Airline loyalty is a fickle beast, with most travelers willing to jump to another jet for the slightest of discounts. Nevertheless, roughly 7% of flights are paid for with points or miles, so there’s obviously value in committing to a carrier.
With that in mind, WalletHub compared the 11 largest domestic airlines’ loyalty rewards programs in terms of their expected value for Light, Average and Frequent flyers. We did so using 23 key metrics, ranging from the value of a rewards point or mile to blackout-date policies. You can find our analysis below, along with a tool to customize the results based on your own airline budget.
Personalized Recommendation
Just enter your annual air travel budget below, and we’ll use the report’s methodology to find your optimal frequent flyer program.
Annual Amount Spent On Airline Travel
Best Program
Delta Air Lines
WalletHub Score: 59.00
Runner-up
Virgin America
WalletHub Score: 51.45
Main Findings
Delta SkyMiles is the best frequent flyer program for the second straight year, earning an average WalletHub score of 59.90 in the three usage scenarios.
WalletHub Score By Flyer Type
Hawaiian Airlines offers the most rewards value ($21 per $100 spent), with Alaska Airlines coming in a close second ($20 per $100 spent).
Rewards Value Per $100 Spent
Three of the 10 largest airlines offered more rewards in 2017 than in 2016, sweetening the pot by an average of 40%.
Rewards Value per $100 Spent (2017 vs. 2016)
*Sun Country Airlines is not represented in the chart, as it was not included in our 2016 report.
Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways are the only two major airlines whose miles do not expire because of inactivity.
Miles Expiration
8 out of 11 airlines do not impose blackout dates on tickets purchased with miles.
Blackout Dates
45% of airlines will retroactively credit members with miles earned on a flight for up to 12 months after the fact.
Retroactive Miles Credit for Members
7 out of the 11 largest U.S. airlines allow rewards-program members to earn and redeem miles with partner carriers.
Frequent Flyer Partnerships
*The following airlines are not represented in the chart, as they do not have frequent flyer partnerships with other airlines: Southwest, Frontier, Sprit, and Sun Country airlines.
Airline miles cost an average of 62% more than they’re worth when purchased rather than earned.
Markup on Purchased Miles
*Sun Country Airlines does not allow for the purchase of miles.
Detailed Scoring
The following table illustrates the number of points that each airline rewards program received in the scoring categories included in our methodology.
| Scoring Categories | Maximum Score | American Airlines | Delta Air Lines | Southwest Airlines | United Airlines | JetBlue Airways | Alaska Airlines** | Spirit Airlines | Frontier Airlines | Hawaiian Airlines | Virgin America*** | Sun Country Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent Flyer Program | - | AAdvantage program | SkyMiles | Rapid Rewards | MileagePlus program | TrueBlue | Mileage Plan | FREE SPIRIT | EarlyReturns | HawaiianMiles | Elevate | Ufly Rewards |
| Number of daily flights | 7.00 | 7.00 | 5.87 | 4.06 | 4.74 | 0.93 | 1.22 | 0.38 | 0.24 | 0.17 | 0.18 | 0.00 |
| Number of countries served | 5.00 | 4.73 | 5.00 | 0.56 | 4.82 | 1.83 | 0.20 | 1.38 | 0.20 | 0.56 | 0.02 | 0.56 |
| Number of destinations served | 5.00 | 5.00 | 4.75 | 1.25 | 5.00 | 1.24 | 1.52 | 0.54 | 0.60 | 0.12 | 0.04 | 0.26 |
| Partner airlines earning and redemption | 3.00 | 1.69 | 2.04* | 0.00 | 3.00 | 0.27 | 1.19* | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.31 | 0.00 |
| Number of daily flights | 3.00 | 1.56 | 2.37 | 0.00 | 2.31 | 0.25 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.47 | 0.42 | 0.00 |
