This article is reprinted by permission from NerdWallet. Airline reward programs offer a simple proposition: If you fly with our airline a bunch, you’ll get paid back in the form of miles or points that can be used for future travel. Yet understanding how many miles you’ll earn, and how much these miles are worth, can be anything but simple.
These reward programs drive a huge part of airlines’ business. For example, American Airlines
AAL,
-2.86%
AAdvantage members spent $1,220 on flights on average in 2019 compared to $408 for non-members, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. So airlines have a strong incentive to earn frequent flyers’ loyalty with high-value rewards. Yet for customers, parsing the many variables that go into this value proposition isn’t easy. For many it can be downright daunting. A survey in December 2021 and January 2022 of 2,150 U.S. consumers by Arrivia, a travel technology company, found that 45% of Americans say they don’t know if they’re getting the best value from their travel rewards. Thankfully, you don’t have to figure it out for yourself. NerdWallet collected hundreds of data points of airline rewards programs to determine which one offers the highest overall value. And in 2023, that loyalty program is: Frontier Miles by Frontier Airlines
ULCC,
-0.08%.
Yes, an airline better known for its low fares and high fees beat out much bigger competitors like American and Delta Air Lines
DAL,
-0.85%.
So, how did Frontier come to be the most valuable airline rewards program this year? Don’t miss: ‘This is one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen’: Splurge on a stayover — or grab a cocktail during a layover — at …