Best Airline Rewards Programs For 2014-2015

What makes a frequent flier program stand out? No loyalty program is ideal for everybody, but choosing one that best suits your lifestyle can help you maximize your chances of earning and redeeming meaningful rewards. When choosing a program, you'll want to consider a few key criteria, such as flight options, flight prices and how easy it is to earn a free flight. If you prefer to fly first class, you should consider a program that awards benefits based on dollars spent rather than miles flown. Or if you're an infrequent traveler, you should consider programs that allow you to earn points on purchases other than flights. To help you weigh your options, U.S. News evaluated 10 leading frequent flier programs using an unbiased methodology that takes into account each program's average flight prices, earning ratios and daily flight volume (among other features). Our ranking and detailed program profiles are intended to help you choose the program that's best for you.

• #1

  
  JetBlue TrueBlue
  Overall Score: (4.34)
  Why: The JetBlue TrueBlue program best serves travelers based in East Coast and Florida cities (like Boston, New York City, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando) who primarily fly domestically and ... Read More»
• #2

  
  Southwest Rapid Rewards
  Overall Score: (3.92)
  Why: The Southwest Rapid Rewards program is most beneficial for travelers based in the southwest United States who frequently fly to major cities around the U.S., Mexico and ... Read More»
• #3

  
  Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
  Overall Score: (3.81)
  Why: The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan caters to frequent fliers based in or who often travel to and from various destinations in Alaska or West Coast cities like Seattle ... Read More»
• #4

  
  United MileagePlus
  Overall Score: (3.74)
  Why: The United MileagePlus program is best for travelers based in major American cities like Cleveland, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Houston, New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D ... Read More»
• #5

  
  American Airlines AAdvantage
  Overall Score: (3.71)
  Why: The American Airlines AAdvantage program benefits travelers based in eastern, central and southern American cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Dallas, who fly to ... Read More»
• #6

  
  Virgin America Elevate
  Overall Score: (3.57)
  Why: The Virgin America Elevate program benefits domestic fliers traveling in and out of San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities on the West Coast. Become an Elevate member ... Read More»
• #7

  
  Delta SkyMiles
  Overall Score: (3.46)
  Why: The Delta SkyMiles program is convenient for frequent fliers based in central and southern U.S. cities like Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City, as ... Read More»
• #8

  
  HawaiianMiles
  Overall Score: (2.81)
  Why: The HawaiianMiles rewards program is ideal for those traveling from the Unites States, Asia and the South Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian Airlines serves more than 25 ... Read More»
• #9

  
  Frontier EarlyReturns
  Overall Score: (2.23)
  Why: The Frontier EarlyReturns program caters to travelers based in Denver and the Midwest who frequently fly within the United States. Frontier Airlines services major domestic airports — like those ... Read More»
• #10

  
  FREE SPIRIT
  Overall Score: (1.44)
  Why: Spirit Airlines' FREE SPIRIT frequent flier program caters to people who travel domestically from central, eastern and southern American cities like Chicago, New York City, Fort Lauderdale, Florida ... Read More»