally, both the payer and the passenger may have the option to combine their miles after the flight. Many airlines permit loyalty members to pool their rewards, although the rules vary by program.

Depending on the airline the passenger uses and the loyalty program linked to the flight, they might be able to earn miles from the trip and then transfer them to the payer. However, be aware that there could be a fee for this service, so it’s wise to check the program's rules ahead of time.

In summary

Although you may believe you deserve the airline miles earned when purchasing a ticket for someone else, only the traveler can accumulate miles from the flight.

Nevertheless, there are methods to earn miles when covering someone else's ticket. This can be achieved by using the right credit card, taking advantage of shopping portals, and possibly sharing miles through points pooling afterward.