Do you earn miles for trips that you flew, but you didn't buy?

Depends on the company, the airline, and the agreement between them. I flew a lot for my employers, and I have hundreds of thousands of miles on my frequent flier accounts for these flights. Obviously I didn't pay for any of those trips.

Usually the person whose name is on the ticket and whose membership number is on the boarding pass will be the one to get the miles, regardless of who paid. But I've heard of cases where the employers had specific agreements with airlines that would make it otherwise.

American Airlines has two separate mileage programs: one for individuals (AAdvantage) and one for businesses (BusinessExtraa).

When purchasing a ticket through aa.com, you have the option to enter both your individual AAdvantage number and the business' BusinessExtraa number. So both the company and the traveler get credit for the flight.

If the company did not provide your AAdvantage number when they bought your ticket, you can still get credit for it.

1. Save your boarding passes! Each has a ticket number on it that you will need to request a credit.
2. Log into your AAdvantage account.
3. Click on the link all the way at the bottom of your account summary that says "Request Credit". Or just use this link.
4. Fill out the form completely:
   • AAdvantage account information (should be pre-filled).
   • Flight information, including the ticket number from the boarding pass for each segment.
5. It can take up to 30 days for the miles to appear in your account.
   • You can check the status of your credit request online.