How to donate airline miles to charity

Most airlines allow you to donate your miles to partner charities and nonprofit organizations, like the American Red Cross and Make-A-Wish. These donations support the operations and transportation needs of these organizations. If you have unused miles about to expire, don’t hesitate to donate.

How to donate airline miles

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

1. Log in to your frequent flyer account.
2. Select a charity.
3. Donate airline miles.

Note: You can also donate by calling the airline customer support. Some charities, like Make-A-Wish, let you donate by visiting their website and filling out a form.

How to donate Delta miles

Delta has one of the largest selection of nonprofit organizations that accept donated miles. Examples include the American Red Cross, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Make-A-Wish, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army and UNICEF. Here’s how to donate:

1. Log in to your Delta SkyMiles account.
2. Select Use miles and find buy, gift, transfer or donate section.
3. Scroll down the page until you find Donate Your Miles with SkyWish.
4. Select a continent where you want to donate your miles.
5. Select the charity you wish to donate miles to.

How to donate American Airlines miles

As of this writing, you only have three donation options: Miles for Our Social Good, Miles for Our Well-Being and Miles for Our Heroes. Each options has three nonprofits, including Make-A-Wish, American Red Cross, UNICEF, Feeding America and Medal of Honor. Follow these steps to make your donation:

1. Log in to your American Airlines account.
2. Click AAdvantage and select Redeem miles.
3. Scroll down the page until you find Donate.
4. Select one of the available options.

How to donate United Airlines miles

United collects donations in two ways: campaigns and partners. Campaigns usually last 28 days and if the funding goal is reached, all miles go to that campaign. If not, United returns the miles back to your account. Donating to partners, on the other hand, lets you donate to a charity you choose. Here’s how to donate:

1. Log in to your United MileagePlus account.
2. Select to use your miles.
3. Find the donate miles option under Buy, donate or transfer miles.
4. Click View charities and select one to donate.

How to donate Southwest Airlines points

Choose from multiple charities, including Make-A-Wish, Honor Flight Network, Dream Foundation and The Mission Continues. Here’s how to make your donation:

1. Log in to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account.
2. Select Donate points.
3. Choose a participating charity.

How to donate JetBlue points

Some of the available charities available for points donation include American Red Cross, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York Restoration Project and Ocean Foundation. To donate, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your TrueBlue account.
2. Select Using points.
3. Scroll down until you find Donate points.
4. Select a charity you wish to donate miles.

How to donate Alaska Airlines miles

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:

1. Log in to your Mileage Plan account.
2. Select the Donate miles link.
3. Choose a charity.

Compare airline credit cards

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Name	Product	Filter values	Rewards	Purchase APR	Annual fee
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card			2x miles on Delta purchases, restaurants and at US supermarkets and 1x miles on all other eligible purchases	15.74% to 24.74% variable	$0 intro annual fee for the first year ($99 thereafter)	Apply now View details	Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Plus, earn up to $50 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at US restaurants with your card within the first 3 months of membership	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card			2x miles at restaurants and on direct Delta purchases and 1x miles on all other purchases	15.74% to 24.74% variable	$0	Apply now View details	Earn 2x miles on Delta purchases and dining with this simple, entry-level Delta card, and pay no annual fee. Terms apply, see rates & fees	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi			4% at gas stations on up to $7,000 annually (then 1%), 3% at restaurants and on travel, 2% at Costco and 1% on all other purchases	15.24% variable	$0	Apply now View details	Get 3% back on your travel and dining purchases with no foreign transaction fees and use the card for your Costco membership.	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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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.

To earn the most miles, consider an airline cobranded credit card.

Frequently asked questions

• Is there a maximum number of miles or points I can donate?

  Most frequent flyer programs have a maximum daily limit, which is often more than 50,000 miles or points.

• Is it better to donate cash or miles?

  Usually cash, but any type of donation helps charities achieve their goals.

• Do I have to pay a fee or tax to donate miles?

  No. Donating your miles is treated the same way as redeeming those miles on other options. There isn’t a cost associated with simply “using” your miles.
  Most frequent flyer programs have a maximum daily limit, which is often more than 50,000 miles or points.

• Are mile donations tax-deductible?

  No. Miles donated are considered a gift from the airline, not from the cardholder. That means you can’t deduct donated miles from your taxes.