How to Share Points and Miles with Friends and Family—at No Cost

Navigating loyalty programs can feel like needing a PhD just to figure out how to earn and use points or miles. Fortunately, understanding how to transfer or pool points with loved ones is much simpler and incredibly valuable: combining points can elevate your totals for essential things like summer family flights or luxurious honeymoon accommodations.

These transfers are particularly beneficial when individual point totals fall short for redeeming free nights or flights, but a boost from friends or family can make a difference. (Thanks, mom and dad!) Pooling is a smart option for families or friends aiming to contribute points towards a group trip or for maximizing accounts that aren’t typically used for solo travel (like your kids’ frequent flyer accounts).

The concept is straightforward: nearly all loyalty programs provide a way to transfer points between members, whether via direct account transfers or group pooling. Combining points may have associated fees, yet it comes with numerous terms and restrictions—such as minimums, caps on transfer amounts, and eligibility for receiving transfers (think friends vs. family vs. additional cardholders on certain credit cards). Here are 10 loyalty programs that allow free point combinations, along with key details on how to do it.

U.S. frequent flyer programs that enable free pooling of points

While no U.S. airline allows free point transfers, United and JetBlue offer complimentary points pooling. This lets multiple loyalty program members combine their points into a shared balance. A pool leader invites members to join the pool, and once accepted, everyone can view the total points, but only the pool leader and authorized members can redeem from this shared total.

United MileagePlus

In March 2024, United Airlines introduced a family pooling feature. Any adult (18+) in the MileagePlus program can become a pool leader for a group of up to five members, with no relation requirements. Participants can only belong to one mileage pool, and pooled miles can be used exclusively for United or United Express award tickets.

JetBlue TrueBlue

TrueBlue members have the option to create or join a Points Pooling account with up to seven participants. All points are combined into a single balance, but the pool leader must be at least 21 years old.

The Unique Transfer Policy of Southwest Rapid Rewards

Southwest charges a fee of $10 for each 1,000 points transferred between members. While these fees can't be avoided, holders of the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit can get reimbursed for transferring up to 50,000 points annually ($500 in transfer fees) as part of their card benefits, effectively making transfers free. Just remember to use your Southwest card for point transfers on their website to qualify for reimbursement.

Transferring Points in Hotel Loyalty Programs

Generally, hotel loyalty programs have favorable policies that allow members to transfer points to others at no cost. These transfers are usually processed within minutes on the respective program websites.

Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors members can combine points in two primary ways. The simplest method is through transfers, allowing up to 500,000 points to be moved between members each year, with a limit of six transfers per calendar year. Hilton’s pooling option is more intricate, enabling members to form groups with up to 10 others. In this setup, each member retains their own points balance while contributing to a shared pool, still capped at 500,000 transferable points and a total of six transactions per calendar year (including transfers). Creating a pool doesn’t mean opening a joint account; it simply allows points to be sent to a designated pool leader. Overall, any member, whether a pool leader or not, can receive a maximum of 2 million points annually through transfers or pooling.

IHG One Rewards

Members with IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status can transfer up to 500,000 points each calendar year to other members at no cost. This also applies to members of IHG’s Business Rewards program (which is free and easy to join) after their account has been active for 30 days. The recipient does not need to hold status or membership.

Marriott Bonvoy

Every Marriott Bonvoy member can transfer up to 100,000 points per calendar year, while they can receive a total of up to 500,000 points.

World of Hyatt

Any member of World of Hyatt can transfer points to another member in any amount, with no annual limits on giving or receiving. However, transfers are restricted to once every 30 days and require some documentation. It's important to note that transferring World of Hyatt points isn’t as simple as a single click; members must fill out and submit a pdf form to combinepoints@hyatt.com. The form needs handwritten signatures from both the sender and the recipient. While points can take up to 30 days to transfer, they typically finalize within a week based on our experience.

Transferring Points with Credit Card Programs

In certain situations, credit cardholders have the option to transfer points to other cardholders.

Capital One

Capital One miles can be transferred between accounts without limits, as long as both cardholders hold a card from the Capital One Venture portfolio. To initiate this transfer, simply call Capital One using the number on the back of your card.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

You can transfer Ultimate Rewards to one “household member,” provided they also possess a Chase credit card linked to an Ultimate Rewards account. This transfer can be done online by entering the recipient's last name and credit card number.

Citi ThankYou

ThankYou points can be transferred between accounts via the ThankYou portal, with a maximum limit of 100,000 points per calendar year for both giving and receiving. However, it’s advisable to wait until you have a near-confirmed redemption before transferring, as transferred points expire within 90 days.