Credit card analysis and comparison site CardHub.com put the rewards programs of the largest domestic airlines to the test to determine which airline offers its brand loyalists the best perks in 2016. CardHub analyzed the 10 biggest U.S. carriers through the lens of three prospective travelers; the Frequent Flyer, the Average Flyer, and the Light Flyer to determine which program best enhances the flying experiences of each.
The 23 different points of measurement used to compare the carriers against one another include points like:
- Number of destinations served by both the airline itself and its participating alliance partners
- The time before miles expire
- The number of blackout dates when miles redemption is unavailable
- Short-notice booking fees
- The penalty for transferring miles between accounts
Photo: CardHub
As you can see above, JetBlue earns the honor of being named 2016’s best rewards program provider for Frequent Flyers, while Delta takes the cake when it comes to the Average and Light Flyer. Surely not coincidentally, the two carriers are the only of the big ten whose miles do not expire during periods of inactivity. At the other end of the spectrum, Spirit and Frontier miles expire after just three and six months of inactivity, respectively. Yikes.
Some other noteworthy findings from the study: Seven out of the 10 carriers are members of a global alliance — of varying degrees of scope — that allow miles to be redeemed on other airlines’ flights. Also, six of the 10 airlines have now fully transitioned from traditional mileage rewards programs to new, spending-based systems that are largely regarded as being unfavorable for the customer. JetBlue is credited with kicking off the trend, but Delta launched what could have been a passing trend into an industry-wide new normal — and yet somehow, these two ended up being CardHub’s best rewards programs.
Interestingly, The Points Guy, who does a monthly valuation of miles and credit-card points has Delta ranking below all of the above airlines except for Frontier (Spirit and Hawaiian are not included in his rankings) when it comes to the value per point.
So which is actually the best frequent flier program? Well, that depends a lot on your home airport, where you like to fly and a lot of other personal factors. But it’s nice to have all the information before you decide whether you want to be loyal to one brand.