You can use AAdvantage® Miles to book a flight for someone else. AAdvantage® Miles make it simple to gift your loved ones a well-deserved getaway, and AAdvantage® members can easily redeem miles for someone else through aa.com. Use your miles to book an American Airlines flight or choose a partner airline depending on your route.
Below, you’ll find a guide to booking award flights for others. You’ll also learn about gifting and transferring miles.
How to use your AAdvantage® miles for someone else
You can book a flight for someone else the same way you’d book your own. Here’s how:
- Log into your AAdvantage® account: Visit aa.com and sign in using your username or AAdvantage® number and password
- Search for award flights with miles: Use the "Redeem Miles" option to look for available flights and check fares
- Select the flights: Choose the best itinerary based on travel dates and your miles budget
- Enter passenger information: Instead of your name, enter the details of the person traveling
- Confirm and complete: Double-check the details you’ve entered and finalize the booking
- Receive confirmation: The traveler will get their ticket confirmation via email
Transferring or gifting miles
In addition to booking a flight for someone, you can gift or transfer miles to them. While booking a flight for someone else is a straightforward process, it sometimes makes sense to pool your miles – for example, if you don’t have enough to book an award flight on your own.
To transfer your miles to another member, follow these steps:
- Visit aa.com and log in using your personal details
- Click on the “Transfer” tab
- Fill in the miles transfer form with the recipient's information (name, AAdvantage® number and email address) and the number of miles you're transferring
- Check the transfer fee and pay it with your credit or debit card
You can also gift miles. This involves purchasing miles rather than transferring miles you've earned.
Deciding whether to book for someone else, gift miles or transfer miles
Should you book, gift or transfer miles? If you have enough miles to cover the flight, booking on behalf of someone else is usually the best option. You’ll only pay a booking fee, and the process involves the fewest steps. However, transferring miles can make sense if the recipient has almost enough miles for an award ticket but needs a boost. Gifting miles can also be a good option if the recipient has almost enough for an award flight, and you don’t want to or don’t have enough miles to transfer.
Disclosure: This article is for educational purposes. It is not intended to provide legal, investment, or financial advice and is not a substitute for professional advice. It does not indicate the availability of any Citi product or service. For advice about your specific circumstances, you should consult a qualified professional.
