Traveling with children can be a daunting task. Along with packing all the essential items and things your kids may need during the journey and at the destination, you also have to deal with strollers, car seats, and other bulky items while boarding the plane. And let’s not forget the challenge of keeping little ones entertained and fed throughout the flight. But before your next flight with your kids, there’s one more thing you should consider doing: signing them up for airline rewards programs.
Enrolling your kids in these programs is a smart move. According to Scott Keyes, founder of Going.com, signing them up for frequent flyer mile accounts is free and the miles they accumulate from flying as children can add up to multiple free flights by the time they reach 18. It’s essentially free money that you shouldn’t leave on the table.
The person who flies is the one who receives the miles, not the one who pays for the ticket. So when you purchase an expensive plane ticket for your child, why not make use of those dollars by earning rewards? Summer Hull, director of travel content at The Points Guy, emphasizes that there’s no reason for your kids not to earn miles when they fly. While only paid fares can earn miles, most major frequent flyer programs in the U.S. no longer have expiration dates, allowing your kids to accumulate miles for future family trips or personal use.
Airline loyalty programs are not only for business travelers. Even occasional family vacations can contribute to a significant number of miles over time. Hull shares that her oldest child has been earning miles for 13 years. So the earlier you start, the more your kids can earn.
The process of signing up your child for a frequent flyer program varies depending on the airline, but it’s usually as simple as enrolling them online through the airline’s website or by calling customer service. However, Alaska Airlines requires a phone call for children under 13. Having your child’s own email address is often a requirement, and services like Google’s Family Link can help overcome age restrictions set by email providers.
Once your child is enrolled and has their own frequent flyer account, they can start earning miles for every eligible ticket purchased from the respective airlines. Some airlines even allow families to pool their miles, making it easier to earn free flights faster. JetBlue, for example, permits family mileage pools for up to eight people without any relationship requirements. However, for airlines that don’t offer pooling, redeeming your child’s miles might require a phone call or a fee to transfer the miles to your account.
The good news is that many airline miles no longer expire. Delta, United, Southwest, Hawaiian, and JetBlue, for instance, have implemented policies to ensure miles don’t expire due to inactivity. This is an added incentive to sign your kids up for frequent flyer accounts, as the rewards will accumulate over time. American Airlines is one of the few airlines that expire adult miles after 24 months of inactivity, but they do not do this for the miles earned by children until they turn 21.
Overall, signing your kids up for frequent flyer programs before your next trip is a wise decision if you’re a budget-conscious traveler with children. It costs nothing and the rewards can add up, especially since most major U.S. programs have eliminated expiration dates.
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