Everything You Need to Know About Points Pooling

If you’re new to points and miles, you might assume the only way to save up for a flight is to earn them on your own – that’s not always the case. Many programs offer points pooling, allowing members to share points between family and friends without incurring any fees. This is a great benefit if you find yourself short on points or you want to help out a family member or friend without paying fees in order to transfer points to their account. By adding them to your “pool” you can allow them to dip into your points stash at will.

Some programs even allow members of the pool to earn points collectively, which is great for families. Each program that offers points pooling has its own rules and benefits. Knowing what they are can help you avoid costly mistakes and hassles when you’re ready to redeem your rewards for travel.

Here’s everything you need to know about points pooling and which programs currently allow it:

What points pooling is and how it works 

Points pooling is a loyalty program feature that allows members to freely combine their points with friends and/or family. Think of it like a joint bank account: You choose who can contribute and deduct “funds” from the account. There are primarily two types of point pooling accounts offered by airline and hotel loyalty programs:

• Points pooling/household accounts: These types of accounts allow members to earn and redeem points from a shared group account. If one member leaves the group, their points go with them. Most “pooling accounts” include a designated account manager who can add and remove members.

• Free points sharing: Some loyalty programs (mostly hotels) allow members to transfer points between accounts without a fee.

Which bank programs allow points pooling?

Points pooling between bank rewards accounts is fairly simple. Most of the major bank rewards programs allow you to at least transfer points to another cardholder without paying fees. The exact details vary, with some limiting this option to household members while others allow you to do this with anyone.

Capital One Miles

Capital One allows cardholders to share miles with other members, with no restrictions. Simply call Capital One customer service, provide the name and card number for both accounts. There is no limit on the number of Capital One miles you can share with another customer. 

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Chase doesn’t have a points pooling option, but you can earn points with another person by adding them as an authorized user to your account. You can also transfer points to an Ultimate Rewards account belonging to a household member. There are no limits on the number of points you can transfer every year

Citi ThankYou

Citi allows cardholders to share points with any Citi customer with a ThankYou rewards account. The best part is you can initiate transfers online – all you need is the customer’s rewards account number. You can transfer up to 100,000 points a year. One significant caveat to be aware of: Points expire within 90 days of receipt, so don’t do this unless you have a redemption in mind.

Which airline loyalty programs allow points pooling?

There are a surprising number of airline loyalty programs that allow points pooling – mostly between families, with a few exceptions. Here’s a look at the most popular airline programs that allow points pooling:

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada’s Aeroplan Family Sharing allows up to eight family members to create a points pool, collectively earning and redeeming rewards. The designated Family Lead can adjust permissions for each member, restricting who can redeem points. There are no fees for Aeroplan Family Sharing, and if at least one member has an Aeroplan card, all members will receive preferred pricing on award bookings.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue Family

Flying Blue Family allows up to eight family members to transfer miles between accounts. Each Flying Blue Family account is restricted to a maximum of two adults and six children. One notable benefit is a 25% discount on award bookings for children between the ages of 2 and 11.

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards

Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards offers point pooling to cardholders of the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® card. Cardholders can share points with up to 10 Atmos Rewards members, without fees or limits.

The British Airways Club

A British Airways Household Account allows you to share Avios with up to six people in your household. There are a few rules, namely that household members can’t use Avios to book flights for people outside of the pool. Household members under age 18 can’t redeem Avios either.

Etihad Guest

Etihad Guest Family Membership allows you to pool points with up to eight family members. Members combine their points into one account, and the Family Head can redeem them for travel. It’s very convenient for families who want to combine points for travel. Qualifying family members include parents, grandparents, children, mother and father-in-laws, step-children, and one “household helper.”

Frontier Miles

Frontier Airlines allows family pooling for Elite Silver members and co-branded credit cardholders. You can add up to eight people to your family pool, including friends, family, employees, and anyone else. The head of the family pool can add new members and redeem points.

