Bonny31

I read several years ago an article about willing miles to family members. Is this still possible????????? thanks

QDDawg

my understanding is you can transfer them, but you pay a fee.

It is better to just give the account info to whomever you want to have the miles and they can use the miles under the original account holder.

this is what happened to co-worker of mine. She tried to get her husbands miles transferred but was going to lose a LOT of miles for the fee. The rep told her to just log into his account and use them as she wished.

UpgradeMe

Just one of numerous existing threads that answer your question:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...am-update.html

StayingHomeIsBetter

You could at one time, but DL management have done away with this option.

Their assertion: even though you earned the miles, they claim the airline still owns the miles. Hence, you cannot will them to anyone since they are not your property.

"Miles are not the property of any member. Except as specifically authorized in the Membership Guide and Program Rules or otherwise in writing by an officer of Delta, miles may not be sold, attached, seized, levied upon, pledged, or transferred under any circumstances, including, without limitation, by operation of law, upon death, or in connection with any domestic relations dispute and/or legal proceeding."

Even if you buy miles:

https://www.delta.com/buygftxfer/displayBuyMiles.action

... the miles you purchased are still not your property.

It's very convenient for the airline when it can write all the rules in its favor.

flyerCO

There's also a practical reason. If you owned them, then IRS would tax you on them.

RobertS975

Delta SkyMiles never expire... until you do!

Ledfish

At least you can't lose them in a divorce.

jdrtravel

How? As a source of income when you earn them?

Jaimito Cartero

And yet, other airlines do let them be transferred upon death.

flyerCO

I was replying to the not owning question.

Don't disagree on transfering between accounts like others allow.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Please point me to any indication that the IRS ever did, or expressed an intent, to tax FF miles.

Somehow, I have a hard time believing that DL management's reversal of what had been a compassionate policy was based upon an altruistic desire to protect me or my heirs from the IRS.

indufan

You still can. I know at least two people that mitigated their other losses by offering their ex spouse SkyMiles.

NOW, back to the bigger point, THE DELTA SKYMILES DEATH PENALTY is among the WORST of the policies that they have. They should be ashamed and change this policy immediately.

StayingHomeIsBetter

^

As my program affiliation attests: Formaldehyde Medallion DL DieMiles

However, shame is not an emotion that Va Ave appears to be capable of.

flyerCO

Never said that was the sole reason. However it is a reason. This gets argued periodically, but generally each time an accountant or lawyer weighs in, the view is that it would be treated as income. Income that would be easy to track and wouldn't be so small as to be written off as insignificant. Miles are basically a currency.

Think of it like if you got Bitcoin instead of miles. (Assumimg in this case you owned the miles, like you would the Bitcoin) You'd be expected to pay taxes on the income. $5 in value here or there they really could careless about. But we're talking hundreds/thousands of dollars in value for those earning lots of miles a year. Also easy to track who has earned what. Basically if we owned the miles, it would be a bank account, but in miles instead of dollars.

StayingHomeIsBetter

But, do you have any information that the IRS has ever taxed FF miles?

Or, for that matter, allowed a charitable deduction for the cash equivalent of a FF mileage donation to a charity?