A comprehensive study ranked the best airline rewards programs

Study shows the best airline rewards programs

By Mark Reif Published September 16, 2024

Wing of KLM airplane — Emiel Molenaar via Unsplash

A recent study by Point.me ranked the world’s finest airline reward programs, using detailed data across multiple areas. The analysis looked at more than 60 frequent flyer programs, to help travelers maximize their travel plans.

What the study looked at and what it found

Passenger in airport terminal — Suganth via Unsplash

Point.me is a real-time search and booking engine that helps travelers book flights using points. Using the service, customers can search for rewards flights from multiple airlines, track points and miles, and compare options while maximizing points. Using comprehensive data from its site and expert-level knowledge, Point.me ranked the best airline loyalty programs.

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Air France/KLM’s Flyingblue program came out on top. It ranked highly in almost every way, from earning miles to booking to redemption rates. Even more significant, consumers can transfer points from major credit card companies like Bilt, Marriot Bonvoy, American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Chase.

The highest-ranking U.S. carrier (3rd place) was United with its MileagePlus program. Highlights included ease of earning miles, ease of booking, and change fees policies. Like Flyingblue, MileagePlus members can transfer points from Marriot Bonvoy, Bilt, and Chase.

The next-best U.S. carrier (6th place) was American Airlines AAdvantage. The program is the industry’s oldest, beginning in 1981, and continues to offer strong rewards to fliers. High points included ease of booking, redemption rates, and change fees/policies.

The study’s top-10 global rewards programs were (overall score in parentheses):

1. Air France/KLM Flyingblue (93.06)

2. Air Canada Aeroplan (77.43)

3. United MileagePlus (72.22)

4. (tie) British Airways Executive Club (69.10) Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (69.10)

6. American Airlines AAdvantage (68.06)

7. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (65.97)

8. Qatar Airways Privilege Club (62.85)

9. JetBlue TrueBlue (61.81)

10. Avianaca LifeMiles (59.72)

The study’s webpage offers a detailed analysis of the different programs and how some are better in specific ways, such as customer service or change fees/policies.

CEO and Founder of Point.me, Adam Morvitz, said: “Getting real value from airline loyalty points is often significantly harder for passengers than it needs to be. This report drew on our team’s collective travel expertise and deep data-led insight from our reward metasearch engine to take everyday travelers behind the curtain, unraveling the intricacies of reward programs to spotlight where the true value lies.”

Mark Reif is a writer from Stowe, Vermont. During the winter, he works as a snowboard coach and rides more than 100 days. The…

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