Can You Book Award Flights for Other People?

Couple in Qantas First Lounge
Photo: Qantas.

Most frequent flyer programs let you redeem your points to book award flights for both yourself and other people. This can be handy if one person in your household collects most of the points, or if you perhaps want to book a flight for a friend or relative using your points.

But the exact rules vary by frequent flyer program. Some airlines only allow you to redeem your points for immediate family members. Others place a limit on the number of other people you can book award flights for.

If you aren’t able to redeem your points to book a flight for someone else, you could also investigate whether it’s possible to transfer points into their account. They could then book the flight themself.

Many airlines allow you to book award flights for anyone. But beware that it’s against the rules of almost every frequent flyer program to sell award tickets to strangers in exchange for money. If you are caught doing this, the airline may cancel the ticket and even close your frequent flyer account.

This article explains for whom you can book flights, using your own points, with the major frequent flyer programs…

Qantas Frequent Flyer

Qantas Frequent Flyer allows you to book Classic Flight Rewards or transfer your points to “eligible family members”. This includes de-facto partners.

This is how the Qantas Frequent Flyer terms & conditions defines eligible family members:

‘Eligible Family Member’ of a Member means any person the Member can demonstrate, to the reasonable satisfaction of Qantas, as being related to that Member in any of the ways described below:

  • Husband/Wife
  • Parent/Step-parent
  • Domestic Partner/De Facto
  • Child, including foster and step-child
  • Brother/Sister
  • Half Brother/Sister
  • Grandparent
  • Grandchild
  • Son/Daughter-in-law
  • Brother/Sister-in-law
  • Father/Mother-in-law
  • Uncle/Aunt
  • Nephew/Niece
  • First cousin

Virgin Australia Velocity

Velocity Frequent Flyer has a much more generous policy. Velocity members can redeem their points to book reward flights for anyone else. There is no need to prove that the flyer is related to you.

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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer allows you to redeem miles for any other KrisFlyer member that you list on your account as a Redemption Nominee.

You can list anybody as a Redemption Nominee. But you may only have up to five nominees on your account at any one time.

It’s free to add Redemption Nominees, but there is a fee of USD30 or 3,000 KrisFlyer miles to change or remove a nominee. This fee is reduced or waived if you have KrisFlyer status or PPS Club membership. Once you’ve changed or deleted a Redemption Nominee on your account, you can’t make further changes for six months.

Singapore Airlines Economy Class
You can redeem KrisFlyer miles for up to five Redemption Nominees. Photo: Singapore Airlines.

Cathay

With Cathay’s frequent flyer program, you can use your Asia Miles to book flights for other people within your Redemption Group.

Like with KrisFlyer, you can add up to five Redemption Group Nominees at no cost. You can change your nominees at any time, although there is an annual limit to the number of changes that Green members can make and fees apply for each change. See the Cathay Pacific website for details.

Air New Zealand Airpoints

Air New Zealand’s policy is quite restrictive. Airpoints members can generally only “gift” flights to family members living at the same address.

Airpoints Gold and Elite members can also add up to four “giftees” (as Air NZ calls them) on their account each year who don’t live in the same house. See the Air New Zealand website for details.

Air New Zealand A320 at Auckland Airport
Air New Zealand only lets its customers redeem Airpoints for people living in the same household. Photo: Will Waters on Unsplash.

Emirates Skywards

You can freely use your Emirates Skywards miles to book flights for friends, family members or anyone else.

Other frequent flyer programs

Most US frequent flyer programs, including American Airlines AAdvantage, United Mileage Plus, Delta SkyMiles and Alaskan Mileage Plan, are happy for you to redeem your points to book award flights for any other people. Simply name the passenger/s you want to book a flight for when booking the ticket.

Air Canada Aeroplan, Etihad Guest and many other loyalty programs also let you use your points to book flights for anyone. British Airways Executive Club is in this category as well, although there’s an exception for members with a household account.

At the other end of the spectrum, arguably the most restrictive programs are Korean Air SKYPASS and Asiana Club. The major Korean airlines restrict award bookings for other people to immediate family members, and may even require proof of the relationship (such as a marriage certificate).