| Number of countries served | 1.00 | 0.62 | 0.73 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.13 | 0.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.17 | 0.00 |
| Number of destinations served | 1.00 | 0.63 | 0.78 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.09 | 0.69 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 0.16 | 0.00 |
| Value earned -Frequent Flyer | 20.00 | 5.07 | 6.02 | 6.46 | 4.83 | 9.99 | 18.40 | 0.45 | 6.05 | 20.00 | 15.09 | 5.38 |
| Value earned - Average Flyer | 20.00 | 3.51 | 8.61 | 9.25 | 6.91 | 1.18 | 18.28 | 0.65 | 8.65 | 20.00 | 12.45 | 7.70 |
| Value earned - Light Flyer | 20.00 | 8.37 | 9.63 | 15.83 | 8.05 | 5.33 | 17.13 | 0.42 | 15.06 | 18.62 | 20.00 | 13.82 |
| Miles expiration | 7.00 | 1.87 | 7.00 | 2.60 | 1.87 | 7.00 | 2.60 | 0.04 | 0.40 | 1.87 | 1.87 | 4.07 |
| Booking blackout dates | 7.00 | 7.00 | 7.00 | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 | 7.00 | 7.00 | 7.00 | 0.00 |
| Advance booking | 3.00 | 2.63 | 2.63 | 1.28 | 2.69 | 1.91 | 2.62 | 1.93 | 0.92 | 2.63 | 2.62 | 1.69 |
| Short-notice booking fee | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Earning limits | 2.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Earn miles when booking through 3rd party websites | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
| Layover in award flight | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 5.00 |
| Expired-mile reactivation | 1.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Retroactive flight credit for members | 3.00 | 1.29 | 0.86 | 1.29 | 0.43 | 1.29 | 1.29 | 0.00 | 0.43 | 0.14 | 1.29 | 0.00 |
| Retroactive flight credit for non-members | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.45 | 0.27 | 0.00 | 0.18 |
| Award-ticket redeposit fee | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Ease of achieving elite status | 3.00 | 0.71 | 0.35 | 1.04 | 0.96 | 2.43 | 1.77 | 2.47 | 3.00 | 2.47 | 1.39 | 2.43 |
| Transferring miles between accounts | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Membership perks - Frequent Flyer | 5.00 | 3.50 | 3.67 | 1.50 | 4.50 | 3.00 | 4.00 | 0.67 | 1.00 | 3.67 | 4.50 | 3.50 |
| Membership perks - Average Flyer | 5.00 | 0.00 | 3.67 | 1.50 | 4.50 | 0.50 | 3.17 | 0.67 | 1.00 | 2.67 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Membership perks - Light Flyer | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.50 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Purchasing Miles | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Score not based on consumer spending | 75.00 | 40.73 | 49.36 | 33.07 | 38.82 | 38.37 | 32.69 | 26.74 | 21.25 | 27.58 | 31.45 | 31.20 |
| Frequent Flyer Score | 100.00 | 49.30 | 59.05 | 41.04 | 48.15 | 51.35 | 55.09 | 27.85 | 28.30 | 51.24 | 51.04 | 40.08 |
| Average Flyer Score | 100.00 | 44.24 | 61.64 | 43.82 | 50.23 | 40.05 | 54.14 | 28.05 | 30.90 | 50.24 | 43.90 | 38.90 |
| Light Flyer Score | 100.00 | 49.10 | 59.00 | 50.40 | 46.87 | 44.19 | 49.82 | 27.16 | 36.30 | 46.20 | 51.45 | 45.01 |
*Alaska’s partnership with Delta is ending in April 2017
**Airline coverage numbers for Alaska Airlines include merged numbers of both Alaska and Virgin America Airlines.
***Virgin America Elevate members can now convert their points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for redemption on the Alaska Airlines network, following Alaska Air Group’s December 2016 acquisition of Virgin America.
**Airline coverage numbers for Alaska Airlines include merged numbers of both Alaska and Virgin America Airlines.
***Virgin America Elevate members can now convert their points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for redemption on the Alaska Airlines network, following Alaska Air Group’s December 2016 acquisition of Virgin America.
