Using miles for relatives

[wlockhart]

I have several relatives who are coming up from S FL to visit us next month. Can I use our miles to pay their fares?

[chgoflyer]

Assuming you mean points (Southwest doesn't use miles), yes. You can use your points to purchase fares for anyone. This is actually a great use of points, since they're fully refundable if you need to cancel -- vs having travel funds that are linked to a specific person only.

[JanetD]

Can I buy the tickets directly from my account or do I have to transfer points to my relatives who will be flying.  

[dfwskier · Accepted solution]

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@JanetD wrote:

Can I buy the tickets directly from my account or do I have to transfer points to my relatives who will be flying.  

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You can buy a points ticket for anyone you want thru your account.

DO NOT transfer points to anyone else. You pay a fee to do so, and that dramatically reduces the value of the points.

[gsking]

And the flip side of that... points used for your own tickets do not collect new points nor A list qualification. 

So it's best to use them for friends and relatives,  and buy your own tickets with cash if you fly a lot.