Can You Send Southwest Points to Another Person for Free? Fact-Checking Airline Transfer Policies

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The widespread confusion around point sharing stems from a misunderstanding of how airline reservations operate. Many flyers assume the name on the loyalty account must match the name on the passenger manifest. That assumption is completely false.

You can book a flight for someone else with points straight from your balance. The booking engine allows you to keep your own profile as the purchasing account while inputting an entirely different traveler's full legal name, date of birth, and Known Traveler Number during passenger details entry. The reservation issues instantly, taxes remain capped at the mandatory $5.60 per one-way segment, and the recipient boards the aircraft without a single dollar leaving your wallet for transfer fees.

This simple execution renders almost every direct account transfer obsolete. If your partner needs 15,000 points for a weekend getaway and has zero miles, do not send 15,000 points to their account. Log into your account, book their itinerary, and keep your cash in your bank.