Selling Airline Miles and Loyalty Points in the United States: What Program Rules Say, Where the Risks Sit, and How to Vet a Broker

Selling airline miles for cash is not illegal in the United States, but it is prohibited by the written terms of most major loyalty programs. That gap between law and contract is the source of nearly every risk a seller faces. This paper separates the legal question from the contractual one, sets out the risks to each party in a transaction, offers a checklist for evaluating a mileage broker, and states what this paper cannot establish. Disclosure: the author owns The Points King, which buys and sells miles and points.