- United Airlines now allows frequent flyer members to pool miles into a joint account.
- Miles pooled in a joint account cannot be transferred back to an individual account.
- JetBlue and Frontier previously launched similar mile pool programs.
United Airlines now allows frequent fliers to pool miles with four other people in a joint account, the airline announced in a press release Thursday.
United Airlines said in a press release that MileagePlus members can combine their miles into a joint account as long as each person is a member of the loyalty program, but there's a catch.
Luc Bondard, chief operating officer of United's MileagePlus program, told CNBC that miles pooled in a joint account cannot be transferred back to an individual account.
How it works is that one MileagePlus member (whom United calls a “pool leader”) who is 18 or older can invite four other members to pool miles into their account, the airline said. Stated. According to the press release, the other four members are of any age.
United Airlines says each member can choose how many miles to contribute to their account, and there is no limit to the number of miles they can pool together.
Members can use these miles to receive discounts when purchasing tickets on United's website or mobile app, according to a press release. United did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Two other U.S. airlines have previously launched similar mile pool programs. In November 2018, JetBlue announced that it would allow up to seven members of its TruBlue loyalty program to pool miles. In January, Frontier launched a “Family Pooling” program that allows up to eight Frontier Miles loyalty program members to pool miles.
