If you’re new to the frequent flyer points and mile, chances are there are flights you have taken in the past year for which you have not received credit or you forgot to add your frequent flyer number to your ticket. It can also happen if you book your ticket through a travel agent or an online travel agency (Orbitz, Expedia, etc.). Miles can occasionally get lost when you purchase a flight from one airline, but a leg of the journey is on a separate carrier such as when you purchase an Alaska Airlines flight through American.
The good news! You can receive credit for those missing miles for up to 1 year. The process is not too difficult either. To request credit, a simple google search for “[Airline] Mileage Credit” should take you to the page to request the mileage. The airline will then ask for you ticket number. The ticket number is NOT the record locator. A ticket number is a 10 digit number located on you boarding pass. If you don’t have your boarding pass, you can locate the ticket number in the confirmation email provided by the airline.
Most airlines require you to wait a few days after completion of a flight to request mileage credits. American Airlines for example makes you wait 15 days after completion of travel to request miles for a completed flight. Once the mileage request is submitted, miles typically appear in your account just a few days after the initial request.
If you have recently playing the points game, make sure to request miles for flights you’ve already taken. Don’t forget, they aren’t lost unless you wait more than a year.
Safe Travels!
