Using My Spirit Miles...For Someone Else
A few months ago I stood in line with hundreds of other would-be-travelers to get certificates for 20,000 free Spirit miles in celebration of their new Houston routes. Including my parents, my family scored 100,000 free miles that day just for waiting in a pretty short line. It was great! Spirit is a very no-frills airline, but I didn't care. Free travel is free travel, and I was happy to try Spirit out for myself. My parents had already tried it out here and had no real complaints.
I knew that Spirit miles expire after three months of no account activity, but I wasn't quite sure how they manage that expiration. I had logged into my account and didn't see any evidence that they were about to expire even though I knew their time was probably short-lived since I got the miles back in October. Sure enough, I got an alert from Award Wallet last week that they will expire on January 31st. That meant I had to book a flight using them by that deadline. The flight didn't have to happen by then, but I had to commit to my travel plans. After looking at all the trips we are lucky enough to have on the books for the rest of the year, it was clear that adding another one just was not in the cards. Husband is maxed on vacations, our parents are maxed with keeping C while we go on some trips, and we are just maxed out in general on being away from home. It is a great problem to have, but the reality was clearly that we were not going to be able to use the free miles.
I played around a little and saw that you can use the miles to book a flight for someone else. Perfect! While I am lucky enough to have an over-filled travel schedule, I know not all of my friends and family members are in the same situation. I posted on my personal Facebook account that I had a few free Spirit flights if anyone wanted them. I honestly didn't know if I would get a response or not - sure enough within seconds/minutes I had a few different friends who were interested and within about 20 minutes one couple had lined up family members to keep their two young kids while they traveled, and they had found award availability to Vegas using my free miles. They haven't had a kid-free vacation in a long time, and I am so excited for them! Much, much better than having the miles expire unused.
I know some of y'all also got free Spirit miles, so in case you aren't going to be able to use them either, consider sharing them with someone else. To use them for someone else all you really need to do is delete your Spirit number on this page and then enter the other person's info. Also make sure to warn the recipients about some of Spirit's fees and how to avoid most of them (feel free to send them to my parent's trip review linked above that covers most of that info).
I know some people will likely comment that they wouldn't even want their enemies to fly Spirit, much less their friends. That's all well and good, but how insanely fortunate are many of us in the miles and points world that we are able to share trips like this with friends and family members. At the end of the day it is just an airplane that gets you from Point A to Point B, and as long as it is safe, that is all that matters. I seriously don't think that my friends are going to care that Spirit charges them for a drink. They are going to be thrilled to have a few kid-free days in Vegas where they can have some real drinks.
Never turn down some free travel - just be ready to share it with friends if you aren't able to use it. Have you ever been able to share some travel you weren't going to be able to use with friends or family members?
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees