A Simple Gmail Trick That Can Help With Multiple Travel Accounts

Many of us have travel accounts that we have setup for ourselves and that we have for our family members as well. While some of these programs may let you use the same e-mail address for multiple accounts, not all of them will.

A Simple Gmail Trick That Can Help With Multiple Travel Accounts

It depends on how you like to do things, but I really don’t like having multiple e-mail accounts for family members just for the purpose of having frequent flyer accounts! Sure, if they already have an e-mail address, that helps. But, many of us “manage” those accounts and it is helpful to get those statement emails and offer emails in e-mail accounts we review regularly.

What Is The Gmail Trick?

Fortunately, there is a simple Gmail trick that can help you manage all of that – from a single Gmail address! This only works with true Gmail addresses (not with GSuite addresses that use your domain name through the Gmail servers) so if you don’t have one, might as well go make one now as they are free and easy to get (and you can forward your e-mail on to your regular e-mail addresses).

Use the Period!

The Tip: Here it is – Gmail address can have a period put between any of the characters and it will allow the e-mail address to be viewed as being a unique address but all mail will go to your actual Gmail address.

For example, if my e-mail address was myname@gmail.com, I could actually have that be used as 7 unique e-mail addresses when I sign-up for various accounts and they all would still go to myname@gmail.com. Here is how it works – 1) myname@gmail.com 2)m.yname@gmail.com 3) my.name@gmail.com 4) myn.ame@gmail.com – and it goes on and on.

By simply inserting a period, it will make the address appear as unique but it will still get to your actual e-mail address.

Turn On Filters

I have done this with airline programs that require separate e-mail addresses for accounts. But, what happens when you want to see the totals, statements, offers, etc. separately? Fortunately, Gmail has some nice filters in place that you can setup that will allow you to move messages that come in to that person’s folder under the e-mail account.

Go to Settings and select Filters and Blocked Addresses. In there, you will setup a filter using the “To” part to put your modified e-mail address in. After that, simply select to Apply a Label to it.

Now, when an e-mail comes into to that modified Gmail address, it will automatically put it in a Label on your left side that you can use to quickly check each account you have.

Of course, you could go even deeper with the Filters and Labels and create a separate one for each person and account (for example, Linda’s British Airways). This will let you easily keep track of all accounts and subscriptions while using a single e-mail address for all your accounts!

What Can This Be Used For?

I mention it as a nice trick for frequent traveler programs that require a separate e-mail address for each person’s account, but it can be used beyond that as well. This is a nice way to setup different e-mail address for subscriptions or online programs that you want to be able to track differently. It could also be used to handle some spam-happy places as well.

In the end, I just wanted to share this simple Gmail trick that I have been using for years now to use a single e-mail address for all my family members with their different travel accounts.