Originally Posted by
blackcows
My kids (3 total) don't fly on a regular basis but probably get on a plane 3 or 4 times a year for vacation, conferences with family, etc. I have always made it a point of signing up for every FF program when they fly on an airline for the first time. Is there anyway to consolidate any of the points the kids have into the account of my wife or I?
I see there is some threads that discuss the buying and selling of points so it's obvious this is possible but not sure how legitimate it is. Worst case I will just do what I can to maintain their points so as they get older they may have some points to build on.
Some programs, like AA, allow you to transfer miles form one FF to another, the problem is that the cost of transferring is so high that it is almost worthless to do it. You can check into a BA family plan, I'm not familiar with it, but it seems to allow you to pool your miles.
If you want to maximize your miles and FF program, I suggest its best concentrate on one/two program (main carrier, backup carrier) instead of flying different ones all the time. This will allow you accumulate miles faster and perhaps achieve elite status depending on how much you fly per year. Accumulating miles will give you opportunity to redeem them for award travel or upgrades, depending the program. Achieving elite status, this would probably be helpful to you if you travel a lot per calendar year. Whenever you book your family trips together, your family will be able to share in the perks that come with your status. Priority seating, boarding, security, free baggage check among them.