Can You Combine Miles From Different Airlines?

No, you can’t move miles from one airline’s program into another’s, so 20,000 Delta miles and 30,000 United miles won’t become 50,000 of either. You can get close, though. Airlines that share the Avios currency let you move it between them, alliances let one airline’s miles book another’s flights, and transferable credit card points can all be sent into a single airline account.

The practical question isn’t “how do I merge these?” but “which one program can book the trip I want?”

How do airline alliances help? #

The three global alliances let you use one member’s miles to book flights on the others, as long as award seats are available.

• Star Alliance: United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Swiss and others. Air Canada Aeroplan points can book United flights, for example.
• Oneworld: American, British Airways, Alaska, Qantas, Qatar, Cathay Pacific and others. Hawaiian Airlines joined in April 2026 after merging its loyalty program with Alaska’s.
• SkyTeam: Delta, Air France-KLM, Korean Air and others. Flying Blue miles can book Delta flights, sometimes for fewer miles than Delta charges its own members.

You still can’t combine balances across programs. But you can pick the program with the best price and send your flexible points there.

Which airlines let you combine miles directly? #

Two cases.

Avios programs #

British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, Aer Lingus and Finnair all use Avios. Once your accounts are linked, with matching names and details, you can move Avios between them, usually 1:1 and free. That means Avios earned with British Airways can pay for a Qatar Airways booking. British Airways calls the feature “Combine my Avios.”

Alaska and Hawaiian: Atmos Rewards #

Alaska Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles combined into Atmos Rewards in 2025, at one mile to one point. If you had balances in both, they now live in one program.

How do transferable card points let you combine rewards? #

This is the most useful route. Chase, Amex, Citi and Capital One points sit in your card account until you transfer them to an airline. Because several banks share the same partners, points from different banks can land in the same airline account.

A few 2026 changes: Amex’s transfers to Etihad ended June 30, 2026. Citi dropped Aeromexico in January 2026 and requires a Strata Premier or Strata Elite to transfer to American AAdvantage at full value. Chase added Wyndham on the hotel side. Check each program’s transfer page before moving points, because transfers can’t be reversed.

An example of combining across banks #

Say you need 80,000 Flying Blue miles for a business class seat to Europe. Chase, Amex and Citi all transfer to Flying Blue. You could send 30,000 Chase points, 30,000 Amex points and 20,000 Citi points into the same Flying Blue account, and they become one balance of 80,000 miles.

This only works if the earning side is planned. Points scattered across programs are hard to use, so it helps to concentrate spending on one or two transferable currencies. Credit Card Central has a Which Card? screen that ranks the cards you own for a purchase category, so the right card for dining, groceries or travel is obvious at the register.

Can you use hotel points to top up airline miles? #

Yes, with Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott transfers to about 39 airline programs, mostly at 3 Marriott points to 1 mile, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points moved in one transfer. That makes 60,000 points worth 25,000 miles. United gets 10,000 bonus miles per 60,000, while American, Avianca and Delta get no bonus.

It’s a poor exchange rate, so it’s best for small top-ups when you’re just short of an award. It only works one way: miles can’t go back into Marriott. Details in how to transfer Marriott points to airlines.

Should you use points exchange sites? #

Usually not. Third-party exchange platforms let you trade one program’s miles for another’s, but the rates are typically poor, so you give up most of the value. They make sense only for a small balance you’ll otherwise lose.

Can families combine miles with the same airline? #

Several airlines have free pooling:

• JetBlue TrueBlue: Points Pooling for up to seven people, friends included.
• Air Canada Aeroplan: Family Sharing for up to eight family members.
• British Airways: a Household Account for people at the same address, redeeming from one shared Avios balance.
• Atmos Rewards: points pooling tied to its co-branded credit cards.

Without pooling, airlines charge to move miles between people. Delta, for example, charges 1 cent per mile plus $30 per transfer. It’s cheaper to book the ticket from your own account in the other person’s name. See can you book a flight for someone else with points.

For the Capital One side specifically, see the best Capital One transfer partners for flights.

Frequently asked questions #

Can I transfer Delta miles to United? #

No. Delta and United are in different alliances and there’s no transfer between them. You’d need to book each airline’s flights with its own miles or with a partner program.

Does transferring credit card points to an airline count as combining? #

In practice, yes. Points from several banks can be sent into the same airline account, where they become one balance.

Do airline miles expire? #

It depends on the program. Delta, United, Southwest and JetBlue miles don’t expire, while American AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months without activity. See do credit card points expire.

Can I combine miles with my partner? #

Only in programs with pooling or household accounts, such as JetBlue, Aeroplan or British Airways. Otherwise, one person books the trip and enters the other as the passenger.

Is Avios the only currency shared by several airlines? #

It’s the main one. British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, Aer Lingus and Finnair all use Avios, and linked accounts can move Avios between them.