How (and why) to credit flights to other airlines

Good morning from Cairo Airport, where I’m anxiously hoping Egypt isn’t the next country to close its airspace before I make it to Europe later today. 🤞

Today’s newsletter will be a bit longer than usual, but that’s because we’re covering a topic that a LOT of you have asked for clarification on:

• ✈️ How (and why) to credit flights to other airlines

• 💳 Cool new $350 card perk

• 🔄 Current Transfer Bonuses

✈️ How (and why) to credit flights to other airlines

Here’s a little trick that can seriously level up your points game.

When you book a flight with cash, the airline you’re flying doesn’t have to be the airline you earn miles with.

For example, let’s say you book a United flight. Most people would automatically add their United frequent flyer number to the reservation and earn United miles.

But you don’t have to.

If you add your Aeroplan number instead, that same flight will earn Aeroplan points – even though you’re flying on a United plane.

This works because airlines partner with each other through alliances. United and Air Canada are both part of Star Alliance, which means their loyalty programs recognize each other’s flights.

And that opens the door to a bunch of useful strategies.

Why you might credit flights to a different airline

There are generally three reasons you’d do this: the points, the perks, or both.

Sometimes it’s about earning better points.

Different programs calculate earnings differently. United, for example, awards miles based on how much money you spend. Aeroplan, on the other hand, often awards points based on distance flown.

So if you book a cheap but long flight, crediting it to Aeroplan could earn you significantly more points than crediting it to United. But if the ticket is expensive, United’s revenue-based earnings might actually come out ahead.

For example, if you book this round trip on United from Los Angeles to Bangkok, it’ll cost $662 in basic economy. 👇

Because of United’s upcoming program changes, this flight would earn you exactly 0 United miles unless you have elite status or a co-branded credit card.

If you credit to Aeroplan, however, you’ll still earn 25% of the distance flown as Aeroplan points – even in basic economy.

So instead of 0 United miles, you can earn 4,155 Aeroplan points for the same booking.

Other times, this is all about elite perks.

I have Platinum Elite status with Garuda Indonesia, a SkyTeam airline.

That means if I book an economy flight with other SkyTeam airlines (like Delta, KLM, Korean Air, or Aeromexico), I can add my Garuda loyalty number to the reservation.

I’ll earn Garuda miles (which, frankly, I don’t care much about), but the real benefit is the elite perks: things like lounge access, free checked bags, priority boarding, and better seat selection… all while flying economy.

And occasionally, you get the best of both worlds.

Take Atmos Rewards as an example. My Atmos Titanium status comes with oneworld Emerald, which unlocks some seriously nice perks when flying American Airlines, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, and more – including access to first-class lounges in places like Hong Kong.

But Atmos also has a points currency I actually value, and elite members get higher earning rates on flights. I earn 150% bonus points on ALL oneworld and partner flights, for example.

So when I credit those oneworld flights to Atmos, I’m getting the perks and racking up a pile of points at the same time.

How do you actually do this?

Generally, you can add a frequent flyer number during the booking process.

For example, if you are booking a United flight, you’ll see a page like this where you input your personal information – including your preferred loyalty program and frequent flyer number. 👇

But if you book a flight and accidentally use the wrong program, don’t stress. You can usually change it online through the airline’s “manage booking” page.

Worst-case scenario — you can always call the airline and ask them to update the number. And in the VERY worst case, you can just change it during the check-in process (either online or at the airport).

A couple of important things to know

First, you can only earn miles with one program per flight – no double-dipping here, you naughty travelers.

Second, this generally only applies to cash tickets. If you booked an award flight using miles, you typically won’t earn additional miles – though adding a loyalty number can still matter if you’re trying to receive elite perks.

And if you’re chasing elite status with a specific airline, you’ll usually want to credit flights to that airline’s program. Crediting a United flight to Aeroplan, for example, won’t help you earn status with United.

A quick reality check

Now, before the points nerds in the back start warming up their keyboards: this is intentionally a very basic introduction to the concept.

There are plenty of smaller nuances we simply can’t cover in one newsletter section, including things like:

• Certain fare classes earn fewer miles with partner programs

• Some ultra-cheap tickets earn nothing at all

• Elite perks vary by alliance tier

• Flat-rate mileage earnings for certain programs

The goal here isn’t to memorize every edge case.

It’s just to understand the core idea: the airline you fly and the airline you earn points with don’t have to be the same.

And once you start thinking about your flights that way, you unlock a whole new layer of strategy for earning better points and enjoying better perks along the way.

💳 Cool new $350 card perk

Holding premium credit cards with sky-high annual fees can be stressful. But every once in a while, we get cool opportunities to make some of that annual fee back in the form of credits.

And for a limited time, this premium card just dropped a new offer: You can now get $359 back when you spend $359 on a WHOOP membership.

This basically means you’ve got a brand-new, dead-simple way to knock $359 off your annual fee with a purchase that might interest many of you.

So… what the heck is WHOOP?

WHOOP is a fitness/wellness band and membership system that focuses on recovery, sleep, strain, and overall body performance.

It’s super popular with runners, weightlifters, and people who love obsessing over their health data.

But regular humans like it too because it basically tells you, “Hey, here’s why you feel like garbage today.”

Why this card perk matters

WHOOP’s most premium annual membership – the one that includes the band, strap, charger, and full analytics – costs exactly $359 per year.

The only thing not included with this initial purchase is taxes. But depending on where you live, that might be $0.

Plus, shipping is free and takes just 3-5 days.

Since I have a New Hampshire billing address, my grand total for the band, membership, taxes, and shipping came out to exactly $359.

If you do sign up for a new membership, make sure to turn off recurring payments or set a reminder for yourself in just under a year in case you decide not to continue paying for it.

This credit is not annual; it's a one-time deal through May of this year.

Also, you need to activate this offer in your card account before making the purchase on WHOOP’s website – and make sure to read the terms in detail.

The bottom line

If you’ve had your eye on WHOOP or you’ve just been looking for painless ways to claw back the cost of your premium card’s annual fee, this is easily one of the best-value wellness perks out there right now.

It’s clean, it’s simple, and it’s essentially free as long as you activate the offer, spend at least $359, and check out normally.

Okay, friends. By the time you get this, I should be walking around the Vatican before getting on a bus to San Marino. 🇸🇲

If you hear from me on Monday and I’m still in Egypt, someone please just come put me out of my misery.

Have a great weekend. ❤️

30.0444° N, 31.2357° E

With contributions by McKay Moffitt, April Wilson, and Alison Carrico