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Airline miles are an excellent way to save money on travel. One of my favorite programs to redeem miles for reward flights is American Airlines AAdvantage. AA has many partners to choose from, destinations available all around the world, and offers tremendous discounts with MileSAAver flights. But can someone else book a flight for me with their American Airlines miles or vice versa? The short answer is yes, but there are some best practices to use to ensure the best possible booking experience.
SANTA ANA, CA - JUNE 28: An aerial view of an American Airlines jet preparing to take off from John... [+] Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Thursday, June 28, 2018. (Photo by Mark Rightmire/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Before You Book the American Airlines AAdvantage Flight
Before you book a flight for your friend or family member or they book a flight for you, you will need some personal information. If you have a profile on AA.com, you may not remember how much information you will need to book a flight online.
What, Where, and When
To book an award flight for yourself or anyone else, you need to know how many miles you have available and how many you are willing to spend to book this trip. When searching for available flights, you'll first start with:
- Preferred departing airport
- Preferred arrival airport
- Dates of travel
- Preferred cabin choice (Economy, Business, or First Class)
Keep in mind that there is a $75 close-in booking fee if you are booking a flight within 21 days of departure. Note that this fee is waived if you are using the miles from an Executive Platinum, Platinum, or Gold AAdvantage member's account.
Personal Information Required
The airline will require the following information for each passenger:
- Name as shown on a valid identification card (first, middle, and last name)
- Date of birth
- Sex
- Country of residence
- State of residence
- Trip contact information (name, email address, and phone number)
To receive credit for the flight, receive benefits of airline status, and to have their preferences applied, you will also need their American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flier number. If you do not belong to the AAdvantage loyalty program, click here to join.
You should know who will be paying for the required taxes and fees for the flight. When I book flights for other people, I generally ask for their credit card information (number, expiration date, 3-digit security code, and billing zip code) so they will pay the taxes and fees instead of me.
Optional Information To Include
You may also apply promo codes and add an American Airlines Business Extra membership number during the registration process.
If you or your friend have TSA PreCheck (or Global Entry), you will also need their Known Traveler Number to receive expedited security screening when proceeding to the terminal.
You should also know the seating preference of everyone flying so you can select their seats whenever possible. There are options to upgrade for an additional fee to Exit Rows and other premiumareas of the plane, so keep in mind the traveler's preferences and budget.
Should special assistance be needed or if there are specific food allergies that should be shared, you can also include them when booking the flight.
Booking International Flights
When booking an international flight, you don't need to include your passport information, but it will be necessary to add before you can check into the flight. Since you are helping book the flight, you may also need to help the traveler check in for their international flight to ensure the process goes smoothly. For an international flight, you'll need to provide:
- The Passport number
- Passport issue date
- Passport expiration date
- Country of citizenship
- The country that the passport was issued by
How Many Miles Are Required For An American Airlines Flight?
The miles required to book an American Airlines award flight will vary based on where you're flying from and where you're flying to and the availability of award space.
Optimally, you'll be able to find "SAAver" award space. These are discounted mile redemptions that can greatly reduce the cost of travel. With discounts this large, they can mean the difference between flying Economy or a premium cabin space, such as Business or First Class.
Domestically, most flights start at 25,000 miles round-trip. For one-way flights, the price is half of that. You do not need to book a round-trip if you have limited miles available or budgeted for this flight.
If you have one of the Citibank American Airlines credit cards, you may be able to redeem for a "reduced mileage award" flight. Depending upon which co-brandedrewards credit card you have and the distance of your flight, the discount save you up to 7,500 miles on a round-trip to or from specific destinations. The airports included in reduced mileage awards vary by month and are released quarterly.
Booking While Flying Together
When redeeming miles for someone else in your party is fairly easy. You are the primary traveler and your family and friends can join the reservation with you provided that you have enough miles to book multiple tickets.
The process is simple.
When searching for award space, increase the number of passengers from "1" to however many people plan to fly with you. If you are having trouble finding enough award space for your entire party, consider reducing the number of people in your search one-by-one until you find the flights you are looking for.
Being able to use miles for several people in your party to reduce your travel costs is better than none at all. For the rest of the people in your party, consider paying cash for their tickets. You could also place them on a different flight that does have enough seats.
Booking While Flying Alone
If you are booking a flight for someone using your American Airlines AAdvantage miles and you will not be flying, the process is also generally pretty simple.
As you perform your search, be sure to change the traveler from the default of your profile to their saved profile or add a new traveler.
Then, follow the normal booking process. Provide the information mentioned above as the website requests it.
Things To Watch Out For
I only book flights for people that I trust will behave themselves and act appropriately. Although it is unlikely to happen, it is possible that you could become involved in whatever situation arises. You provided them with the ability to fly through your miles.
It is also a good idea to use the person flying's credit card to pay for the taxes and fees. Although American Airlines generally does not check, there may be issues on a partner airline. If you end up flying with a partner airline, know that there have been anecdotal stories of being denied boarding. This was because they could not provide the credit card used when booking the ticket.
Conclusion on American Airlines Rewards For Someone Else
Yes, you can use your American Airlines AAdvantage miles to book tickets for other people. The process is almost as easy as booking a ticket for yourself. You will need to be prepared ahead of time by having their preferred itinerary, personal information, and preferences available to ensure a smooth booking process. If you don't have the information handy during your search, it is possible that when you come back to book the ticket at a later time, the preferred ticket could be gone.
Editorial Note: Forbes adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The content on this page may contain partner offers and/or affiliate links, and Forbes may receive compensation if you click through a link on this page. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available.