Ask The Experts: Assessing The Value Of Frequent Flyer Programs
With a quantitative analysis in hand, we turned to a panel of leading hospitality and consumer studies experts to learn more about the inner-workings of frequent flyer programs and how they affect the way we travel. You can check out their bios and responses to the following questions below.
- Who benefits more from airline rewards programs: consumers or the airlines themselves?
- To what extent do airline rewards programs influence consumer behavior?
- How do you think mergers, acquisitions and alliances of individual brands impact airline loyalty?
- To what extent, if at all, do you expect airline rewards programs to change in the next 5 to 10 years?
- Why are each airline's miles worth different amounts? How does this affect consumers?
Who benefits more from airline rewards programs: consumers or the airlines themselves?
Reward programs should help major airlines who otherwise may choose not to offer these programs. On the other hand, it amounts to a hurdle for smaller airlines to directly compete with major airlines. Consumers benefit from the rewards, but there may also be negative impacts if rewards programs reduce competition and raise prices.
To what extent do airline rewards programs influence consumer behavior?
Often times there are time limits on accrued miles so consumers have an incentive to concentrate their travel with fewer airlines. As a result, consumers do not necessarily always fly with the airline offering the cheapest flight, especially if the cost is paid by a third-party (e.g., their employers).
How do you think mergers, acquisitions and alliances of individual brands impact airline loyalty?
M&A and alliances all create larger networks. A larger network is good for both the airlines and consumers. It allows airlines to better exploit economies of scale, and allow consumers to choose from a large set of routes, destinations, more flight time choices etc.
It's unclear to me how M&A impact loyalty - it enhances one brand and gets rid of another. For alliance, it makes competing airlines more similar to each other, reducing product differentiation and in turn brand loyalty. But then alliance often occurs between airlines who complement rather than directly compete with each other.
To what extent, if at all, do you expect airline rewards programs to change in the next 5 to 10 years?
A major change that happened recently is switching from miles-based to dollar-based reward, creating winners and losers. I would expect to see more changes in the same spirit. The U.S. airline industry is quite concentrated at this moment, so any further consolidation is less likely. Without further economies of scale to exploit, airlines may try to optimize their margin from each passenger. We may also see more U.S. operations from international airlines.
Why are each airline's miles worth different amounts? How does this affect consumers?
One airline's mile does not have to be the same as that of another airline - they are different "products" after all, just the same as different airlines can charge different prices on the same route. Imagine, for a second, that airlines allow their reward miles to be traded among consumers. Not only would we see a mile's worth differing across airlines, but also across time for the same airline.
Reward programs should help major airlines who otherwise may choose not to offer these programs. On the other hand, it amounts to a hurdle for smaller airlines to directly compete with major airlines. Consumers benefit from the rewards, but there may also be negative impacts if rewards programs reduce competition and raise prices.
To what extent do airline rewards programs influence consumer behavior?
Often times there are time limits on accrued miles so consumers have an incentive to concentrate their travel with fewer airlines. As a result, consumers do not necessarily always fly with the airline offering the cheapest flight, especially if the cost is paid by a third-party (e.g., their employers).
How do you think mergers, acquisitions and alliances of individual brands impact airline loyalty?
M&A and alliances all create larger networks. A larger network is good for both the airlines and consumers. It allows airlines to better exploit economies of scale, and allow consumers to choose from a large set of routes, destinations, more flight time choices etc.
It's unclear to me how M&A impact loyalty - it enhances one brand and gets rid of another. For alliance, it makes competing airlines more similar to each other, reducing product differentiation and in turn brand loyalty. But then alliance often occurs between airlines who complement rather than directly compete with each other.
To what extent, if at all, do you expect airline rewards programs to change in the next 5 to 10 years?