JetBlue TrueBlue

JetBlue TrueBlue members can pool points with up to six other members. The “leader” setting up the account must be at least 21 years old and select at least one member to be in the pool. Both friends and family can join a points pool, which means that all the points they earn will be accumulated in the pool.

It’s worth noting that if a member leaves your points pool, you’ll have to wait at least six months to replace them.

United MileagePlus

United Airlines allows up to five MileagePlus members to join a miles pool and share miles without fees. A “pool leader” can invite members into the miles pool and approve award redemptions. There are no restrictions on who you can include in your miles pool – friends, family, and co-workers are all allowed. Each member can decide how many miles they want to contribute to the pool and leave at any time, though they can’t take their miles back. One major caveat: Pooled miles can only be used for United and United Express flights.

Which hotel loyalty programs allow points pooling?

All of the major hotel loyalty programs offer some form of points pooling. In fact, their policies are often more generous than airline programs, allowing you to freely share points with friends or family without paying fees. There are limits on the number of points you can pool or share with others. 

Here’s a look at the details for each hotel program:

Hilton Honors

Hilton Honors allows members to set up a points pool with up to 10 other members, who can freely share points with each other. These members can be from your household, friends, or anyone in between. There are no fees for contributing to the pool. 

You can transfer up to 500,000 points per calendar year and receive up to 2 million points. Each pool member is also restricted to 6 transfers and transactions per calendar year.

IHG One rewards

If you’re an IHG One Diamond elite member or enrolled in the IHG Business Rewards program, you can transfer points to other members for free. You can transfer up to 500,000 points per calendar year, as long as both accounts have been active for at least 30 days. 

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy has very steep redemption rates for top-tier hotels. While Marriott doesn’t have a points pooling feature, it does allow members to share points without a fee. This can be a great way to make awards at luxury properties accessible. You can transfer up to 100,000 points a year to another Bonvoy member and receive up to 500,000 points per year. Transfers are free but must be done over the phone. 

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt doesn’t have a points pooling, but it does allow members to transfer points to other members by filling out a form and submitting it to combinepoints@hyatt.com. The process can take up to 6 weeks, but usually takes just a few days. The great thing about Hyatt’s point transfer option is that it allows you to pool points into a single account for an award redemption – without accruing fees. Best of all, you can transfer points to any World of Hyatt account.

When you should and should not pool your points

Pooling points allows you to easily share points between family members and friends. While it offers massive convenience, it also comes with a few downsides worth noting. Here is why you should (and shouldn’t) pool your points:

When you should pool your points

• When you’re short on points for an award redemption and need to top up your account quickly

• To combine points for an award redemption before they expire

• To avoid “orphan” balances that are too small to redeem

When you shouldn’t pool your points

• When you’re sharing with friends and family members who may not contribute more than they redeem

• Sometimes shared points expire faster (i.e., Citi’s 90-day rule)

• If your “pool” is hacked, everyone could lose their points

How to share points when points pooling isn’t allowed

If a program doesn’t allow points pooling, there are still workarounds you can employ to share points with others. Some of them will incur fees, while others let you avoid them altogether. Your best options include the following:

Use points to book for someone else

The best way to share points without pooling them (while avoiding fees) is to use them to book travel for someone else. Nearly every loyalty program allows this. You simply make a reservation (hotel or airline), put the traveler’s name on it, and pay any applicable taxes and fees. 

You’ll need their travel information, including their name, date of birth, and (sometimes) their passport information for international flights. However, the booking process remains the same as when booking for yourself. This is the simplest way to share points with another person without transferring them and incurring fees.

Gift or transfer points

Nearly every airline and hotel loyalty program allows gifting or transferring points for a fee. This is an absolute last resort and not one we recommend because of the transfer fees involved. A slightly better option would be “gifting” points, which involves buying points for another person. Sometimes loyalty programs will run a sale, which makes buying them as a gift for others a bit more reasonable.