Airline loyalty programs let travelers earn and redeem miles, and score valuable perks along the way. But which one is best? Reading through marketing materials, it’s not easy to figure out which to join or which offers the finest benefits. To help guide travelers, travel rewards and points research platform Points.me recently released its second annual rankings of loyalty programs. Extensive metrics helped rank the perks most important to everyday passengers.
The top-ranked airline loyalty programs in the U.S.
Though Flying Blue — the loyalty program of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France — earned top global honors for the second straight year, it was American Airlines’ AAdvantage that led U.S. carriers. AAdvantage’s 87.63 score was due to its combination of a smooth booking system, a large oneworld Alliance network, flexible cancellation rules, and dependable reward seats.
Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan scored a strong second place with 82.38 points. That program will soon become Atmos Rewards, a result of Alaska’s merger with Hawaiian Airlines. Rounding out the top four were United’s Mileage Plus with 79.88 points, and JetBlue’s TrueBlue with 69.88 points.
The study furthern noted AAdvantage is best for global travel, and MileagePlus rewards passengers who prefer outsized value on unique partners. For domestic travel, Southwest’s Rapid Rewards makes things simple and easy.
The best airline loyalty programs according to Point.me:
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- United MileagePlus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- Delta SkyMiles
- Frontier Miles
- Allegiant Allways Rewards
- Spirit Free Spirit