A major change that happened recently is switching from miles-based to dollar-based reward, creating winners and losers. I would expect to see more changes in the same spirit. The U.S. airline industry is quite concentrated at this moment, so any further consolidation is less likely. Without further economies of scale to exploit, airlines may try to optimize their margin from each passenger. We may also see more U.S. operations from international airlines.
Why are each airline's miles worth different amounts? How does this affect consumers?
One airline's mile does not have to be the same as that of another airline - they are different "products" after all, just the same as different airlines can charge different prices on the same route. Imagine, for a second, that airlines allow their reward miles to be traded among consumers. Not only would we see a mile's worth differing across airlines, but also across time for the same airline.
Amna KirmaniProfessor of Marketing in the Robert H. Smith School of Business
Michel BallingsAssistant Professor of Business Analytics in the Haslam College of Business at The University of Tennessee
Alison Jing XuAssistant Professor of Marketing in the Carlson School of Management at University of Minnesota
Aaron HackettLecturer in Marketing in the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Institute of Technology
Charles R. TaylorJohn A. Murphy Professor of Marketing at Villanova School of Business
Donna WertalikAssociate Professor of Practice in Marketing and Director of Marketing at Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business
Susan K. JonesProfessor of Marketing at Ferris State University
Yuliya StrizhakovaAssistant Professor of Marketing in the School of Business at Rutgers University
Tatiana DyachenkoAssistant Professor of Marketing in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University- Qihong LiuAssociate Professor of Economics at University of Oklahoma
Who benefits more from airline rewards programs: consumers or the airlines themselves?
Although both benefit, I am sure airlines benefit more than do consumers. That's why they have them. Consumers benefits individually, but airlines benefit in the aggregate.
These rewards programs are offered to entice consumers to become loyal as well as to reward consumers who remain loyal. Consumers can get used to the perks very quickly.
To what extent do airline rewards programs influence consumer behavior?
Although they are called "rewards," these programs are as much incentive as they are reward.
Airlines rewards programs (like rewards programs in other industries) make it more difficult for consumers to switch to other carriers. The reward program makes consumers look first at that airline's offering on any route; consumers may even be willing to pay more (or put up with an inconvenient route) to travel on that airline. This kind of behavior is especially likely as consumers near an important goal, e.g., achieving the next status level.
In turn, what consumers expect and enjoy are the following: 1) the concrete benefits (e.g., free baggage, earlier boarding, upgrade); 2) the feeling of status (I'm special). In fact, as you go up the status levels, it becomes harder and harder to switch to a different carrier. That is because the benefits get larger and harder to give up. I've heard people say that xxx airline sucks, but they travel on it because they have high status.
Why are each airline's miles worth different amounts? How does this affect consumers?
These miles are worth different amounts because each airline has developed a different system over time. Some reasons are just institutional (i.e., based on the airline's infrastructure, the managers who developed the initial program, etc.). For consumers, it's all quite confusing. It's even more confusing since the airlines changed their system from miles-based to money-based (Starbucks did the same with its loyalty program.) Now, United, for instance, gives you miles based on how much you paid for the ticket. I can't figure it out, and I don't have the time or energy to delve into the exact system. I feel they've made it opaque on purpose. And it's hugely beneficial for them.
Although both benefit, I am sure airlines benefit more than do consumers. That's why they have them. Consumers benefits individually, but airlines benefit in the aggregate.
These rewards programs are offered to entice consumers to become loyal as well as to reward consumers who remain loyal. Consumers can get used to the perks very quickly.
To what extent do airline rewards programs influence consumer behavior?
Although they are called "rewards," these programs are as much incentive as they are reward.
Airlines rewards programs (like rewards programs in other industries) make it more difficult for consumers to switch to other carriers. The reward program makes consumers look first at that airline's offering on any route; consumers may even be willing to pay more (or put up with an inconvenient route) to travel on that airline. This kind of behavior is especially likely as consumers near an important goal, e.g., achieving the next status level.
