MilesBuzz! - Putting in your FF# for someone else's flights

Ethical qualms aside, is this legal? Or if not legal, then at the very least, possible to do without getting in trouble? A relative of mine is flying transcon tomorrow and asked me to do the online check-in; tried to get her to sign up for AS' mileage plan but she had no interest whatsoever in doing so (nor, for that matter, for putting in another airline's #). I'm still trying to convince her of the benefits of opening a new FF account, but if that fails, then I'd sure hate to see those miles go to waste. Perhaps someone's tried this out? Just curious. Thanks!

The miles wont credit unless the names match.

But you could always create an account in their name under your control *(which you could later pay to transfer the miles from into your account, or if they fly enough, book yourself a ticket from the account that you control)

The miles wont credit unless the names match.

But you could always create an account in their name under your control *(which you could later pay to transfer the miles from into your account, or if they fly enough, book yourself a ticket from the account that you control)

Often the miles do credit even when names don't match.

Get caught deliberately trying to cheat and the account may be seized. And if there is clear fraudulent intent, the airlines can try to make a case out of such practice even beyond seizing the account miles/points.

Getting caught by the airline you only lose all your FF.

Getting caught by TSA ummmmm. We hear enough horror stories already.

I can see TSA salivating over catching this one now that you have made your intentions public.

OK, thanks for responses. Clearly not worth it, then - certainly wouldn't want to risk account suspension/TSA - just curious to see if some did it or not.

Getting caught by the airline you only lose all your FF.

Getting caught by TSA ummmmm. We hear enough horror stories already.

I can see TSA salivating over catching this one now that you have made your intentions public.
Why would the TSA get involved in an attempt to defraud an airline loyalty program? This makes no sense. The most the TSA would be involved with is priority screening, and even then it's the airline that pays a private contractor to set up those extra lines. Everyone funnels into the same TSA screening pile at the end.

As long as you have the person's correct name, etc. on the ticket there is no reason for TSA to get involved. But obviously that makes it less likely the miles will be credited to your account because the names won't match. That matching happens within the airline's own computer systems, not the government's.

i was wondering about this.... when a father and son have the same name.... that theoretically one can leave out the date-of-birth information, and have their father use their account/status. but i dont know what the implications are transatlantic.

Getting caught by the airline you only lose all your FF.

Getting caught by TSA ummmmm. We hear enough horror stories already.

I can see TSA salivating over catching this one now that you have made your intentions public.

This ought not be the business of the TSA .... nor is it generally even with the TSA PreCheck stupidity.

i was wondering about this.... when a father and son have the same name.... that theoretically one can leave out the date-of-birth information, and have their father use their account/status. but i dont know what the implications are transatlantic.

Parent-child or cousin-cousin "sharing" -- intentional or otherwise -- does occur even when birthdate and gender are different .... including with regard to international flights.

But, of course, all the "sheep" on Flyertalk seem to have longer and sharper teeth than your average sheep. They tend to run in packs, howl at the moon, and there is not a vegeterian amongst them.:D

Like TSA, DL SkyMiles management treats airline customers as if they are the enemy or sheep to be fleeced and it shows.

To get back to the OP's point...

I recommend creating the new frequent flyer account for the person, using all the correct street address and whatnot, but your email address.

Don't plan to use the points yourself. It's not worth it, on so many levels.

Last year I had a situation like this, me and my wife were suppose to fly from SNA-SEA as a same-day MR so my wife can get AA Gold. Departure date came, she had an important meeting that day and couldn't fly with me. I checked both of us in . Waiting for the plane to depart, I thought why didn;t I used her boarding pass to get to the plane and she got the mile credited to her account. I decided not to do that. My theoretical question is had I did that, assuming the GA didn't really care and with our names, it's kind of hard to tell from male or female, would my wife get the miles right, because according to the boarding manifest, she was the one that flying and I was not.

Which airline is she flying? If you can bank to a program that allows family accounts (like she's flying AA or AS and you can bank to BA), sign her up for an account and tie it to your household account. Boom, miles for you. Don't have to worry about having to build up the account to a level for redemption either.

Ethical qualms aside, is this legal? Or if not legal, then at the very least, possible to do without getting in trouble? A relative of mine is flying transcon tomorrow and asked me to do the online check-in; tried to get her to sign up for AS' mileage plan but she had no interest whatsoever in doing so (nor, for that matter, for putting in another airline's #). I'm still trying to convince her of the benefits of opening a new FF account, but if that fails, then I'd sure hate to see those miles go to waste. Perhaps someone's tried this out? Just curious. Thanks!


