Using different miles programs for same reservation?
 

Is it possible to use miles/points from different partners to purchase the same ticket?

ex. if you have miles with Alaska Airlines and miles with Delta, can they be combined to buy a Delta ticket?

thanks

No, but you could book one ticket through AS and the other through DL.

If both programs offer one-way awards (at a sensible rate) you could book outbound from one program, and the return through the other. However, I do not think that Delta offers one-way awards.

thank you. I'm new to all this miles/points business. But I have accumulated points and miles across a few different programs and trying to figure out the best way to maximize everything. This stuff is fun and addicting :)

IIRC You can also book them separately (on to the same flight, of course) and have the agent "tie" the itineraries together in case of IRROPS.

Not sure about your particular program, but with Star Alliance (*A), I provide my United MilagePlus number when booking on partner airlines, so all of my miles go directly into this one United account regardless of which partner airline I fly. When you finally have enough points, you can book a flight through United and spend the points for any of the airlines in the partnership, not just United.

Hope this makes sense?

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...ance/star.aspx

that makes perfect sense. that is what I try to accomplish by sending points towards my Alaska Airlines account, but my only issue is with reward points that I will be earning on American Airlines from an all inclusive resort I booked. I will essentially have miles in American Airlines and Alaskan Airlines. Maybe I can earn miles on Alaska Airlines even though the all inclusive is booked through American Airlines. They are partners

Yes, contact AA and have them add/replace your Alaska FF number to the reservation. You should earn Alaska miles then.

Well actually, Yes, you could, maybe through points.com Believe though, you don't want to do that because the conversion costs are absolutely terrible.

And yes again, both programs do offer one-way awards at sensible rates. However, (1) I don't believe you can get one way flights out of AS except on AS metal. (2) To get one-way awards on DL, you need to open a DL credit card account to have access to getting a $100 discount with every 10,000 Skymiles. Those discounts can apply to DL one way flights of course.


There's lots of permutations to your question, and answers likewise. I once got award tickets on AS flights for wife and I to fly from SJC to Fairbanks to go camping/hiking in Denali, and then a return flight from ANC. Some fraction of the two tickets was out of AA miles. And the balance was with AS miles. It wasn't too hard to do.

that is some most excellent news!

I'm not so sure this will work. The OP has an offer for AA miles from spending at an all inclusive resort. This is very different from crediting miles from partner flights.

Thanks for the clarification, hopefully it works out for the OP.

I tried booking through American Airline's website and there was only an option for AA rewards account number. I'm going to call up and see, but I think you're right.

There could be a pit-fall with that.

I have status with UA. I was once upgraded for a UA flight because of the status. When I queried about getting flight credit in my US account, they said that I would lose my upgrade if I did that. Is it safe to assume that this is protocol for credits within other alliances?

US used to upgrade me because of UA status, but they don't do that anymore.

Can't confirm or deny this; never fly enough to ever get upgraded. I basically squirrel away enough miles for a free cheap-seat ticket and do my upgrading at the hotel where I'll be at longer than any flight...works for me :eek:

Correct. You can only have one FF number on the ticket sector and can be upgraded based on your status benefits from that number. Once or twice, I have used my UA status for a free checked bag for the first segment of the flight, then gone to an agent at my stopover city and asked for the number to be changed so I can accrue miles into another *A account.

I have much to learn. Would have never thought of that