Selling miles without getting scammed: 9 warning signs and how to stay safe
Selling miles rarely fails because of price — it fails because of trust. In forums and Facebook groups, payments run through PayPal friends-and-family or advance transfer, and when something goes wrong nobody mediates. This guide shows the nine most common warning signs and how a sale with protected payment actually works.
9 warning signs when selling miles
These patterns show up in almost every reported scam. As soon as two of them appear together, stop the conversation:
- Payment only via PayPal friends-and-family — deliberately without buyer or seller protection
- Artificial urgency: “I need the miles tonight”
- Screenshots instead of verifiable proof of balance or booking
- Immediate push to move the conversation to WhatsApp or Telegram
- Offer clearly above market price — the bait for paying first
- Booking for an unknown third name without explanation
- Chargeback attempts shortly after the booking was issued
- Account without identity verification and without any transaction history
- Requests to hand over your frequent flyer account credentials
How protected payment protects both sides
On MilesMarket the buyer does not pay you directly but into a protected payment. The money is reserved but not yet paid out. Only once delivery — award ticket, point transfer or pool connection — is confirmed, or the deadline passes without complaint, is the amount released for payout. You never deliver blindly, and the buyer never pays into nothing.
How a safe sale runs
The flow is deliberately short so nothing is left open to misinterpretation:
- Verify your identity once and connect your payout account
- Create a listing: programme, amount, price and delivery method
- Negotiate in chat — offers and counter-offers stay documented in the same thread
- Buyer pays into the protected payment; you see the status in your order
- Deliver and upload proof, then release and automatic payout
What happens in a dispute?
If the buyer reports a problem, the order moves into the Resolution Center. Both sides upload evidence — booking confirmation, mileage account statement, chat history. The decision is based on documented proof, not on claims. If delivery never happens, the amount is refunded automatically.
FAQ
- Can I be scammed when selling miles?
- In private groups yes — buyers often pay only after delivery or reverse the payment. With a protected payment the money is reserved before you deliver and released after confirmation.
- Should I share my frequent flyer account credentials?
- Never. Legitimate buyers only need passenger details for the booking or an account number for a transfer — never your password.
- When do I get my money?
- After delivery is confirmed, or once the review period expires, the payout to your connected account is triggered automatically.