If you book a United Airlines flight for someone else, you will not earn the frequent flyer miles (MileagePlus points) for that flight; the miles are always awarded to the person who actually sits in the seat and flies. Every passenger must have their own individual MileagePlus account to earn credit for their travel. However, if you use a United co-branded credit card (like the United Explorer or Quest card) to pay for their ticket, you will earn "credit card points" for the purchase itself based on the dollar amount spent. Furthermore, if you are a Premier member, you can book a flight for someone else using your miles, but you won't earn any "Premier Qualifying Points" (PQP) for that person's journey. In 2026, the only way to "pool" miles with others is through the United Miles Pooling program, which allows groups of up to five members to combine their miles into a shared account for booking awards, though the individual "earning" rules still remain tied to the specific traveler.