How to Donate Leftover Points and Miles on Giving Tuesday
Turn 500 spare miles into charity flights this Giving Tuesday with these airline donation pages.
Log in to your airline loyalty account and open its donate-miles page. There you can move leftover points and miles, meaning small rewards balances, to a listed charity for Giving Tuesday. You do not need enough miles for a free flight.
That lets you put an idle balance toward a good cause on Giving Tuesday.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 05, 2026.
What counts as a leftover gift?
American Airlines invites AAdvantage members to donate through Let Good Take Flight. Members log in and open the Donate page. They can give as few as 1,000 miles to four pillars including Social Good, Health, Heroes and Planet, according to American Airlines the airline's Giving Tuesday notice.
Make-A-Wish accepts donated airline miles and points from Alaska/Hawaiian, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United. Its Hawaii chapter page lists minimums such as 500 United miles and 1,000 American and Delta miles, according to Make-A-Wish Hawaii the chapter's airline-miles page.
How do you send the miles?
Start with the airline, not the charity. Open your loyalty account, find the donate or give-miles page, and pick one listed charity. Confirm the amount before you submit.
Check your balance and the minimum before you confirm. Small gifts count, so do not wait to have enough for a ticket. Keep a screenshot of the confirmation for your records.
It will show the program, amount and charity you chose.
- Log in to your loyalty account.
- Open the Donate page.
- Choose a charity and amount, then confirm.
Should you give directly or to a campaign?
United Airlines lets MileagePlus members donate miles directly to a partner charity. Members can also give to a charity-created campaign for a specific trip, and only registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits may apply, according to United Airlines the Miles on a Mission FAQ. Choose a direct gift when you trust the charity to assign the miles.
Choose a campaign gift when you want to support one described trip.
Can you deduct the gift?
Donated frequent-flyer miles are generally not tax-deductible. The IRS treats them as a gift or rebate from the airline, according to Fisher House Foundation its Hero Miles story. Fisher House Foundation advises donors to consult IRS Publication 526.
Keep the confirmation for your records even without a deduction. Talk to a tax adviser before you claim anything on a return.