Do SkyMiles go to the person who bought the flight?

Members who purchase an upgrade through the seat map after booking will be eligible for mileage accrual based on the total amount spent in USD. Miles are always earned by the Member who is flying (whose name and SkyMiles number are listed on the ticket) regardless of who purchased the flight.



No, Delta SkyMiles (and most airline miles) always go to the passenger whose name is on the ticket, regardless of who paid for the flight. The loyalty program is designed to reward the individual traveler for their "butt-in-seat" miles. If you buy a flight for a friend or family member using your credit card, they will earn the SkyMiles for that flight in their own SkyMiles account. However, you would earn any bonus miles associated with the purchase if you used a Delta co-branded credit card. In 2026, Delta allows "Family Pooling" in certain international markets, but for standard U.S. accounts, the miles remain with the passenger. You can, however, use your own miles to book an award flight for someone else, but the miles for that award travel are not earned by anyone as it is a redemption.

People Also Ask

If you're not using your miles on yourself, you could give them to someone else. Delta allows you to transfer miles from your personal SkyMiles account to another SkyMiles account in increments of 1,000 miles.

MORE DETAILS

Yes, although every airline's policy is different, it will almost always cost to transfer an airline ticket to another person. Sometimes, the cost of transferring a flight ticket to someone else can actually be more expensive than purchasing an entirely new ticket.

MORE DETAILS

Can You Buy Someone Else Airline Ticket? Yes, you can buy other people's flight tickets. When you purchase tickets through an online booking site or through a travel agent, make sure to enter the traveler's name and other details exactly as they appear on their ID or passport.

MORE DETAILS

In order to receive a flight credit, you have to cancel your flight before the departure of the first segment of your itinerary. If you don't cancel before the flight departs, you forfeit the total value of the ticket. Flight credits can only be used by the passenger who is named on the original ticket.

MORE DETAILS

You can transfer your miles to a maximum of four people in a single transaction and complete as many transactions as you'd like annually.

MORE DETAILS

Delta won't give you credit for any duplicate SkyMiles transactions in the two accounts and they won't be added to the combined mileage balance. You can't merge accounts with a friend or family member. And while Delta allows you to transfer SkyMiles to other accounts, it charges a hefty fee.

MORE DETAILS

If someone passes away, Delta feels the miles are theirs and they won't transfer them to anyone else. If you have access to the delta.com account, you should be able to use the miles without any issues. Just don't tell Delta the person is deceased.

MORE DETAILS

Membership numbers are nontransferable. Only one person may be enrolled per SkyMiles account.

MORE DETAILS

After purchasing your ticket online, download the file and print your ticket. Passengers can find their e-ticket files in the email sent to them. For domestic flights, passengers do not have to show their e-tickets at the security checkpoints.

MORE DETAILS

The rules of most frequent flyer programs are that in order to collect points the name on the ticket and the name on the frequent flyer account must match. And nobody in this day and age is getting on an airplane with a ticket that doesn't match their identification.

MORE DETAILS

Once a hacker has broken into your account, they can quickly use your loyalty points to make travel arrangements in someone else's name, sell them on the dark web, or convert them into gift cards—all before you've noticed anything fishy.

MORE DETAILS

As a SkyMiles Member, earn miles to use for flights and upgrades, plus enjoy Member-only offers, CLEAR® preferred pricing and more. Join today for free.

MORE DETAILS

  • Overview.
  • Aeromexico.
  • Air France.
  • China Eastern.
  • KLM.
  • Korean Air.
  • LATAM.
  • Virgin Atlantic.


MORE DETAILS