If she told you no, then don't do it. It's her decision, not yours.

I doubt there is a law on the books about frequent flier miles. However, since airlines have to pass personal data like birth dates on to the TSA to match up with the do not fly lists, they can also track that data internally now. So someone mentioned an instance of two family members with the same name - like a Sr. and a Jr. Well they would have different birthdays. So I don't think it would work with an airline. Now for hotels, I bet two people with the same name could use the same account with no problems.

So no, you would not get thrown in jail. But the frequent flier program may kick you out. It is within their rights to do so.

Years ago, when I first got a frequent flyer account and did not understand the rules, I put my FFN on one of my brother's flights and got credit because we had similar names. I would not dare to do this today now that I know how things work so I personally, if I were you, I would take the advice already given and just create a new account with the passenger's permission.

Why would the TSA get involved in an attempt to defraud an airline loyalty program?

Cause the TSA wants to take over the world...well, they atleast have their eyes on Arizona so their agents can wear a holster :p

Parent-child or cousin-cousin "sharing" -- intentional or otherwise -- does occur even when birthdate and gender are different .... including with regard to international flights.

I know a father/son duo who have the same name. The son lives in Japan and when they travel to see each other they use the same FF#. They've been doing this for years and have had no problems.

Parent-child or cousin-cousin "sharing" -- intentional or otherwise -- does occur even when birthdate and gender are different .... including with regard to international flights.

When gender is different? With the same name? Awkward....

When gender is different? With the same name? Awkward....

The part of my post which you quoted refers to account sharing with two account-sharing persons' gender and birthdate being different from one another. No mention of name in that section.

To go into names and sex/gender:

Many names are used in ways that gender may be less than clear. A variety of names in South/Central Asia that are considered "female" there (as well as perhaps "male") are considered "male"-only in SW Asia. In other cultural arrangements, there are names like Andrea which are used by males and females. Then there is also the sex/gender-change(d) community, which many more may consider awkward but really is just a natural continuation of what has been around for millenia.

I know a father/son duo who have the same name. The son lives in Japan and when they travel to see each other they use the same FF#. They've been doing this for years and have had no problems.

So what do they do with the birthdate in the TSA profile ?????

So what do they do with the birthdate in the TSA profile ?????

Whatever they want and/or do. I routinely don't care to correct the birthdate and sex/gender mistakes in the stupid TSA-required (In)Secure Flight fields. No major problem. Even for international travel the passport data can be appropriately communicated regardless of garbage data in the fields required by the TSA.

i was wondering about this.... when a father and son have the same name.... that theoretically one can leave out the date-of-birth information, and have their father use their account/status. but i dont know what the implications are transatlantic.

You can't get a ticket issued without a date of birth in the record - either from the airline, from a travel agent, or from a 3rd party website.

Ethical qualms aside, is this legal? Or if not legal, then at the very least, possible to do without getting in trouble? A relative of mine is flying transcon tomorrow and asked me to do the online check-in; tried to get her to sign up for AS' mileage plan but she had no interest whatsoever in doing so (nor, for that matter, for putting in another airline's #). I'm still trying to convince her of the benefits of opening a new FF account, but if that fails, then I'd sure hate to see those miles go to waste. Perhaps someone's tried this out? Just curious. Thanks!

Do not do this. The do-not-fly list likely matches names and FF numbers. You could be in real trouble and the relative may not be permitted to fly.

Do not do this. The do-not-fly list likely matches names and FF numbers. You could be in real trouble and the relative may not be permitted to fly.

Most probably no problem or perhaps even a solution to a problem -- with regard to the stupid government blacklists for those too innocent to be arrested and yet too "guilty" to be treated fairly without being subject to extra-judicial punishment determined by the modern day-equivalent of royal tools and fools' Star Chamber.

You can't get a ticket issued without a date of birth in the record - either from the airline, from a travel agent, or from a 3rd party website.

It varies, as many do still get tickets issued without the info at the time of ticketing. And where there is a demand for the birthdate and sex of the passenger prior to ticketing, junk info is most commonly not a problem.

It varies, as many do still get tickets issued without the info at the time of ticketing. And where there is a demand for the birthdate and sex of the passenger prior to ticketing, junk info is most commonly not a problem.

I'm not trying to be argumentative but I would really like to know where/how one can get a ticket issued in the US without a birth date. Thanks.

