Ask Randy

Randy Petersen answers reader questions about how to maximize travel-related loyalty programs.

Dear Randy,
My mother recently came into a sum of money. As a way of sharing with the family, she is taking her husband, her three kids and their families on a trip, and is paying everyone’s airfare. I think it only fair that she receive the frequent flyer miles from the 13 passengers. A friend told me each individual will get his or her own frequent flyer miles. What’s the truth?

First, the truth. Your friend is right. Each family member will earn his or her own miles. Frequent flyer programs have long focused on rewarding the person doing the flying, not the person paying the bill. The hope is that the person flying has more influence on choice of carrier than the person paying.

Having said that, there are ways in which the person paying the bill may be able to get hold of all the miles earned. Some airlines have “household accounts,” in which members of a family can merge miles toward award redemption. But, with as many family members as you have, that option may prove embarrassing. In my family, for example, we’d be fighting over who gets which miles.

Since this is likely to be expensive, be sure your mother has a rewards credit card, and remembers to use it for the purchase of these tickets in order to earn some sort of “reward” for the expense.

There are ways in which she could possibly get the miles of the family members, but honestly—given the number of family members—I’d leave all that alone and allow each member to manage his or her own miles (and, of course, enjoy a great time together). I’ve seen a number of these types of family events in the past, and fighting over the miles is no way to enjoy
the moment.

Ask Randy.

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RANDY PETERSEN is publisher of Inside Flyer magazine and is president of Frequent Flyer Services. Email Randy at editor@executivetravelmag.com.