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.

Recommended Videos

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…

Travel

United invests in this CO2 capture technology

United invests in Heirloom for CO2 capture

Heirloom DAC facility

This week, United Airlines announced a sustainability initiative: investing in Heirloom, a direct air capture (DAC) company. The agreement was made by the United Airlines Ventures (UAV) Sustainable Flight Fund and leverages Heirloom’s quantifiable carbon reduction technology to help the airline reach its decarbonization goals. In addition, the Fund signed an agreement for the option to buy as much as 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal (CDR), delivered to assist in the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) or held underground permanently.
United aims to have net-zero emissions by 2050

Heirloom uses the power of limestone to capture CO2 from the air, making it one of the most affordable methods of carbon dioxide removal. Heirloom is United’s third carbon capture investment, but it is the sole technology commercializing direct air capture (DAC). That differs point source capture, which collect CO2 from specific sources, like power plants.

Travel

American’s AAdvantage program offers March bonus miles

AAdvantage to offer March bonus miles

AAdvantage luggage tag

American Airlines’ AAdvantage program year begins March 1, and to mark the occasion, the airline is offering bonus loyalty points for the entire month. For every March flight taken, members can earn 500 extra Loyalty Points, giving them a strong start toward earning status and rewards. That includes up to 5,000 extra Loyalty Points for the month.
AAdvantage 2025: Bonus points and new perks

For 2025, AAdvantage provides even more rewards, helping travelers customize their travels, and use their miles in multiple ways. Thought Loyalty Point Reward and status levels are the same for 2025, a reimagined online AAdvantage Acitivity page offers a more intuitive way to track status.

Travel

This airline is offering low fares to see the Northern Lights

PLAY offers super low fares to the Northern Lights

Northern Lights, Iceland

Low-cost Icelandic airline PLAY is offering $99 fares to Iceland, making it easier to view the Northern Lights. Not only that, but the sale includes discounted trips to European destinations like London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, Dublin, and Paris. The sale runs from February 24 to March 2.

The Northern Lights in Iceland: Natural enchantment
Northern Lights, Iceland Bingqi Huang via Unsplash