Don’t have enough airline miles for the free flight?
United Airlines now lets people pool and share their frequent-flyer points with family and friends, a feature currently only offered by some smaller airlines.
United said Thursday that a ‘pool leader’ can bring together up to four other people to create a joint account in its MileagePlus program.
The group leader must be over 18, but there is no minimum age for others, so parents can register children. Everyone in the pool must have their own United frequent-flyer account.
On social media, Americans welcomed the news. Blaine Nickeson tweeted: ‘This is going to be great for my family of four (three of which are MileagePlus elites)! Big change.’
See the box below for full details on how it works…
United Airlines now lets people pool and share their frequent-flyer points with family and friends, the airline announced Thursday, March 21, 2024
Frequent flyer programs remain popular despite complaints that the value of miles and points declines over time as airlines raise requirements to redeem them for flights
JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines already offer pooling, where the rules vary slightly from one to the other.
In Europe, British Airways also offers pooling for family members – the only major carrier to do so so far.
“We are always looking for new ways to provide the most value to all of our loyalty members and are proud to be the first major US airline to allow our members to pool their miles with their loved ones and friends,” said Luc Bondar, Chief Operating Officer in MileagePlus.
‘MileagePlus miles pooling further reinforces United’s position as a leader in family and group travel, giving our members more flexibility to use their miles while making it easier to connect to the destinations and moments that matter most, with the people that matters most.’
Experts say it could be handy for families on summer vacation.
The point guy the website explains: ‘Let’s say you want to book a one-way trip for you and your son from New York to Orlando at 25,000 miles each. person.
‘If your 5-year-old son only has 4,000 United miles in his account, but you have 48,000 miles, you can now pool your miles into a joint account and contribute your miles to cover both your ticket and your son’s ticket.’
Frequent-flyer programs remain popular despite complaints that the value of miles and points declines over time because airlines raise requirements to redeem them for flights or other goods.
The programs are valuable to airlines by increasing customer loyalty and giving consumers a reason to get an airline-branded credit card. United’s credit card is issued by Chase.
United points are in the middle of the pack for value among programs on U.S. and international airlines, according to a recent consumer site analysis NerdWallet.
American Airlines made a change last month that was unpopular.
It introduced a new rule that pressures customers to buy tickets directly from the airline if they want to earn frequent flyer points.
It’s a move that makes it harder to collect miles and loyalty points.
Starting May 1, American will only award points for flights booked through select partners and ‘preferred agencies’, which it will reveal in a list in April.
It’s the latest change to a major airline loyalty program after Delta was forced to pull back after controversially tightening its program last year.
And American airlines have also appreciated baggae this year.
At the start of March, Delta became the latest to raise its baggage fees – the last of the big three US carriers to do so.
Airlines, including Delta, United and American, raked in a staggering $33.3 billion from baggage fees last year
Passengers will now have to pay $40 to check a bag at the airport for domestic flights, or $35 if they pay online in advance, the company announced
American Airlines sparked backlash as the first to raise fares in mid-February, a move immediately followed by United Airlines.
All raised prices by $5 per bag, and most are now between $35 to $45 per bag for the first and second checked, checked item.
Even before the increases, airlines were making billions of dollars from baggage fees.
A report in February revealed that airlines including Delta, United and American raked in a staggering $33.3 billion from baggage fees last year — a sharp 15 percent increase from $29 billion in 2022.
This sum is made up entirely of fees from oversized hand luggage, standard checked baggage fees and penalties for overweight or extra large checked bags and made up 4.1 percent of global airline revenue last year.