how can i donate alaska miles to a different charity

by Daisy Grant 4 min read

Alaska Airlines lets you donate to several charities, including Make-A-Wish, Dream Foundation, National Forest Foundation and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Once you have extra miles you want to donate, here’s how to do it: Log in to your Mileage Plan account.

How to donate Alaska Airlines miles
  1. Log in to your Mileage Plan account.
  2. Select the Donate miles link.
  3. Choose a charity.
Jul 20, 2020

Full Answer

How many miles can you donate to charity in Alaska?

Sign in to your My account. Select the Donate Miles link. Select one of the organizations from the drop-down list. Donate Miles UNCF Find out how donating your extra miles to UNCF helps students pursue their college and career dreams. Read more < Back to LIFT overview

How do you donate miles to the Red Cross?

Find your airline, get the details, then visit their site to donate your miles (listed alphabetically) Alaska Airlines® Mileage Plan™ Members can donate miles to charity through Alaska Airlines' LIFT Miles program, which also includes their corporate giving and foundation initiatives.

Can you donate miles from your loyalty program?

Jan 10, 2020 · Business Traveller looks at 15 different air mile donation schemes. ... The Alaska Airlines LIFT miles ... and there are a number of active campaigns that you can donate a minimum of 1,000 miles ...

What charities does Alaska Airlines partner with?

Feb 12, 2019 · Donate Your Miles To Charity Alaska Airlines partners with a wide range of charities like the Make-A-Wish and the National Forest foundations. You can donate a minimum of 1,000 miles to the charity of your choice and make a real difference.

Can I transfer Alaska miles to AA?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. You cannot transfer miles between frequent flyer programs and retain their value. You can't transfer miles between Alaska Mileage Plan and American AAdvantage, but you can use Alaska miles to book on American.

Can Alaska miles be transferred?

Alaska's new mileage transfer program gives Mileage Plan members the option to transfer up to 100,000 miles per year from one Mileage Plan account to another. Customers can use their miles to redeem travel on Alaska Airlines, as well as its sister carrier, Horizon Air, and more than a dozen worldwide airline partners.

Can I donate airline miles to a charity?

For Those Donating Air Travel The IRS recognizes the donation of airline miles or points as a gift from the airline to the charitable organization. Therefore, miles donated to the Red Cross are not considered tax-deductable by the individual donor.

Can I transfer my Alaska Airlines credit to someone else?

You may accrue miles on tickets purchased with a credit certificate, subject to the Mileage Plan conditions of membership. Credit certificates are non-transferable and will be forfeited if bartered or sold.

How do I transfer airline miles to another person?

In general, you can't transfer frequent flyer miles between airlines, even if they are partners. There are online options for exchanging points, such as Points.com, but the exchange rate is usually not worth the trouble unless you desperately want to keep miles from expiring or need your miles quickly.Dec 15, 2017

Can I use my miles to buy a ticket for someone else?

Yes, you can use your American Airlines AAdvantage miles to book tickets for other people. The process is almost as easy as booking a ticket for yourself.Jul 25, 2018

What can I do with unused airline miles?

But now there's an easy way to make your airline miles work for you. You can turn them into cash....Many of these services also permit you to purchase miles or travel at discounted rates.Flip My Miles. Website: https://flipmymiles.com/ ... Cash for My Miles. ... Earn Rewards Cash. ... Sell My Rewards.

What is the name of the program to donate miles to charities?

The American Red Cross uses donated miles to mobilize its workforce during emergencies to provide critical aid for those in need.

Can you donate flight credits?

Give your airfare as a gift Vlitas said airfare holders can gift their expiring credits to someone or donate them to a charity. While not every airline will allow customers to transfer vouchers or credits to other people, some are making exceptions.Dec 10, 2021

Can you use American Airlines credit on Alaska?

When can you credit American flights to Alaska? As a general rule of thumb you can credit your American flights to Alaska Mileage Plan on any paid fare. This includes when you're using miles or systemwide upgrades to upgrade.

How long are Alaska Airlines credits good for?

12 monthsAlaska Airlines “Your credit certificate will remain valid for 12 months from the issuance date of your original ticket, or 30 days from the date of exchange or cancellation, whichever is greater.”Mar 24, 2020

Do Alaska miles expire?