In turn, what consumers expect and enjoy are the following: 1) the concrete benefits (e.g., free baggage, earlier boarding, upgrade); 2) the feeling of status (I'm special). In fact, as you go up the status levels, it becomes harder and harder to switch to a different carrier. That is because the benefits get larger and harder to give up. I've heard people say that xxx airline sucks, but they travel on it because they have high status.
Why are each airline's miles worth different amounts? How does this affect consumers?
These miles are worth different amounts because each airline has developed a different system over time. Some reasons are just institutional (i.e., based on the airline's infrastructure, the managers who developed the initial program, etc.). For consumers, it's all quite confusing. It's even more confusing since the airlines changed their system from miles-based to money-based (Starbucks did the same with its loyalty program.) Now, United, for instance, gives you miles based on how much you paid for the ticket. I can't figure it out, and I don't have the time or energy to delve into the exact system. I feel they've made it opaque on purpose. And it's hugely beneficial for them.
Methodology
This report compared the frequent flyer programs operated by the 11 largest airlines in the U.S., based on number of passengers, using publicly available information and company policies posted online. We did so for three different consumer profiles, designed to illustrate how programs compare across spending levels. Where policies were incomplete or ambiguous, we confirmed them with the respective airline’s customer service department. Once data collection was complete, we reached out to the public relations departments of each airline to confirm our findings. However, Spirit Airlines and Sun Country Airlines either did not meet our deadline for input or did not provide any corrections regarding company policy and pricing.
The scoring framework used to evaluate each program, and ultimately identify the best option for different types of consumers, can be found below. Generally, full points were awarded to the best-performing program for that metric, while the zero-point level was set slightly below the worst program’s value. Most of the metrics were first graded on a 100-point scale. Point allocations for more-binary metrics that did not use this 100-point scale are explained below. Airline ticket cost data is accurate as of January 16.
Consumer Profiles: We created three consumer spending profiles (Light, Average and Frequent) to evaluate how well each airline meets the needs of travelers with varying budgets. We based the airfare budget of a “Light” flyer on travel expenditure data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau. We determined the budget of a “Frequent” flyer by applying average airfare rates to a travel schedule that comprises monthly domestic flights supplemented by an annual trip abroad. The “Average” flyer’s budget was determined by averaging the “Light” and “Frequent” flyer’s budgets. Exact values can be found below.
- Light Flyer: Spends roughly $467 on annual airline travel.
- Average Flyer: Spends roughly $3,105 on annual airline travel.
- Frequent Flyer: Spends $5,743 on annual airline travel.
1. Airline Coverage (total score: 17 points)
- a. Number of daily flights (max score: 7 points)
We collected the average number of daily flights by the individual airlines according to their official websites.
b. Number of countries served (max score: 5 points)
We tabulated the total number of countries served by each airline directly (i.e., not including countries served by partners/alliances).
We tabulated the total number of countries served by each airline directly (i.e., not including countries served by partners/alliances).
c. Number of destinations served (max score: 5 points)
We determined the total number of destinations served by each airline directly (i.e., not including destinations by with partners/alliances).
We determined the total number of destinations served by each airline directly (i.e., not including destinations by with partners/alliances).
2. Partner Coverage (total score: 8 points)
We chose to grade partner airlines separately in order to avoid overlapping data and the resulting double counting. However, the strength of a given airline’s partnership network is indeed relevant to the value of its rewards program, so it was important that we take this into account where possible.
We chose to grade partner airlines separately in order to avoid overlapping data and the resulting double counting. However, the strength of a given airline’s partnership network is indeed relevant to the value of its rewards program, so it was important that we take this into account where possible.
- a. Partner airline earning and redemption (max score: 3 points)
We collected the total number of partner airlines that allow you to both earn and redeem miles. Partners with which you can only earn, not redeem, received ½ the points.
b. Number of daily flights (max score: 3 points)
We added together each partner airline’s average number of total daily flights.
