• Southwest, JetBlue, and Alaska Airlines offer the most flexible family pooling options with no fees.
• Most hotel programs allow free transfers between accounts, while airlines typically charge $5-15 per 1,000 miles.
• Marriott Bonvoy stands out by letting you pool points across up to 8 family members at no cost.

You've been collecting miles on your United account while your spouse racks them up on theirs. Now you're 15,000 miles short of that dream business class flight to Tokyo, and your partner has exactly that amount sitting unused. Can you combine them?

The answer depends entirely on which program you're using. Some airlines and hotels make pooling points incredibly easy—even free. Others charge fees that can kill the value of a transfer. And a few don't allow it at all.

Here's everything you need to know about pooling miles and points with family members, organized by the programs that actually make it worthwhile.

Airlines That Let You Pool Miles for Free

These are the programs where combining miles makes the most sense because you're not paying fees that eat into your rewards value.

Southwest Rapid Rewards: The Gold Standard

Southwest offers the most generous pooling policy in the airline industry. You can combine points from up to 10 accounts into one shared pool, and there are no fees whatsoever.

Here's how it works: designate one account as the primary "pool leader," then add up to 9 other accounts as pool members. Everyone keeps their individual accounts, but you can use the combined total for any booking. The primary account holder manages redemptions, but any member can book flights using the pooled points.

Why this matters: if you're collecting Southwest points with a co-branded card, family pooling means you can reach the Companion Pass faster by combining qualifying points from multiple accounts. That's potentially two people flying for the price of one on every Southwest flight.

JetBlue TrueBlue Family Pooling

JetBlue allows up to 7 family members (adults or children) to pool their points at no cost. The account holder must be at least 18 years old, and all members need individual TrueBlue accounts.

The best part? JetBlue defines "family" broadly—it includes household members, so you're not limited to blood relatives. Roommates, domestic partners, and extended family all qualify as long as they share your address.

Once pooled, any member can redeem points for any other member's travel. If you're earning JetBlue points through their co-branded card, this flexibility makes reaching award thresholds much faster.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Pooling

Alaska's family pooling lets you combine miles from up to 6 members in your household. There's no fee to set up the pool or transfer miles between pooled accounts.

The catch? All members must live at the same address. Alaska verifies this, so you can't just pool points with anyone. But for actual household members, this program works beautifully—especially since Alaska miles are some of the most valuable for international partner redemptions.

Airlines That Charge Transfer Fees

These programs technically allow pooling, but the fees can add up quickly. You'll need to do the math to see if transferring makes sense.

United MileagePlus Transfers

United charges $10 per 1,000 miles transferred, with a minimum of 1,000 miles and a maximum of 150,000 miles per year. There's also a $75 processing fee per transaction.

Let's say you need 30,000 miles for a domestic award flight. Transferring those miles would cost $300 in fees plus $75 processing—that's $375 total. At that point, you might as well buy the ticket with cash.

Our take: only transfer United miles when you're completing a high-value redemption like business class to Asia. For anything else, the fees kill the deal. Better strategy: earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points that transfer to United 1:1 with no fees, then move exactly what you need when you need it.

American Airlines AAdvantage Transfers

American charges $15 per 1,000 miles transferred, with a $35 processing fee per transaction. You can transfer up to 150,000 miles per year.

The math is brutal here. Transferring 25,000 miles costs $375 in fees plus $35 processing—$410 total. For reference, many domestic economy awards cost exactly 25,000 miles, so you're essentially doubling the cost.

Better approach: if you're regularly short on AAdvantage miles, consider co-branded cards that earn miles directly into your account. The welcome bonuses alone often provide more value than paying transfer fees.

Delta SkyMiles Transfers

Delta charges $10 per 1,000 miles transferred with a $30 processing fee. Maximum transfer is 150,000 miles per transaction, with no annual limit on how many times you transfer.

Here's where it gets tricky: Delta doesn't publish award charts, so you never know exactly how many miles you'll need until you search. This makes it hard to plan transfers strategically. You might transfer 40,000 miles only to find the flight you want costs 55,000.

Hotel Programs With Free Point Transfers

Hotel loyalty programs are generally more generous than airlines when it comes to combining points. Most charge no fees at all.

Marriott Bonvoy: Best Hotel Pooling Program

Marriott lets you pool points across up to 8 members in your "Marriott Bonvoy Household." There are no fees, and the process is instant once set up.

The requirements are simple: all members must be at least 13 years old and list the same address on their accounts. Marriott doesn't strictly enforce the "household" requirement—they mainly verify the address matches.

Why this matters: Marriott has over 8,000 properties worldwide, and many Category 5 and 6 hotels offer incredible value at 35,000-50,000 points per night. If you're short 20,000 points for a booking, grabbing them from a family member's account costs nothing.

Strategy tip: if you're working toward earning Marriott points through credit cards, set up household pooling immediately. You'll reach free night thresholds faster, and you can use combined points for those expensive resort stays that require 75,000+ points per night.

Hilton Honors Point Pooling

Hilton allows point transfers between accounts, and while they call it "transferring" rather than "pooling," the effect is the same. You can move points between any two Hilton Honors accounts with no fees.

The catch: there's a minimum transfer of 10,000 points and a maximum of 500,000 points per year. Processing takes about 24 hours, so you can't do last-minute transfers right before booking.

Best use: Hilton points are easiest to earn through co-branded credit cards, and they're perfect for aspirational stays at properties like Conrad Maldives or Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos. Combining points from multiple accounts helps you reach those 95,000-point-per-night redemptions.

World of Hyatt Point Transfers

Hyatt allows free point transfers between accounts—up to 500,000 points per year with a 1,000-point minimum per transaction. There's no fee, and transfers are instant.