Last year I had a situation like this, me and my wife were suppose to fly from SNA-SEA as a same-day MR so my wife can get AA Gold. Departure date came, she had an important meeting that day and couldn't fly with me. I checked both of us in . Waiting for the plane to depart, I thought why didn;t I used her boarding pass to get to the plane and she got the mile credited to her account. I decided not to do that. My theoretical question is had I did that, assuming the GA didn't really care and with our names, it's kind of hard to tell from male or female, would my wife get the miles right, because according to the boarding manifest, she was the one that flying and I was not.You probably would have been fine. If the GA noticed a gender mismatch with the first name and said something, you could have just said, "Ooops! I grabbed the wrong one. My wife was supposed to be on this trip, but she had a last-minute crisis at work." Then dig around in your carryon and find your real BP to hand her.

Do not do this. The do-not-fly list likely matches names and FF numbers. You could be in real trouble and the relative may not be permitted to fly.Are you serious?!? Why on earth would FFN be on the no-fly list?
A) TSA shouldn't have access to that info
B) You are not required to use a FFN to fly
C) Which FFN would they use? Surely you have more than one?
D) The point of the no-fly list is that you aren't allowed to fly frequently.
Idiocy like this is exactly why TSA runs roughshod over people at checkpoints. It's even not Constitutional for the TSA to force you to show ID to travel - that was settled in Gilmore vs. Gonzalez. Why on earth would you think TSA had any power or authority to scrutinize or verify your frequent flyer number?

Any violations of frequent flyer accounts are strictly between you and the airline, and punishments are limited to seizure of your miles and account, and in extreme cases, being banned from flying the airline. Perhaps you would be open to a civil fraud lawsuit.

You probably would have been fine. If the GA noticed a gender mismatch with the first name and said something, you could have just said, "Ooops! I grabbed the wrong one. My wife was supposed to be on this trip, but she had a last-minute crisis at work." Then dig around in your carryon and find your real BP to hand her.

Are you serious?!? Why on earth would FFN be on the no-fly list?
A) TSA shouldn't have access to that info
B) You are not required to use a FFN to fly
C) Which FFN would they use? Surely you have more than one?
D) The point of the no-fly list is that you aren't allowed to fly frequently.
Idiocy like this is exactly why TSA runs roughshod over people at checkpoints. It's even not Constitutional for the TSA to force you to show ID to travel - that was settled in Gilmore vs. Gonzalez. Why on earth would you think TSA had any power or authority to scrutinize or verify your frequent flyer number?

Any violations of frequent flyer accounts are strictly between you and the airline, and punishments are limited to seizure of your miles and account, and in extreme cases, being banned from flying the airline. Perhaps you would be open to a civil fraud lawsuit.

+1. The Tsa has no real authority in this FFN issue.

Ugh I really do dislike the tsa tho.

I'm not trying to be argumentative but I would really like to know where/how one can get a ticket issued in the US without a birth date. Thanks.

Not all tickets get issued in the US, and passengers are still being booked by persons who don't have the passenger birthdate info. This is partly why some of us repeatedly find check-in in the US is held up until the info is entered at check-in at the airport or when doing online checkin.

I know a father/son duo who have the same name. The son lives in Japan and when they travel to see each other they use the same FF#. They've been doing this for years and have had no problems.
Similarly, the father of a friend of mine is a lifetime platinum, as well as currently an executive platinum on AA. His son, my friend, has the same name. He regularly uses his dad's FF number to get upgrades, access to the lounge, etc. Been doing it for years.

I do not know what they do about birthdates.

Similarly, the father of a friend of mine is a lifetime platinum, as well as currently an executive platinum on AA. His son, my friend, has the same name. He regularly uses his dad's FF number to get upgrades, access to the lounge, etc. Been doing it for years.

I do not know what they do about birthdates.

While the frequent flyer's birthdate is in the computer profile, it is not an item that is verified or checked when redeeming miles or obtaining perks (like entering lounge). When earning miles, all that is needed is the flyer's name and his/her FF number. So, if you know someone who has the same name, you can definitely combine earnings and share perks. Its also something for the miles-fanatic to consider when naming his/her offsprings! :-)

dont put it in an account where u would freak out if you lose all the miles. is there a phantom account is ur family? (like ur bro who rarely flies?)

actually, for 1 offs, i think its operationally feasible to just put in ur own. just dont do it too often then you wont be flagged.