What good are airline miles for kids?
Aug 16, 2013, 1:42 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 83
What good are airline miles for kids?
My son is 7-yrs old and I had opened up a United MileagePus account when he was 6 before some United flights we took. He has enough miles to get a free US domestic roundtrip ticket. But how can I book him all by himself on a single ticket and have me and/or my wife on separate tickets?
Should I transfer all his miles to my or my wife's account?
Should I transfer all his miles to my or my wife's account?
Aug 16, 2013, 2:06 pm
#4
Formerly known as iahsumr
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 520
TXflyer has the best suggestion. However, even if you ended up needing to book him on his own ticket at some point it would not be an issue 99.9% of the time. I have done it many times myself for my own 3 year old. Of course, I am also on the flight, but just occasionally not on her reservation.
Aug 16, 2013, 2:15 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
TXflyer has the best suggestion. However, even if you ended up needing to book him on his own ticket at some point it would not be an issue 99.9% of the time. I have done it many times myself for my own 3 year old. Of course, I am also on the flight, but just occasionally not on her reservation.
Aug 16, 2013, 3:39 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Marriott Life Plat, various others of little note
Posts: 2,763
Aug 16, 2013, 3:56 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: United 1K, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 590
I have had agents tell me to book underage kids as adults if parents are flying with them. And in this case you don't need to be concerned with looking for a child discount b/c it's a miles ticket.
Aug 17, 2013, 6:10 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: CMH
Programs: UA 1K, 1MM, HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 745
Agreed. We have done this many times and all 4 of our kids have UA MP accounts.
Aug 17, 2013, 7:20 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: somewhere other than home
Programs: DL gold, Marriott Platinum, UA silver
Posts: 240
Agreed with the above. Just book them as an adult. Never had anybody say anything. I've even emailed and asked how to book a child separate. Always been told to select adult. In my (limited) experience on UA it makes no difference as I have yet to find a child or infant-in-own-seat discount fare.
Oct 11, 2013, 10:04 am
#10
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New York, NY
Programs: FSPP, Virtuoso, Belmond Bellini Club, STARS, Hyatt Privé, Peninsula PenClub, etc.
Posts: 112
Back when there was a particular promotion that required booking my then 4 year old on his own separate ticket, even though I was flying with him, I booked him as an adult, then subsequently called to correct his birth date. There was no way to use the promo code with a phone booking, so amending his birth date was the only way.
Oct 11, 2013, 10:11 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: gggrrrovvveee (ORD)
Programs: UA Pt, Marriott Ti, Hertz PC
Posts: 6,091
The nice thing to that approach if you are elite is that the folks booked with your miles will inherit your status and you can enter your own FF info on the reservation from your child's account to retain your elite status - everybody wins!
Oct 11, 2013, 12:54 pm
#12
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA, DL
Posts: 7,418
TXflyer has the best suggestion. However, even if you ended up needing to book him on his own ticket at some point it would not be an issue 99.9% of the time. I have done it many times myself for my own 3 year old. Of course, I am also on the flight, but just occasionally not on her reservation.
Or just use his miles to book you a ticket for a solo flight.
Oct 11, 2013, 1:44 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: HPN
Programs: not anymore! I'm FREE!
Posts: 3,459
I used to use my baby's miles to upgrade myself when I was traveling alone. I figured the kid wouldn't care, and I deserved it after schlepping around the world with an infant!
But now I use the kid's miles for the same thing for which I use the whole family's miles: award tickets for our family vacations.
But now I use the kid's miles for the same thing for which I use the whole family's miles: award tickets for our family vacations.