The big Japanese airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, only let members redeem points for relatives who are “within two degrees of kinship”.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you use Qantas Points to book flights for other people?

You can redeem your Qantas points to book Classic Flight Reward tickets for eligible family members including your spouse, children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Can you use Velocity Points to book reward flights for other people?

Yes, you can redeem Virgin Australia Velocity points to book flights for yourself or anyone else.

Can you redeem KrisFlyer miles for other people?

You can use Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles to book award flights for yourself and up to five Redemption Nominees, which you can name on your KrisFlyer account. A Redemption Nominee can be anyone else who is a KrisFlyer member.

If I use Qantas points to request an upgrade for a family member, will they get the priority that comes with my status?

If you’re a Qantas Platinum One member, you can request a Classic Upgrade Reward for an eligible family member using your Qantas points and they will receive your Platinum One level of priority in the upgrade queue. But Qantas does not extend this benefit to Platinum, Gold or Silver frequent flyers.

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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That’s very interesting … maybe I shouldn’t be on AFF for not knowing that the rules Qantas uses for this aren’t the same as the rules other airlines use! :)

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Good article.

That’s very interesting … maybe I shouldn’t be on AFF for not knowing that the rules Qantas uses for this aren’t the same as the rules other airlines use! :)

From the article

But the exact rules vary by frequent flyer program. Some airlines only allow you to redeem your points for immediate family members. Others place a limit on the number of other people you can book award flights for

Frequent flyer programes are not clones for each other

Reply 1 Like

The generosity of the other programs compared to QFF is pretty clear. Though, QFF seems to be OK compared to few others.

How does QFF handle exclusive, committed relationships where the couple lives in separate locations (for whatever reason)? It's not exactly a domestic partner/de-facto so it probably comes down to how strict they are with this rule? Anyone have any experiences or sharper eyes for the respective T&C's?

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There are caveats. Lot of fraud ex Asia, so booking in different names can lead to hassles at the airport. In the US, they do periodic fraud reviewed, there are well known cases where two friends redeeming for a holiday… one paid for the tickets, the other the hotel, were caught out under the prohibition to ‘barter’ points.

The last one can be a bit difficult to argue against if the airline is after you. Unless you are related in some way, it wouldn’t be usual to simply give away tickets for nothing in return. When was the last time someone offered you 50k or 100k for free?

Reply 1 Like

From the article … Frequent flyer programes are not clones for each other

Yes, exactly, you quoted one of the parts of the article to which I was responding & the reason for making the comment … :)

Reply 1 Like

I understand the Qantas position regarding booking for non-family members and it allows them to keep an eye on fraud and transfer of points for cash.

However it would be nice if they at least allowed you to book for another person if they were travelling with you.

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I understand the Qantas position regarding booking for non-family members and it allows them to keep an eye on fraud and transfer of points for cash.

However it would be nice if they at least allowed you to book for another person if they were travelling with you.

Well yes but… if you could book for the person travelling with you… and assuming they’re not in any way related… are you giving your companion the ticket for free?

About the best option otherwise is to link the bookings, if that’s the concern.

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Well yes but… if you could book for the person travelling with you… and assuming they’re not in any way related… are you giving your companion the ticket for free?

About the best option otherwise is to link the bookings, if that’s the concern.

I sure would, I've done so 3 times now using Kris points - I would be much more inclined to do so for my close friends rather than half of my family - Linking bookings doesn't help when they are hardly going to pay 18K in cash for a premium booking....

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Can You Book Award Flights for Other People? is an article written by the AFF editorial team:

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

Interesting. I recently booked a return QANTAS Business Reward flight MEL - PER for myself and a mate, and the QANTAS operator allowed me to do this, even though when they asked the relationship I told them it was for me and a friend. I am Platinum, and the flights were completed in June without a problem.

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click to expand...

Interesting. I recently booked a return QANTAS Business Reward flight MEL - PER for myself and a mate, and the QANTAS operator allowed me to do this, even though when they asked the relationship I told them it was for me and a friend. I am Platinum, and the flights were completed in June without a problem.

Might find out your friend was classed as a defacto by a friendly phone consultant 😂

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