We added together each partner airline’s average number of total daily flights.
c. Number of countries served (max score: 1 point)
We tabulated the total number of countries served by each airline’s partners/alliance-mates.
We tabulated the total number of countries served by each airline’s partners/alliance-mates.
d. Number of destinations served (max score: 1 point)
We determined the total number of destinations served by each airline’s partners/alliance-mates.
We determined the total number of destinations served by each airline’s partners/alliance-mates.
3. Value Earned per $100 Spent (total score: 20 points)
Three underlying components are required to calculate how much value a user would derive from one year of membership in each airline’s rewards program: i. Amount Spent, ii. Miles Earned and iii. Redemption Value. In other words, if you spend X amount, you will earn Y miles, which can be redeemed for Z dollars in airfare. Below we will explain how we calculated each component.
Three underlying components are required to calculate how much value a user would derive from one year of membership in each airline’s rewards program: i. Amount Spent, ii. Miles Earned and iii. Redemption Value. In other words, if you spend X amount, you will earn Y miles, which can be redeemed for Z dollars in airfare. Below we will explain how we calculated each component.
- i. Amount Spent: We used the aforementioned consumer spending profiles to determine how much Light, Average and Frequent flyers spend on airfare each year.
ii. Miles Earned: The task of determining the number of miles that each type of flyer would earn with each airline was complicated by the fact that there are two ways to earn. Some airlines provided a certain number of miles per dollar spent (e.g., 3 miles per every $1 spent), in which case overall earnings can be determined with simple multiplication. But others allocate earnings based on the number of miles a member flies (e.g., 1 rewards mile per 1 mile flown).
For the latter group, we collected the prices of round-trip tickets (economy fares) for popular routes from the airline’s hub. Ticket prices were obtained for weekend travel during each destination’s high and shoulder travel seasons. In all cases, ticket prices were collected at least one month in advance. For each route, we then collected the round-trip distance between the two cities in terms of miles. Finally, we divided the average distance by the average ticket price, thus obtaining per-dollar pay-out rates for the airlines that rely on a mileage-based system. Multiplying these ratios by the amount each type of traveller spends gave us each person’s overall earnings with each airline.
Note: Temporary promotions, such as holiday deals or bonus miles for reservations made on specific websites, were not taken into account. Earning rates were calculated for the second year of program membership.
Note: Temporary promotions, such as holiday deals or bonus miles for reservations made on specific websites, were not taken into account. Earning rates were calculated for the second year of program membership.
iii. Redemption Value: In order to determine the redemption value of a mile earned from each airline, we divided each airline’s average ticket price in dollars by the average number of miles needed for an award flight. Taxes and surcharges were deducted from the dollar value of the award flight if miles did not cover them.
iv. Value Per $100 Spent: To calculate the overall value each type of flyer would earn per $1 spent, we multiplied the number of miles earned by the respective airline’s redemption value and divided by the consumer’s annual spend. For example, assuming that an airline offers 3 miles per $1 spent and its miles are worth two cents apiece, a “Light” flyer would earn roughly $28.02 in free airfare over the course of a year ($467 * 3 *0.02). And that translates to $6 in value per $100 spent ($28.02 / $467 *100).
4. Miles Restrictions (total score: 33 points)
- a. Miles expiration (max score: 7 points)
- If a rewards program does not have blackout dates for award flights = Full points
- If a rewards program has blackout dates = No points
- If the airline does not charge a fee for booking an award flight within 6 days of departure = Full points
- If the airline charges a fee for booking an award flight within 6 days of departure = No points
- If the airline does not impose any limit on earning miles = Full points
- If the airline imposes an annual or per-transaction limit on earning miles = No points
- If the airline allows you to earn miles on flights booked through third-party websites = Full points
- If the airline does not let you earn miles on flights booked through third-party websites = No points
- If miles can be used to book flights that include layovers = Full points
- If miles cannot be used to book flights that include layovers = No points
We determined if and when miles expire due to account inactivity with each loyalty rewards program.
b. Booking blackout dates (max score: 7 points)
c. Advance booking (max score: 3 points)
Airlines allowing members to redeem miles up to one year in advance received the highest scores, while those that allow award flights to be booked only 90 days in advance received no points.
