Can You Sell Airline Miles in 2026? What the Program Rules Say

By Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, Founder and CEO of The Points King. Last updated: October 12, 2026. Editorial Policy

Can you sell airline miles? Every major US airline, hotel and bank program forbids it in its terms. A program that decides miles were sold can void the award ticket, take the miles back or close the account. Whether a sale also breaks a law is a different question, and I am not the right person to answer it for you: I am not a lawyer, and nothing here is legal advice. What I can do is show you what each program’s terms say, linked to the source, and how I would decide.

I am Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, and I have run The Points King since 2017. We buy miles and points, so I am an interested party here, not a neutral referee. That is the reason this page leads with the rules and the risks rather than a price. There are no affiliate links on this site.

What Each Program’s Terms Say

Each row comes from the program’s own page as of October 12, 2026, except United, whose rules page did not load; that row uses the wording The Points Guy quoted in 2022, which may since have changed. Programs rewrite their terms without warning, so open the link for your program before you act.

The pattern matters more than any one row. No major program allows a sale, because a loyalty currency is worth more to the issuer when it cannot be traded freely. So the question is never whether a program allows it. It is what the program can do about it, and whether you can live with that.

Smaller programs follow the same pattern. The El Al Matmid club regulations prohibit trading in points and let El Al delete them, and the Qantas Frequent Flyer terms do not allow points to be sold and let Qantas cancel points and Status Credits.

What Changed in 2026

• New terms at several programs. American updated its terms on January 13, 2026 (effective March 1), Hilton on July 15, 2026, and both Marriott and Amex in September 2026. The ban on selling is in every version.
• False alarms happen too. In June 2026, Aviation A2Z reported that Air France cancelled a family’s Flying Blue award tickets, citing “miles resale,” although the report found no sign a sale had happened. Programs act on patterns, and the burden of proving otherwise falls on the member.
• Rules on expiry keep moving. Emirates says Skywards miles earned from June 1, 2027 will last three years and expire at the end of the month they were earned (Gulf News). Selling is often a reaction to an expiry date, so check yours first.

What Enforcement Looks Like on the Record

Programs do not publish how often they act, so nobody outside them can tell you the odds. What is on the record is the shape of what can happen. The best known example: in May 2018 The Points Guy reported that American deducted 500,000 miles from a member after its security team said his account had been involved in “the attempted online sale or barter” of miles. The member disputed it, but the miles were gone.

When a program does flag an account, the outcomes I would plan for are these:

• The award booking is held while the program asks questions.
• The award ticket is voided, sometimes after it was issued.
• The miles involved are deducted.
• The account is closed, along with the rest of the balance and any elite status.
• A penalty is assessed, as in the American case above.

A program can also act months later if it reviews a booking after the fact. The risk does not end when you are paid.

Who Carries Which Risk in a Sale

• You carry the program risk. It is your account and your agreement with the airline. No broker is a party to that agreement, so no broker can protect you from it.
• The broker carries the delivery risk. Whether the miles arrive and the booking goes through.
• Who pays first decides who trusts whom. With us, the customer transfers first and we pay by PayPal, usually within 15 minutes after we confirm the transfer. That means you are trusting us, so check who we are before you start. The price we agree by email is the price we pay. That is a promise about our side, not protection against your airline.

Taxes

The IRS said in Announcement 2002-18 that it would not tax frequent flyer miles earned on business travel, but that this relief “does not apply to” benefits “converted to cash.” Cash from a sale may therefore be reportable. I am not a tax adviser either; ask one before you assume.

Your Options, in the Order I Would Try Them

1. Book an award ticket yourself, ideally a long flight or a premium cabin, where miles go furthest. No program risk.
2. Transfer or book through a partner airline that prices the trip lower than your own program does.
3. Book an award for family or a friend. Every program above allows it, as long as no money changes hands. See using miles to buy a ticket for someone else.
4. Keep the miles alive if expiry is the worry. A small purchase usually resets the clock: see how to keep American miles from expiring.
5. Sell, only for a balance you have given up on, and only if you accept the account risk.
6. Gift cards or merchandise. Low value, but no risk.

For how each airline’s own cash-out options compare, see how to turn airline miles into cash.

Questions to Ask Any Miles Broker First

• Who pays first, and by what method?
• What is the price per mile, in writing, before I transfer anything?
• How do I reach you, and does someone answer the email?
• What happens if my account is flagged in the middle of a sale?
• Where can I read reviews that you did not write?

Ask us these too. Our answers are on our sell miles page and in our guide to the risks of selling miles and points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to sell airline miles?

I am not a lawyer and cannot tell you whether a sale breaks any law where you live. What is certain is that every major program’s terms forbid it, and American’s terms say a member who sells may be liable for damages and litigation costs.

Will my account be closed if I sell miles?

Not necessarily, but it can be. Programs do not publish how often they act, the decision is theirs, and they can act after the fact. Only sell a balance you are prepared to lose.

Can I give my miles to someone instead?

You can book an award ticket in another person’s name in every program above. What the terms forbid is receiving money or anything else of value for it.

Do I owe tax on money from selling miles?

Possibly. The IRS relief for frequent flyer miles does not cover benefits converted to cash. Ask a tax adviser.

How much can I get for my miles?

It depends on the program and the balance. We give a written price by email before you transfer anything, and that is the price we pay.

Sources

• American Airlines: AAdvantage terms and conditions, updated January 13, 2026
• Delta: SkyMiles program rules, read October 12, 2026
• Marriott Bonvoy: terms and conditions, updated September 2026
• Hilton Honors: terms and conditions, updated July 15, 2026
• American Express: Membership Rewards terms, September 2026
• Chase: Sapphire Reserve rewards program agreement, October 16, 2025
• The Points Guy: AAdvantage member fined 500,000 miles, May 2, 2018
• Aviation A2Z: Air France cancels a family’s Flying Blue tickets, June 16, 2026
• IRS: Announcement 2002-18, March 11, 2002
• Gulf News: Emirates changes Skywards expiry rules, updated August 25, 2026