Do my miles expire? Mileage Plan miles do not expire.

How many miles do you need to donate to Aeroplan?

Aeroplan. To donate miles, you will need to pledge a minimum of 1,000 to 47,500 points or miles, depending on the program. Once you submit a pledge, the flight booking team at Miles4Migrants will match the miles donated to an individual in need. Keep in mind that the matching process can take weeks.

What is Miles4Migrants?

Founded in 2016, Miles4Migrants is a nonprofit that accepts frequent flyer mile donations and uses them to book airfare for migrants with financial hardships. From refugees to asylum seekers, Miles4Migrants has helped over 2,500 people using over 40 million points and miles. You can donate from a range of airline loyalty programs ...

Can you donate TPG points?

While the TPG team loves to use miles for travel, donating them can go a long way for someone in need. If you’re not traveling during the pandemic and are unable to keep your miles from expiring, donating them is a great way to make sure they’re not wasted. Whether it’s converting points and miles into donations or by helping people in need, it’s important to give back what you can.

Can you donate points and miles?

If you’re in the same boat, you can donate your points and miles to various organizations that are in need. Donating points and miles can be a great way to give back without shelling out any cash. It’s also an easy way to extend the validity of your points.

How many Skymiles can you donate to Delta?

Delta’s SkyWish donation program allows flyers to donate miles to a collection of 15 different nonprofits in several different areas. You can opt to donate as few as 1,000 SkyMiles to charities, including Make-A-Wish Foundation, Fisher House Foundation Hero Miles, Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Canine Assistants, among others. You can choose a maximum of five charities to be processed in one transaction on their website.

How many TrueBlue points can you donate?

If you would like to give your JetBlue TrueBlue points, you have 18 different nonprofit choices to donate anywhere from 500 to 500,000 points. Since JetBlue is a New York-based airline, several charity options are New York-centric, including the USO of Metropolitan New York, the FDNY Foundation and the New York Restoration Project. Log-in to your TrueBlue account at their donation page to get started.

What is the hardest hit in times of crisis?

Charities are often the hardest hit in times of crisis and need support and donations. Even though you probably won’t get the most value for your points, donating rewards to char ity can be rewarding for you — and for the organization.

Does Hyatt have a donation program?

While Hyatt has offered ways to support charities in the past, they don't have a regular points donation program.

Does Hawaiian Airlines donate miles?

Hawaiian Airlines stays true to its local roots and allows frequent flyers to donate their HawaiianMiles on their website to a variety of charities that benefit Hawaii in different ways. For example, instead of donating to the general American Red Cross, your miles will go specifically to the American Red Cross of Hawaii. There are several nonprofit options that support the environment and wildlife, like the Coral Reef Alliance and Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project.

What charities can you donate Asia miles to?

UNICEF HK, Oxfam Hong Kong and Hong Kong Red Cross are some of the charities that are featured. Asia Miles can also be contributed to FLY greener, a programme that allows you to reduce your carbon footprint.

What is JAL Mileage Bank?

JAL has a Charity Mile project in which JAL Mileage Bank members can make donations towards a number of campaigns carried out by its charity partners, which currently include disaster relief and environmental conservation.

What charities does Flying Blue support?

Flying Blue, Air France and KLM’s frequent flyer programme, has selected 18 charities to which its members may donate miles. Charities include Aviation Sans Frontières, which provides air transport to European hospitals for children with serious illnesses, the French Red Cross and WWF.

What is Miles and More?

Miles & More, the frequent flyer programme for these airlines, has partnered with two aid organisations – Help Alliance, which focuses on promoting nutrition, health and hygiene, and My Climate, which promotes certified climate protection projects. Members can either make a free donation, which is then allocated to the project most in need, or you can choose to support a specific cause.

What is Hawaiian Miles?

Hawaiian Miles allows members to donate miles to non-profit organisations. At the end of the year, the airline promises to match up to a half-million miles to each participating charity. The airline promotes 13 charities which support Hawaiian communities, including Blood Bank of Hawaii, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, and Friends of Hokule’a and Hawai’iloa, which helps to maintain canoe building traditions and values.

What is Rapid Rewards?

