Some of the most common questions we get from point.me members are around names — specifically around the rules when it comes to matching your name between your credit card and frequent flyer accounts, between your passport and ticket, or between your credit card and ticket.
The general rule for transferring points is that the names must match between the credit card account and the frequent flyer program to which you’re transferring the credit card points. And the general rule for booking your ticket and flying is that the names must match between the name on your ticket and the name on your ID (like your driver’s license or passport).
This might sound easy, but there are a lot of scenarios that actually make it a little more complex than that. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the rules around names when it comes to transferring points, booking travel, and flying.
What if you have a middle name on your credit card but not your frequent flyer account?
“I have a middle name (or initial) in the name on my credit card. When making an account with the frequent flyer program, there’s no area to input a middle name or initial. Is this okay?”
Yes! If you have a middle name or initial on your credit card, but the frequent flyer program doesn’t have a box for you to type in your middle name or initial, then there’s nothing to worry about. You can create an account with just your first and last name.
What if you have a suffix in the name on your credit card but not your frequent flyer account?
“I have a suffix on the name on my credit card. When making an account with the frequent flyer program, there’s no area to input the suffix. What should I do?”
The suffix field isn’t common on forms for creating accounts with frequent flyer programs. In this instance, we recommend combining your suffix with your last name.
Note: It’s expected that the last name and suffix will be combined into one, and the suffix will appear in lowercase.
Example:
Credit cardholder’s name: Michael Lee III
Frequent flyer bame with no suffix field: Michael Leeiii
What if you have different names on your credit card and frequent flyer account?
“I already have a frequent flyer account, but the name is different from what appears on my credit card. What should I do?”
This is a very common situation, and our answer to this depends on several factors, but the most important factor is if you’re looking to book something immediately or in the future.
The general rule of thumb is that the names must match between the frequent flyer program and credit card account, but doing a name change for either (or both) of these accounts can take the banks and/or frequent flyer programs several weeks to complete.
Looking to book travel immediately?
If you’re looking to book a flight immediately, our recommendation is to create another new frequent flyer account under the same name that appears on your credit card. During the account creation process, you might need to use a different email address and/or phone number than what’s used on your existing account, as the frequent flyer program’s system might prevent a duplicate account. After you have created the new account, you can initiate the points transfer and book the flight you’re interested in.
Only after travel has been completed, we recommend reaching out to the frequent flyer program and asking them if they can help merge the accounts into one. During this process, they might ask for a picture of your ID to confirm your identity.
Looking to book travel in the future?
If you’re looking to make your booking three weeks or more in the future, we recommend doing the name change with the frequent flyer program in advance, so that it matches what’s on your credit card. This process can sometimes take a few weeks, and they will most likely ask for a picture of your ID to confirm your identity. After the name change has been processed, you can transfer your points and book the flights you’re interested in.
What if you want to book flights for someone else?
“I want to book flights for someone else. Should I create a frequent flyer account under their name so that I can move my points to them?”
Credit card programs have restrictions on whose frequent flyer program accounts you transfer points to, but they generally don’t have restrictions on who you can book flights for using your own account. In most cases, only you (the cardholder) need to have an account with the frequent flyer program, so you can simply transfer the points from your credit card program to your frequent flyer program and then book the flights for the other person.
There are some programs that require the account holder of the frequent flyer account to set up “redemption nominees,” which is a list of people that can have award tickets booked for them, such as:
1. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
2. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
3. British Airways Executive Club (under ‘Travel Companions’)
It’s worth noting that many frequent flyer programs have active departments that look for member activity that goes against the terms and conditions of their program, such as selling/buying miles from a third party, which flight redemptions for third parties can fall under. So, it’s recommended not to book travel for others while the account holder isn’t traveling, especially from a newly created account, as this booking can be flagged.
What if the name on your credit card or frequent flyer program is different from the name on your ticket?
“My name on my credit card and frequent flyer program account is different from what I have on my passport. Will I have any issues booking travel for myself with the name on my passport?”
You will not run into any issues with the booking process in this situation, as most frequent flyer programs don’t care who you’re booking travel for. Even in the event that you need to book travel via a program that requires ‘redemption nominees,’ you can always add yourself as a nominee with the name that appears on your travel document.
There are also some frequent traveler programs that auto-fill the name fields with the account holder’s name, which can be different from the account holder’s travel document. In this instance, there’s usually a drop-down or checkbox that you can select to book travel for someone else, even though the ticket is for you.
The important thing is that the name on your ticket matches the name on the ID you’ll use for travel, like your driver’s license or passport.
Should you include your middle initial or suffix on the booking?
“Do I need to include my middle initial (or name) and/or suffix in the name on my reservation?”
Yes, if it appears on your travel document! There are some countries and airlines that can be very particular about the names matching on the airline ticket and travel document. So for a more seamless travel experience, you will want to ensure that there’s consistency with how the names appear on both.
Can I travel under my new married name if my passport is under my maiden name?
“I recently got married and haven’t had time to update my passport. Should I book my upcoming trip under my new married name or under my maiden name?”
The name on your reservation and your travel document (ID or passport) must match, so be sure to book your flight reservation under whatever name is on your passport. If that’s still your maiden name, make your booking under that name. Even if you have changed your name on other documents, if your ID or passport still says your maiden name, make sure you book your flights under that name. Keep doing so until you get your new passport or ID.
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