Lap Infant Fees On Award Tickets, By Program

Here's the sentence that surprises every new parent in this hobby: the lap infant fee on an international award ticket depends on the program you booked with, not the airline you're flying — and the difference between programs can be the price of a whole extra vacation. Domestic US flights are easy (lap infants fly free, cash or points). International is where you need this table before you transfer points.

The Four Ways Programs Charge

1. A percentage of the adult's cash fare — usually 10% of what the seat sells for. On an economy award that's annoying; on a business-class award whose cash price is $7,000, it's $700 for a baby on your lap. The painful model.
2. A percentage of the adult's miles price — usually 10% of the miles, plus taxes. Almost always the better deal.
3. A flat fee or fixed points — the predictable few.
4. Taxes only, or free — rare internationally, standard domestically.

The Table

Program	International lap infant costs	Book it
Air Canada Aeroplan	2,500 points or CA$25 per direction — any partner, any cabin	Online (desktop)
Virgin Atlantic	Fixed points per sector on VS flights: 1,000 economy / 2,500 Premium / 5,000 Upper Class	Online
United MileagePlus	Flat infant fares ~$20–$250 by route/cabin — capped at $250 even in Polaris; US–Canada/Mexico taxes only	Online
British Airways Club	10% of the adult's Avios + ~10% of taxes; works on partner awards	Online (some routes: call)
Qatar Privilege Club	10% of the adult's Avios	Online (premium cabins can take work)
Turkish Miles&Smiles	10% of the adult's miles on Turkish flights	Online
ANA Mileage Club	10% of the adult's miles on ANA flights (partner awards: 10% of cash fare)	Phone
Emirates Skywards	10% of the adult's miles (economy online; premium cabins price off cash fare) — and kids under 9 are banned from first-class awards	Online/phone
Qantas	No extra points on Classic Rewards	Online
American AAdvantage	10% of the adult cash fare + taxes — and the fare basis agents use varies wildly	Phone only
Delta SkyMiles	~10% of the adult cash fare + taxes internationally	Phone
Air France/KLM Flying Blue	10% of the adult cash fare + taxes	Phone
Singapore KrisFlyer	10% of the best-available adult cash fare; can't be added online — book, then call with your confirmation code (the six-character "PNR")	Phone
Etihad Guest	10% of cash fare on Etihad's own awards — and no lap infants at all on partner-issued Etihad awards (the baby needs a paid ticket)	Online
Avianca LifeMiles	~10% of the cabin's cash price, with messy phone handling — book Aeroplan instead when you can	Phone
Cathay Asia Miles	25% of the adult cash fare on US routes (10% elsewhere) — among the worst	Phone
Alaska Atmos Rewards	Lap infants aren't allowed on international partner awards — the baby needs their own award seat at full mileage	—

What This Means In Practice

The cheap ticketing programs are Aeroplan, Virgin Atlantic, United, and the Avios family. When the same flight is bookable through two programs — and it often is — the infant fee belongs to the program that issues the ticket. A Star Alliance business award booked via Aeroplan adds the baby for CA$25; the identical seats booked through a cash-percentage program can add hundreds. For a family already choosing between transfer partners, this tips the choice.

The expensive model scales with cabin. 10% of a cash fare is the one fee in points travel that gets worse the better your redemption is. If you're flying business on points with a baby, the ticketing program matters more than the transfer bonus.

The Traps

• Add the infant when you book — or immediately after ticketing. Percentage-of-fare programs price the baby off the fare at the moment you add them; waiting risks the fee being calculated off a pricier fare, and adding at the airport means long counter delays.
• Two policies can apply. The ticketing program sets the fee, but the operating airline can still say no — Etihad refuses lap infants on partner-issued awards entirely. Check both before transferring.
• The second birthday ends the deal. A child must be under 2 for every segment; turn 2 mid-trip and the later segments require a purchased seat. (British Airways is the gracious exception — infant pricing holds for the whole journey.)
• One adult, one lap infant. FAA rule; a second baby needs a seat.
• A seat of their own is sometimes the answer anyway. Once fees approach a few hundred dollars, price the baby a real award seat — safer with a car seat, and everyone actually sleeps.

Fees verified August 2026 against program pages and dated industry sources; programs change these quietly and phone agents misquote them — confirm before ticketing, and push back politely with the published policy if a quote looks wrong.