Have you ever wondered whether it's possible to gift a plane ticket?
The answer is simple: yes, you can gift a plane ticket, and there are two ways to do it. You can book a real ticket in the recipient's name, or you can give them a flight gift voucher they redeem themselves.
One is a fixed surprise; the other is a flexible one. This guide covers both, what each needs from you, and how to decide.
No matter the occasion, gift cards for plane tickets are the easiest way to gift flights. They're flexible, quick to send, and they let your favourite traveller do what they love - explore every corner of this beautiful planet.
On this page:
- Can you actually buy a plane ticket for someone else?
- What is Flightgift?
- Is it better to give a flight voucher as a gift?
- How to give a flight as a gift, in 7 steps
- Our three flight gift vouchers
- How do they book a flight with their travel voucher?
- Frequently asked questions
- Ready to gift a flight?
Can you actually buy a plane ticket for someone else?
You can. Most airlines let you book and pay for a ticket in another passenger's name - you're the payer, they're the passenger.
What you'll need from them before you can complete the booking is their full name exactly as it appears on the passport or ID they'll travel with, their date of birth, and on some international routes their passport number and expiry date. Which is where the surprise usually falls apart, because asking for a passport is not subtle.
The bigger catch is what happens afterwards.
Airline tickets are issued to one named passenger and are generally not transferable, so you cannot buy a ticket now and decide who travels on it later. Some airlines will correct a misspelled name for a fee; most will not swap the passenger at all. Changing the date or the route after booking is charged, and on the cheapest fare types it is often not permitted (check the fare conditions before you pay, because the rules differ by airline and by fare).
None of which makes booking the ticket yourself wrong - if you already know the dates, the route and who's travelling, it's a romantic gesture. It's just worth knowing what you're locking in.
But what if there was another option? That's where Flightgift comes in.
What is Flightgift?
Flightgift is a flight gift voucher. You choose the amount, personalise it with a photo and a message, and pick how it arrives: as a physical card in the post, a PDF you print at home, or an email.
Your recipient then redeems it against flights with over 400 airlines, to over 980 destinations, and books whatever trip they want.
The part people ask about most is the flexibility, so it's worth being clear: the card isn't tied to one airline, one route or one date. It's credit towards a flight, and the traveller decides the rest.
Flightgift is rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot, and there's a customer support team on hand around the clock if a redemption needs a human.
Flight gift voucher vs. booking tickets for someone else: comparison table
| Booking the ticket yourself | A flight gift voucher | |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the dates and destination | You do, before you buy | They do, when they're ready |
| What you need from them first | Full name as on their ID, date of birth, sometimes passport details | Nothing — you can buy it without them knowing |
| If their plans change | Change fees apply, and cheap fares often can't be changed at all | They simply book different flights |
| Airline choice | The one you booked | Over 400 airlines to choose from |
| Best when | You already know exactly where and when they're going | You want to give the trip and let them shape it |
Is it better to give a flight voucher as a gift?
If you've wondered whether you can buy a flight voucher as a gift, you can — and with our airline gift vouchers you can gift flights with over 400 airlines, including names such as:
- KLM
- Ryanair
- Wizz Air
- British Airways
- Emirates
- Qatar Airways
- Aer Lingus
- Air France
- Jet2
- Virgin Atlantic
- & hundreds more (view the full list of Flightgift partners on this page)
The beauty of our airline gift cards is that your favourite traveller isn't tied to one airline. Whether they want to fly Wizz Air, Aer Lingus or Jet2 for a cheap and cheerful holiday, or spend it with Emirates, KLM or Lufthansa on an upmarket getaway to Dubai, Morocco or New Zealand — the same voucher unlocks all of it.
If you want to compare against other alternatives, we've written about flight gift cards versus cash, and why Flightgift is the best airline gift card in the UK.
