12 Airlines That Allow Free Family and Friends Miles Pooling

Here’s a scenario I see all the time: You’ve got 50,000 United miles. Your spouse has 20,000. Your teenager has 10,000. Separately? Those balances won’t get everyone onto an award flight to Europe. Together? You’re looking at three economy award tickets.

The problem is that most people don’t realize they can combine those miles.

I’m talking about miles pooling—the ability to merge points from multiple frequent flyer accounts into one shared bucket that anyone in the group can use for redemptions. And while some airlines charge hefty fees to transfer miles between accounts (American Airlines charges $15 per 1,000 miles), a surprising number of programs let you share miles completely free.

Pooling is a total game-changer. Instead of everyone sitting on fragmented balances that never quite reach redemption thresholds, you combine forces and unlock award flights that were impossible before. You can reach premium cabin awards faster, stop letting small balances go to waste in rarely-used accounts, and actually book group travel without coordinating multiple redemptions.

The key is knowing which programs let you do this without bleeding value to transfer fees.

The 12 Airlines With Free Points and Miles Pooling

I’ve organized these into two categories to make it easier to find what works for your situation. The first group lets you pool with literally anyone—friends, colleagues, travel buddies, whoever. The second group requires family relationships (though some are more flexible than others about proving it).

MOST FLEXIBLE: FRIENDS WELCOME

These programs don’t care if you’re related. You could pool with your college roommate, work colleague, or high school best friend. Though I would suggest pooling with someone you trust and want to share miles with. 

Air Canada Aeroplan – Family Sharing

Who can pool: Up to 8 people; no relationship requirement
Total pool size: 8 people
Restrictions: None significant

Aeroplan’s Family Sharing is a misnomer—you don’t need to be related at all. Each member keeps their own account and balance, but all points become available for any member to redeem. The real power here is booking Star Alliance partners. Want to use pooled Aeroplan points for a Singapore Airlines Suites redemption? You can do that. This is one of the most generous and flexible programs out there.

Iberia Plus – Family Account

Who can pool: Up to 7 people; no relationship requirement
Total pool size: 7 people
Restrictions: Members must generally stay in the account for at least 12 months after joining

Iberia’s “family” pooling is really friends-and-family since you don’t need to be related or live together. Once the family account is active, all existing Avios and all future earnings from seven people are pooled into a single shared balance that anyone can use across Iberia, British Airways, Qatar, Aer Lingus, and other Oneworld partners. The 12-month commitment is worth noting, but if you’re pooling with people you actually travel with, that’s rarely an issue.

JetBlue TrueBlue – Points Pooling

Who can pool: Up to 7 people – no relationship requirement
Total pool size: 7 people
Restrictions: Pool leader controls all redemptions; members contribute 100% of their points

JetBlue takes the crown for largest free pool—seven people can contribute all their newly earned points into one account (existing balances stay put unless manually transferred). The trade-off? Once you join, every new point you earn goes to the pool, and only the pool leader can make redemptions. Perfect for families with one travel planner, less ideal for friend groups wanting autonomy.

United MileagePlus – MileagePlus Pooling

Who can pool: Pool leader plus up to 4 other members – no relationship requirement
Total pool size: Up to 5 people
Restrictions: Members must wait 90 days between leaving one pool and joining another

United’s pooling is incredibly flexible—no relationship requirement, no shared address needed. Members keep their own accounts but contribute miles to a shared pool that anyone can use. The catch? Pooled miles can only be redeemed on United or United Express flights, not Star Alliance partners. But for domestic travel and United’s own international routes, this is perfect. Pro tip: Make your highest-status member the pool leader for better award availability and customer service.

FAMILY ONLY: RELATIONSHIP REQUIRED

These programs restrict pooling to family members, though the definition of “family” varies wildly. Some want documentation, others just need a shared address, and a few (looking at you, Etihad) are surprisingly generous about who counts.

Aeromexico Rewards – Family Group

Who can pool: Spouses, parents, and children under 21 with the same last name
Total pool size: Varies by family structure
Restrictions: Same last name required for most members

Aeromexico’s pooling is restrictive—the same last name requirement is a non-starter for many modern families. Members keep separate balances but can transfer points to each other for free as needed. If you fit the criteria, it’s a decent SkyTeam option, but most people will find better flexibility elsewhere.

Air France–KLM Flying Blue – Flying Blue Family

Who can pool: Up to 8 members total (max 2 adults, up to 6 children)
Total pool size: 8 people
Restrictions: Must designate a family leader who manages the account

Flying Blue works well if you have kids who earn miles but never redeem them solo. Members keep their individual miles, but the family leader can transfer others’ miles into their own account for SkyTeam redemptions. The 2-adult cap is the main limitation for multi-generational households.

Asiana Airlines – Family Mileage Plan

Who can pool: Up to 8 relatives
Total pool size: 8 people
Restrictions: Relationship verification required; linked accounts require approval

Asiana requires relationship verification but offers an 8-person cap for extended family. Family members keep individual accounts, but the family plan allows their miles be used together for award tickets or upgrades. Note that Asiana is merging with Korean Air, so the future of this program is uncertain. For now, it still works as advertised.

