Does my two year old really need a frequent flyer account?

Many parents want to know what is the right age to sign-up their kids for a frequent flyer account. I mean, with all of the clutter in our lives, do we really want to add another one by signing-up our toddlers for an American Airlines account because we bought them a ticket to visit their grandparents in Florida? The answer is typically yes, but with some caveats.

Focus on airlines that have pooling accounts:

For families, the first thing you should look for is airlines that have pooling accounts. Jet Blue, for example, has one of the best, where you can have one account for up to seven people, family or not. Members contribute 100% to the pool and members can redeem or leave the pool whenever they choose. The head of the pool is the pool leader and must be 21 years old. This person can designate people in the pool to redeem points and book reward points.

My brother is the master at maximizing this program. By coupling his Jet Blue credit card with his family pooling account, he can really maximize the benefits. On a recent trip, he took his three kids and wife down to Orlando. He gets 6 miles per point on the airline by using the Jet Blue credit card, plus the pooling, plus free bags, plus 50% inflight purchases, and received 10% back on his redemption points. There is simply no better deal in family travel, period.

Limited Downside:

There is limited downside to making your kids frequent flyer accounts. They are free to make and you can earn extra points. Yes, some points expire, but in order to keep them alive you only need to fly the airline once every year and a half. You could also use a co-branded credit card to keep the points alive, or use an online shopping portal if you are not going to fly to keep the points alive. My son’s account now has over 25k miles in it from a mix of travel, bonus programs, and shopping portals. So, next time he asked to go away I can tell him that he has enough points for a free ticket, and I won’t have to take it out of my account. That is good parenting, right?

Expiration Date:

While many programs have eliminated having to have one qualifying activity, some like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, have not. Trying to keep up with this is hard enough for you, but trying to manage it for your kids can be an extra struggle. If you are only going to fly an airline once (say one trip to Denver on Frontier Airlines), I would probably not recommend opening a frequent flyer account because of how quickly the points expire.

Hotels:

Since I made my son an authorized user on my Amex Platinum card, he received Hilton Gold status despite having zero Hilton stays under his name. They gave him a 5k bonus for his first stay. So, with this promotion and despite the fact that his parents have Diamond status, we put one of our family stays under his name to get the bonus. Plus, when he is doing travel sports and his mom and dad are not there with him, he can get the points and get free breakfast for him and one of his teammates (depending on the property). If your kids travel a lot for sports, having status with Marriott and Hilton could come up big.

The importance of saving at an early age:

While not exactly the same as a savings account, a frequent flyer account can teach your kids about saving. Just like a bank account, you need to keep track of your assets and learn when it is beneficial to dip into it or not. This is a good reason to keep an account for them.

The Bottom Line:

There is no clear answer as each family’s situation is unique. If you are a Jet Blue member, pooling of points is a complete no-brainer. If your kid plays travel sports and you don’t always travel with him/her, that can also make sense – especially if they stay at branded hotels. But if you fly various airlines once a decade, it probably is not worth the headache.