Airlines allowing members to redeem miles up to one year in advance received the highest scores, while those that allow award flights to be booked only 90 days in advance received no points.
d. Short-notice booking fee (max score: 3 points)
e. Earning limits (max score: 2 points)
f. Earn miles booking through third-party websites (max score: 6 points)
g. Layovers in award flight (max score: 5 points)
5. Additional Features & Policies (total score: 22 points)
- a. Expired-mile reactivation (max score: 1 point)
- If the airline allows you to reactivate expired miles for free = Full points
- If the airline allows you to reactivate expired miles for a fee = No points
- If the airline allows retroactive mile credits to be claimed for flights taken in the last 24 months = Full points
- If the airline provides retroactive mile credits only for flights taken less than 3 months ago = No points
- If the airline allows retroactive mile credits to be claimed for flights taken in the last 12 months = Full points
- If the airline provides retroactive miles credits only for flights taken less than 1 months ago = No points
- If the airline does not charge a fee to re-deposit miles in the event of award ticket cancellation = Full Points
- If the airline charges a fee to re-deposit miles in the event of award ticket cancellation = No points
- If the airline allows program members to transfer miles between their accounts for free = Full points
- If the airline only allows spouses to transfer miles between accounts for free = 0.5 points
- If the airline charges a fee to transfer of miles between accounts = No points
- Free checked baggage = 1.5 points
- Complimentary upgrades = 1 point
- Priority check-in/security/boarding = 1 point
- Complimentary companion upgrades = 0.5 point
- Expedited baggage services = 0.5 points
- Free in-flight Wi-Fi = 0.5 points
- If the airline earns a profit of 25% or less on the transaction = Full points
- If the profit margin is higher than 25% = No points
b. Retroactive flight credit for members (max score: 3 points)
c. Retroactive flight credit for non-members (max score: 1 point)
d. Award-ticket redeposit/cancellation fee (max score: 3 points)
e. Ease of achieving elite status (max score: 3 points)
We calculated the amount that a member of each airline’s rewards program would need to spend on a monthly basis in order to accumulate the requisite miles for top membership status. Spending assumptions reflect the lowest economy fares.
We calculated the amount that a member of each airline’s rewards program would need to spend on a monthly basis in order to accumulate the requisite miles for top membership status. Spending assumptions reflect the lowest economy fares.
f. Transferring miles between accounts (max score: 1 point)
g. Valuable membership perks (max score: 5 points)
After examining all of the airline rewards programs, we created a list of membership perks that we believe to be most valuable for consumers. We then used our consumer profiles to determine which perks each type of airline patron would receive based on the membership-status level for which they could expect to qualify.
After examining all of the airline rewards programs, we created a list of membership perks that we believe to be most valuable for consumers. We then used our consumer profiles to determine which perks each type of airline patron would receive based on the membership-status level for which they could expect to qualify.
h. Purchasing Miles (max score: 5 points)
In order to determine whether members of each airline rewards program can purchase miles at fair value, we calculated the cost of buying the maximum number of miles permitted by each program as well as their average redemption value.
In order to determine whether members of each airline rewards program can purchase miles at fair value, we calculated the cost of buying the maximum number of miles permitted by each program as well as their average redemption value.
Author
Alina Comoreanu 
Alina is a Research Analyst at Evolution Finance. She is a Business Administration graduate. Previously she worked as a desktop publisher for a daily newspaper and for the National Census&Statistical…
1438 Wallet Points
Alina is a Research Analyst at Evolution Finance. She is a Business Administration graduate. Previously she worked as a desktop publisher for a daily newspaper and for the National Census&Statistical…
1438 Wallet Points
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