MW I allowed my friend to use my Delta air miles, but she used an extra 48K to change her ticket without telling me. What now?
By Aditi Shrikant
'I am curious as to why Delta didn't ask me, the account holder, whether this was OK'
"If I lend my points to anyone else, do they just get access to all of them?" (Photo subject is a model.)
Dear Dollar Signs,
I'm 43 and recently bought a plane ticket for one of my friends using miles. She had to book a last-minute flight from New York City to Colorado Springs for a family funeral, and I have tons of miles to spare. She needed to extend her stay, so I told her to call Delta and switch her flight.
The change took 48,000 miles out of my account, which neither my friend nor the airline confirmed with me. I don't mind that she took the miles, but I am curious as to why Delta $(DAL)$ didn't ask me, the account holder, whether this was OK.
If I lend my points to anyone else, do they just get access to all of them? How does this work?
Points Paranoid
If you're just starting out on your money or career journey and have questions about how to navigate your finances, we want to hear from you. Write to Dollar Signs, MarketWatch's new advice column, at dollarsigns@marketwatch.com.
Dear Points,
Given that you use the word "lend," I want to make an important distinction: You gave her your air miles.
Still, you are very generous for extending this offer. And while I know you say you're not upset that your friend used more for her flight change, I can imagine it was a little jarring to see that the equivalent of $500 taken out of your account without warning.
The bad news for you is that Delta likely did not make a mistake. Whoever is assigned the ticket can change their flight and withdraw whatever number of miles they want. The airline doesn't have to flag this if you've already told them your friend's identification and bought her ticket.
There is also some good news - no one you've bought a flight using your own miles has unlimited access to your account. They can only modify that specific ticket, which is what your friend did.
"Booking someone else's ticket using 'Pay with Miles' does not give them access to your SkyMiles account," a Delta Air Lines representative told MarketWatch via email.
Your friend's access to your miles is linked to the "record locator number" assigned to each airline ticket - and is not linked to your name, says Clint Henderson, managing editor at The Points Guy. It's an alphanumeric code that the airline gives you after purchasing your ticket.
"A person can't go back into the account after that one record locator is used," Henderson said, meaning once your friend uses the ticket, she no longer has access to your miles as that record locator number will be void.
That said, your sticker shock is understandable. Points are an extremely valuable perk tied to credit-card usage, and you just unknowingly gave a larger chunk of yours away.
The best option now is to put this affair behind you and concentrate on building up your points again. Spending on Delta vacation packages and taking advantage of their rental-car and lodging deals can help you earn points back.
As can signing up for a new credit card. Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express card, for example, gives you 80,000 miles if you spend $2,000 within the first six months. It also has no annual fee. The Delta Skymiles Platinum offers 90,000 miles if you spend $3,000 within the first six months and has an annual fee of $60
To avoid this situation in the future, it might be worth asking someone to confirm with you how many points they are going to take in order to make a change or rebook flights. Especially because you now know the airline won't make that judgment call for you.
Of course, in this particular case, I can understand why you didn't tell your friend to reimburse you for the ticket changes or pay for them herself. When a friend is simultaneously grieving and panicking, asking them to run miles by you might seem insensitive.
Still, it's better to set the parameters up front: If you have a guest stay, know when they are leaving. If you are gifting a friend your miles, be clear about how many you feel comfortable releasing. This being said, you're a very good friend as this isn't an offer many people would make.
Write to Dollar Signs at dollarsigns@marketwatch.com.
-Aditi Shrikant
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December 03, 2025 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT)
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