Alaska Airlines

• Loyalty program: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• Alliance: Oneworld
• When to request: At least 7 days after Alaska flight date, or at least 14 days after partner flight date
• Submit request by: 12 months after flight (may be within 6 months depending on partner airline)
• Member status: Alaska states that you need to have been a member at the time of travel to collect miles. If you’d like to try to claim miles if you weren’t a member at the time of travel, contact Alaska customer service.

You’ll need your Mileage Plan number and 13-digit ticket number, which you can find in your confirmation email or in the description field of your credit card statement if you paid by credit card. If you don’t have your Mileage Plan number, a customer service representative can help you add your miles using the confirmation code on your purchase receipt.

American Airlines

• Loyalty program: American Airlines AAdvantage
• Alliance: Oneworld
• When to request: At least 3 days after flight
• Submit request by: 12 months after flight. According to American’s terms and conditions, flights taken more than 30 days prior to you becoming a loyalty member are not eligible for retroactive miles.
• Member status: You do not need to be a member at the time of travel to claim miles, but you may be denied the miles if you were not a member within 30 days of the flight.

To request flight miles, you’ll need your AAdvantage number and 13-digit ticket number. You can find your ticket number in your confirmation email and receipt, on your airport receipt, or in your credit card statement. If you don’t have an AAdvantage number, you should sign up for the program first and then use your new number to request your miles. You can also request miles through American Airlines partners here.

Note that, while American terms and conditions state that you are not eligible to claim retroactive miles if you took a flight more than 30 days before becoming a loyalty member, you should contact customer service to see whether a human agent can help you get the miles added to your account. It may not be possible (or it may require you calling back a second or third time to speak with a different agent), but it’s worth a shot.

Delta Air Lines

• Loyalty program: Delta SkyMiles
• Alliance: SkyTeam
• When to request: At least 7 days after flight
• Submit request by: 9 months after flight
• Member status: You do not need to be a member at the time of travel to claim miles; retroactive miles are given for flights taken 9 months prior to enrollment in the SkyMiles program.

In order to request miles, you’ll need your SkyMiles number and ticket number. You can also request miles through eligible Delta partners by logging into your Delta account → selecting My SkyMiles → scrolling to All Other Miles Requests → and selecting Delta Partner Flights.

JetBlue

• Loyalty program: JetBlue TrueBlue
• Alliance: None, but it has TrueBlue partnerships with several airlines. For which airlines you can earn with, redeem with, or both, see below.
• When to request: At least 14 days after flight
• Submit request by: 12 months after flight
• Member status: JetBlue doesn’t specify whether you need to be a member at the time of travel to claim miles. JetBlue’s FAQs state that you can request miles up to 12 months after you’ve taken the flight—though it does not say whether you need to have been a member or not—so you should contact customer service if you’re experiencing issues.

You’ll need to log into your TrueBlue account and input your ticket number to request missing miles from a JetBlue flight or TrueBlue partner.

While JetBlue is not part of an alliance, it has TrueBlue partnerships with nearly a dozen airlines, enabling you to earn miles when you fly with them, redeem miles with them, or both. Here’s the breakdown:

• Earn and redeem TrueBlue points: Cape Air, Etihad Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Icelandair, Qatar Airways, TAP Air Portugal
• Earn TrueBlue points: JSX, Silver Airways, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways
• Redeem TrueBlue points: Japan Airlines

Southwest Airlines

• Loyalty program: Southwest Rapid Rewards
• Alliance: None, however loyalty members who book an itinerary through Icelandair that includes a Southwest Airlines operated segment can earn points, as well as other perks
• When to request: About 5 days after flight (this is the amount of time Southwest says it takes for points to post to your account)
• Submit request by: 12 months after flight
• Member status: You do not need to be a member at the time of travel to claim miles.

Log into your account, select “Rapid Rewards”, and request past flight miles using your flight confirmation number for past Southwest flights or purchases through Southwest partners.

Thanks to Southwest’s partnership with Icelandair, announced in 2024, you can earn points on Southwest even if you booked your ticket through Icelandair. However, note that you will only receive miles for the portion of your itinerary that is operated by a Southwest flight.

United Airlines

• Loyalty program: United MileagePlus
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• When to request: United says points are usually posted to your account within 48 hours, but it’s advised you wait about a week after your flight before requesting missing miles.
• Submit request by: 12 months after flight
• Member status: United states in its MileagePlus rules that mileage can only be accrued after you’ve officially enrolled in the loyalty program unless expressly permitted by United. Therefore, if you’d like to request miles from before you became a loyalty member, you should contact United customer service. They may not approve your request, but it’s worth a shot.

For United and eligible partner flights, you’ll need to add your 13-digit ticket number. Some partner flights may require additional flight information in order to complete your request.

Retro stuff we like

• The last-operating Woolworth’s lunch counter is reopening in California
• 17 vibey hotels that mix hospitality with history
• A heartwarming (and potentially controversial) account of why we’ve always left notes on mountain summits
• How Gitano cuisine found roots in Spain’s Andalucia region
• Trusted Housesitters connects homeowners and house and pet sitters so you can work remotely without paying for accommodations. Get 20% off all new subscriptions with code GOING20*

©Scott’s Cheap Flights, Inc. DBA Going
4845 Pearl East Circle, Suite 118
PMB 28648
Boulder, CO 80301-6112

Upgrade Membership  |  Advertise  |  Email Preferences  |  Unsubscribe