How to give a flight as a gift, in 7 steps
On their special occasion they certainly won't be expecting a flight. To buy a flight voucher as a gift, you:
- Visit our website
- Click Buy a Flight Gift Card
- Choose a gift voucher type
- Choose an image from our gallery, or add your own
- Write a message
- Add credit between 25 and 10,000 (in GBP, EUR, AUD, USD and several other currencies)
- Send
The booking flow is quick to navigate, so you can send a flight gift voucher in under five minutes - which makes it a handy last-minute option, not just a planned one.
Our three flight gift vouchers
There are three types of flight gift voucher, so you can gift a plane ticket to someone special no matter the distance.
Physical flight gift vouchers
Our physical gift cards are the best luxury gift for your favourite traveller. Printed on premium cardboard and measuring around 28 cm long and sent in a premium red envelope, you can have it delivered to your own address to give in person, or straight to your recipient - with priority worldwide delivery either way.
This is the one for creating a moment. It arrives in a luxury envelope, printed in a premium card stock with our design plus your own message and photo, which makes it the best choice to surprise your parent, mark something with your partner, or celebrate a new graduate.
eGift Vouchers for flights
Our eGift cards for flights are ready in minutes and sent straight to your recipient's inbox, which makes them the one to reach for when you've left it late, or when they live a long way away.
PDF Airline Gift Vouchers
Choose a PDF flight gift certificate to print at home and hand over in person — another good last-minute solution. You can also simply forward the PDF on as a long-distance travel gift.
How do they book a flight with their travel voucher?
Redeeming is as short as buying. Every Flightgift arrives with its redemption instructions, and there are five steps:
- Go to the Redeem page
- Search flights by destination and travel dates
- Choose a flight and add it to the basket
- Enter the passenger details at checkout
- Pay by entering the flight gift card code — the voucher value comes off the total automatically
If the flight costs more than the voucher, they pay the difference with their own card; if it costs less, the balance stays on the gift card for their next trip. So there's no need to match the value to a fare when you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy someone a plane ticket as a gift?
Yes. You can either book a ticket in their name — for which you'll need their full name as it appears on their ID, their date of birth and sometimes their passport details — or give them a flight gift card and let them book themselves. The gift card route needs nothing from them in advance, so it's the one that stays a surprise.
How do you give someone their plane ticket?
If you've booked a ticket, the airline sends the confirmation to the email address on the booking, and you can print the itinerary to hand over. If you've bought a flight gift card, you choose the format: a physical card by post, a PDF you print at home, or an email that arrives within minutes.
Can you gift airline tickets you've already booked?
Usually not. Tickets are issued to a named passenger and are generally not transferable, so you can't buy one and assign a different traveller to it later. Some airlines will correct a misspelled name for a fee, but swapping the passenger outright is rarely allowed. If you don't yet know who's travelling, or when, a flight gift card avoids the problem entirely.
How do you surprise someone with plane tickets?
The trick is not needing anything from them first. A physical gift card shaped like a boarding pass works well handed over in person — it looks like the real thing. Wrapping it with something small from the destination, or hiding it inside a guidebook, gives them the moment of working out where they're going.
How long is a flight gift card valid for?
A Flightgift voucher is indefinitely valid, so there's no pressure to book straight away. That also means you can give one at Christmas for a trip they take the
following summer.
Can they use a flight gift card with any airline?
A Flightgift card can be redeemed against flights with over 400 airlines, from budget carriers like Ryanair, Wizz Air and Jet2 to full-service airlines like British Airways, KLM, Qatar and Emirates. They're not locked into a single airline or route — see who they can fly with.
What if the flight costs more than the gift card?
They can pay the difference at the point of booking, so the card doesn't have to cover the whole fare. It works as credit towards a flight rather than an all-or-nothing voucher, which means you don't need to guess the exact price of the trip when you buy.
Ready to gift a flight?
This is your sign to surprise your favourite traveller with a personalised travel gift voucher. Whether it's a loved one living abroad you want to bring home, or you're looking for unique 60th birthday gifts for her, a flight gift card hands them the trip and lets them shape it.
So whether it's for a milestone birthday, a dream honeymoon, a gap year or a festive getaway - buy them a flight gift card and watch their face light up when they open it.