The flexibility here is excellent. You don't need to prove you're family members or live at the same address. Any World of Hyatt member can transfer to any other member.

Why Hyatt points are worth combining: Hyatt consistently offers the best value in hotel loyalty programs, with Category 1-4 properties bookable for just 5,000-15,000 points per night. If you're earning Hyatt points through stays or credit card spending, combining accounts helps you reach those premium Category 7 and 8 properties (30,000-40,000 points per night) faster.

IHG One Rewards Point Transfers

IHG allows point transfers between accounts with no fees. You can transfer up to 100,000 points per year per account, with a 1,000-point minimum.

The process takes 24 hours to complete, so plan ahead. IHG is particularly useful for combining points because they have a massive global footprint—over 6,000 properties including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and InterContinental.

Value play: IHG points go further than most hotel currencies. You can book solid properties for 10,000-25,000 points per night. If you're earning points through IHG's co-branded credit card, the annual free night certificate (up to 40,000 points) plus transferred points from family members can cover most of a vacation.

Programs That Don't Allow Pooling

Some major programs don't permit point transfers between accounts at all. Know these limitations before you start collecting.

British Airways Avios

British Airways doesn't allow Avios transfers between accounts. Your only option is to use your own Avios to book travel for someone else (called a "reward flight guest").

Workaround: since Avios transfer 1:1 from Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards, you can transfer from your credit card points to either person's British Airways account as needed.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue doesn't permit mile transfers between accounts. You can use your miles to book flights for family members, but you can't combine accounts.

The good news: Flying Blue has an excellent transfer partner network through Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt. If you need more miles in someone's account, transfer from your credit card points instead of trying to move airline miles around.

How Credit Card Points Change the Game

Here's the secret that makes all these airline transfer fees irrelevant: flexible credit card points transfer to airline and hotel partners instantly and for free.

Instead of paying $300+ to transfer United miles between family accounts, transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points from your own account to whoever needs them. The points hit their airline account within minutes, and there's zero fee.

The three major transferable points currencies:

Chase Ultimate Rewards: Transfers to United, Southwest, British Airways, Air France-KLM, and Hyatt among others. Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred let you earn these points on everyday spending, then move them to whoever needs them for a specific booking.

American Express Membership Rewards: Transfers to Delta, Air France-KLM, British Airways, and Hilton. The Amex Gold Card earns 4X points on dining and groceries, building a balance you can deploy strategically.

Citi ThankYou Points: Transfers to Turkish Airlines, JetBlue, Air France-KLM, and Wyndham. The Citi Strata Premier earns 3X on travel, gas, and restaurants—perfect for accumulating points you can transfer on demand.

This is why experienced travelers focus on earning transferable credit card points rather than airline miles directly. You get all the flexibility with none of the transfer fees or pooling restrictions.

Smart Strategies for Families

If you're traveling with family regularly, here's how to maximize your combined earning and redemption power:

Strategy 1: Designate One "Points Collector"

Instead of splitting purchases across multiple cards earning into different accounts, concentrate spending on one person's cards. That person becomes the family's primary points balance holder.

When you need to book travel, use that primary account for redemptions. For programs that don't allow pooling, this person can book travel for other family members using their own points.

Strategy 2: Use Programs With Free Pooling for Aspirational Trips

Focus your Southwest, JetBlue, and Alaska earning on family accounts you can pool freely. Save programs with transfer fees (United, American, Delta) for individual use only.

For hotels, prioritize Marriott and Hyatt earning since both offer free pooling or transfers. These programs are perfect for combining points for expensive resort stays that require 50,000-100,000 points per night.

Strategy 3: Leverage Household Definitions

Many programs define "household" broadly. If you're an adult living with parents, roommates, or extended family, check if you qualify for household pooling in programs like Marriott, Alaska, or JetBlue.

The address requirement is usually the only verification. As long as everyone lives at the same address (and can prove it), you're typically approved for family pooling benefits.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't transfer miles "just in case" you might need them. Airline miles usually expire if unused for 18-24 months. Only move miles when you have a specific redemption planned.

Never pay transfer fees for low-value redemptions. If transferring miles costs $200 and the flight is worth $300, you're only getting $100 of value. Either find a better redemption or book with cash.

Don't forget about credit card point transfers. Before paying airline transfer fees, check if you can transfer from Chase, Amex, or Citi points instead. You'll save hundreds in fees and have more flexibility.

When Pooling Actually Makes Sense

Pooling is brilliant when you're close to a high-value redemption. If you need 10,000 more miles for a business class ticket to Europe worth $3,000+, grabbing them from a family member's account (even with fees) beats buying a cash ticket.

It's perfect for families with young children who travel together. Parents can pool everyone's miles into one account for booking family vacations, making it easier to reach award thresholds.

And it's essential when one person travels frequently for work, earning miles they'll never use, while another person books all the family vacations. Pooling lets you consolidate those business trip earnings into vacation redemptions.

Your Next Steps

Start by checking which programs you're currently earning miles or points in. If you're collecting United, American, or Delta miles separately from your partner, you're probably losing value to transfer fees.

Set up free pooling immediately with Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Marriott, and Hyatt if you have family members in those programs. There's no downside, and you'll unlock redemptions you couldn't reach individually.

Consider shifting your earning strategy to transferable credit card points rather than airline co-branded cards. You'll get the same airline mile balances when you transfer, but with complete flexibility on timing and recipient.

The best pooling strategy isn't about gaming the system—it's about coordinating with the people you actually travel with to maximize everyone's rewards.

This article contains affiliate links. If you apply through our links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you, which helps us continue sharing points and miles strategies with the community.