British Airways Executive Club – Household Account

Who can pool: Up to 6 people living at the same address, including children under 18
Total pool size: 6 people
Restrictions: All members must share the same residential address

British Airways’ Household Account is one of the OG pooling programs. Each member earns Avios in their own account, but BA displays and uses a combined household balance for redemptions. The same-address requirement is limiting, but for traditional families, it’s fantastic—especially since BA Avios can be used for Iberia, Qatar, Aer Lingus, and other Avios programs.

Etihad Guest – Family Membership

Who can pool: Up to 9 family members, including extended relatives and one household helper
Total pool size: 9 people
Restrictions: Miles are credited to the main account holder

Etihad is remarkably generous—they even let you add a household helper. Each member earns individually in their own account, but miles are combined so the head member can redeem on behalf of the group. If you’re based in the Middle East or fly Etihad regularly, this is a no-brainer.

Korean Air SKYPASS – Family Plan

Who can pool: Up to 5 family members with documented relationships
Total pool size: 5 people
Restrictions: Relationship verification required

Korean Air requires relationship verification, but once you’re in, you’ve got access to one of the most underrated SkyTeam programs. Individual accounts continue to accrue miles separately, but pooling is enabled for redemptions. Korean Air often has better award availability than Delta or Air France on long-haul routes.

Lufthansa Miles & More – Mileage Pooling

Who can pool: 2 adults and up to 5 children
Total pool size: 7 people
Restrictions: Typically available only to residents of certain European countries

Lufthansa’s pooling has residency restrictions (mainly for Europeans) and a 2-adult cap for pooling miles together. Members maintain their own accounts, but award miles are combined into one pool for redemption. If you qualify and fly Lufthansa Group or Star Alliance regularly, premium cabin awards could be more accessible.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club – Family Programme

Who can pool: Up to 9 family members (spouse, children over 2, parents, in-laws)
Total pool size: 9 people
Restrictions: Relationship verification required

Qatar’s Family Programme is true pooling—all family-earned Avios automatically go into the primary member’s account (though they don’t count toward status). Perfect for saving up for those aspirational Qsuites redemptions. The relationship verification is more stringent, but worth it if you’re a Qatar loyalist.

Quick Comparison: Free Airline Mileage Pooling

Real Example: How Pooling Points and Miles Unlocks Award Travel

The Garcia family has four people with these United MileagePlus balances:

• Dad: 68,000 miles
• Mom: 52,000 miles
• Kid 1: 25,000 miles
• Kid 2: 15,000 miles

Separately, not everyone can reach the ~40,000 miles needed for a single round-trip economy ticket to Europe.

Pooled together? They’ve got 160,000 miles. That’s enough to book all four tickets. Another option: the Garcias could use 140,000 pooled miles to book two business-class seats for the parents on the overnight flight to Europe, then pay cash for the kids’ economy tickets. 

That’s the power of pooling—you’re not just combining miles, you’re unlocking redemption strategies that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

Not all Sharing is Free: Many Programs Charge for Family Pooling

Not every program offers free pooling. Delta SkyMiles and American Airlines AAdvantage both allow transfers between accounts—but charge fees that make it almost never worth it. American charges $15 per 1,000 miles transferred (plus a processing fee), meaning moving 50,000 miles would cost you $750. At that rate, it’s not worth transferring them. Other programs, like Alaska Atmos Rewards, require you to hold a specific credit card (Atmos Summit) to pool points, which is a nice advantage for that card.

That’s why the 12 free programs I highlighted for pooling miles with family are so valuable. You get all the benefits without bleeding value to transfer fees.

How to Set Up Miles Pooling to Redeem Miles

Setting up pooling is straightforward. Log in to your frequent flyer account and look for “Pooling,” “Family Sharing,” or “Household Account” in your dashboard. You’ll typically need each member’s loyalty number and some basic info to join the pool. The process should take less than 10 minutes.

Final Thoughts: Stop Letting Miles Go to Waste

If you’re sitting on fragmented balances across multiple accounts in your household—or worse, letting miles expire in accounts nobody checks—you’re losing serious value.

Miles pooling is one of those rare features in the points and miles world that’s genuinely win-win. Airlines offer more engaged members, and you gain access to redemptions that might otherwise be impossible.

My advice? Pick one or two programs where your family already earns miles and set up pooling this week. It takes minutes, costs nothing, and the next time you’re planning a trip, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to find award availability when you’re working from a shared bucket.

Now go raid your family’s accounts and see what you’ve been sitting on. I’m betting it’s more than you think.

Editor’s note: Opinions shared in this article are solely the author’s and do not represent the views of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other organization. The content has not been evaluated, approved, or endorsed by any of the mentioned entities. These are our recommendations but it isn’t financial advice. We may receive a commission if you click through any of the links in this article.

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