The airline’s Rapid Rewards programme allows you to donate miles to its participating programmes, which include All Hands and Hearts, a charity addressing the needs of communities impacted by natural disasters, and Dream Foundation, granting wishes to terminally-ill adults.

Can you donate miles on a mission?

Miles earned through the Mileage Plus programme can be donated to charities through the Miles on a Mission programme. United has partnered with 20 charities, and there are a number of active campaigns that you can donate a minimum of 1,000 miles to – if the campaign doesn’t reach its goal within 28 days, these will be returned to you. You can also campaign for your charity to be one of the partners.

How many miles can you donate to Alaska Airlines?

Alaska Airlines partners with a wide range of charities like the Make-A-Wish and the National Forest foundations. You can donate a minimum of 1,000 miles to the charity of your choice and make a real difference.

How long do Alaska miles last?

If you’ve currently have Alaska miles in your account, they’ll expire after 24 months of inactivity, so if you find yourself with a small amount of Mileage Plan miles and no plans to redeem them or earn more, you could be in a tough spot. Thankfully though, there are a couple of ways to redeem small amounts of Alaska miles.

Who is Andrew Kunesh?

Outside of the travel world, Andrew is a cyclist, craft coffee aficionado and — despite now living in NYC — a Chicagoan at heart.

Can you use airline miles to book a hotel?

You’ll generally sacrifice some value by pursuing this redemption option, but it’s better than nothing! With less than 5,000 miles in your account, you likely won’t have enough miles to cover an entire hotel stay.

Can you use Alaska miles for hotel stays?

However, you can use your Alaska miles to get a discount on hotel stays around the world. In the example above, I found a one-night stay at the Best Western City Hotel Moran in Prague for 17,600 Mileage Plan miles. Alternatively, you can use just 3,900 Mileage Plan miles and $80 to book the hotel stay.

How to donate airline miles

The process of donating airline miles varies depending on the airline. But in general you:

Bottom line

You can always donate your unused airline miles and points to organizations like the American Red Cross, Make-A-Wish, Hero Miles and others to help them meet their transportation needs.

Kliment Dukovski

Kliment Dukovski is a credit cards and investments writer. He's written over 600 articles to help readers find and compare the best credit cards. Kliment has also written on money transfers, home loans and more. Previously, he ghostwrote guides and articles on foreign exchange, stock market trading and cryptocurrencies.

Loyalty programs that allow donations

Not every airline is eligible for donating points and miles, but here are the domestic and international carriers that are:

How donating points and miles works

The loyalty programs that you have grant you access to your points through their online platforms; as simple as it is to get to your account, it’s as easy to donate.

Which charities participate?

Airlines and hotels have partnered with numerous reputable charities. Here are a few we recommend:

Are these donations tax-deductible?

Unfortunately, no, according to the IRS. As a United spokesperson told Smarter Travel, “Frequent flyer miles are a reward for loyalty. They do not constitute property. And the IRS does not grant deductions for something you don’t pay for.”

How many miles do you need to donate to the Red Cross?

The minimum mileage requirement for a donation is 1,000 miles. All donations should be made by visiting the Mileage Plus Service Center or by calling 1-800-421-4655.

What does AAdvantage do?

American Airlines AAdvantage® members may donate miles in 1,000-mile increments to American’s Miles of Hope program, which supports humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross.

Can you donate miles to the Red Cross?

The miles donated through these agreements are used solely for Red Cross mission-related travel. The Red Cross often receives requests to use these donated air miles for people who need assistance to travel due to a medical or other personal emergency, such as a death in the family. Due to the restrictions noted above, miles donated to the Red Cross cannot be used by individuals or groups of people with travel needs that are beyond the scope of the Red Cross mission.

Does Southwest Airlines donate to the Red Cross?

Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines supports the Red Cross through the donation of Rapid Rewards Points. In order to participate, customers must donate a minimum of 2,000 points, and in 500 point increments thereafter. Donations can be made through the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards donation program.

Can you donate frequent flyer miles to the Red Cross?

If you would like to donate your frequent flyer miles to the Red Cross, please contact your airline. The IRS recognizes the donation of airline miles or points as a gift from the airline to the charitable organization. Therefore, miles donated to the Red Cross are not considered tax-deductable by the individual donor.