TFC Responds. I can book an award ticket for friends and family
Today we answer the question of one of our readers who wrote to us on our facebook page. Luca asked us [...]
Today we answer a question from one of our readers who wrote to us on our facebook page. Luke asked us for clarification regarding the Ability to book an award ticket for other passengers without the owner of the points/miles also flying used for detach the prize ticket.
In this article:
Points/miles earned by frequent flyers are personal, this is good to always remember. However, there are also Programs that allow points to be grouped among family members and thus allow free circulation of these among a small group of users.
Precisely because they are personal, each owner can do what he or she believes, within the limits of the regulations, with the points he has accumulated.
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So the answer to Luke's question is YES.. One can easily book an award ticket for other people without incurring any risk. I booked flights for my parents using old Alitalia miles, and for the wedding of two friends I had contributed by giving away two tickets to travel in business class with Emirates on their honeymoon.
What needs to be clear, however, is that all programs prohibit selling points. There are many companies on the net that trade loyalty program points, personally my advice is to be very careful.
Of course, no one forbids booking a ticket using miles and then having a friend/relative pay for it; the company is unlikely to ever find out. It's a different matter if the points end up with a stranger who might be contacted by the company to ask for clarification about who detached the award ticket and who will actually enjoy the ticket.
In conclusion
With points, it's best not to mess around: loyalty programs have control systems specifically to prevent unauthorized use, and the risk of having your account shut down ex officio, pulverizing all your points without even having a chance to explain your actions, is always just around the corner. However, if you do things judiciously and with the classic good family man approach, you will not run any kind of risk.
I hope that even this installment of #TFCanswers has been helpful, and I remind all readers that they can send questions and requests via email or on our social channels.
