Airline Loyalty Rewards
Frontier Airlines Frontier Miles Loyalty Program Review
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Frontier Miles
Atlanta, Chicago (ORD), Cleveland, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, Trenton
Loyalty Program Overview
The Frontier Miles program is pretty basic, as far as frequent flyer programs go. You earn 1 mile per 1 mile flown and then you can easily redeem those miles for reward flights with Frontier.
Joining Frontier Miles
Getting a Frontier Miles account couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is head to flyfrontier.com, hover over the Frontier Miles tab, and then click Sign Up Today. From there, enter your email, create a password, and fill in all your personal details, and boom — you’re done!
Once you’ve done this, you’re given your Frontier loyalty number, which is added to each of your Frontier flights so you can start earning and redeeming miles.
How To Access Your Frontier Account
To sign in to your account, you just need to click log in in the top right corner of the screen, enter your email or Frontier Miles number, enter your password, and then click log in.
Viewing Your Account Activity
After you’ve logged in to your account, you should see your name followed by your Frontier mileage balance in the top right corner of the screen. Simply click on your name and then View My Profile.
From there you should be able to see your entire account dashboard, which includes your membership number, mileage balance, settings, elite status level, a map of where you’ve flown with Frontier, and your total distance flown with Frontier.
Below that, you can view and access any upcoming trips you have planned in case you need to make any changes or cancellations.
You should also see a Travel Miles section near the center of the page that shows you how many miles away you are from your next Frontier award flight. Award flights with Frontier start at 10,000 per way and increase from there to 40,000, depending on destination and demand.
Miles Expiration
Frontier has a pretty brutal policy when it comes to mileage expiration, as all of your Frontier miles expire after just 12 months of inactivity. Further, redeeming some of your miles will not extend the expiration deadline of your remaining miles.
The only way to extend the life of the miles in your Frontier account by another 12 months is earning more miles by flying with Frontier or by holding the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard®.
Loyalty Program Benefits
Frontier Elite Status
Frontier offers flyers 4 levels of elite status: Elite Silver, Elite Gold, Elite Platinum, and Elite Diamond.
Each status tier comes with the following benefits:
Frontier Elite Silver Benefits
- Free seat assignment at booking
- Preferred seat at check-in
- Access to family pooling
- Priority boarding
- Stretch seating upgrades at check-in
Frontier Elite Gold Benefits
At this tier, you receive all previous benefits plus:
- Stretch seating upgrades at booking
- Free carry-on bag
- Family seating
- Premium seat at check-in
Frontier Elite Platinum Benefits
Elite Platinum status includes all previous benefits plus:
- Free Discount Den membership
- Premium seat at booking
- Free checked bag
- 50% off a Discount Den membership
Frontier Elite Diamond Benefits
Top-tier Elite Diamond perks include all benefits from previous elite tiers plus:
- Free Discount Den membership
- Pet fee waiver
- Free The Works bundle on each flight (which includes 100% refundability)
Value of Frontier Elite Status
Placing a value on Frontier status largely comes down to how often you fly with the carrier.
It’s worth pointing out that you can get many of the benefits of Elite 20K status, like priority boarding, family pooling, and award redemption fee waivers, just by holding the Frontier Airlines World card.
However, other key benefits like a free carry-on bag, free seat assignments, and upgrades to stretch seating at check-in would certainly come in handy if you fly with Frontier often.
Earning Frontier Elite Status
Working your way toward elite status with Frontier is extremely straightforward when compared to other programs.
All elite tiers are earned based on how much money you spend:
- Elite Silver requires 10,000 points.
- Elite Gold requires 20,000 points.
- Elite Platinum requires 50,000 points.
- Elite Diamond requires 100,000 points.
You earn at least 10 points for every dollar you spend on Frontier, though you can earn even faster depending on which elite level you have.
How To Earn Frontier Miles
There are quite a few ways for you to earn Frontier miles, but here are the 3 major ways:
Earn Miles Through Flying
Naturally, the most obvious way to earn Frontier miles is by flying with Frontier!
You earn miles based on the cash cost of your ticket, and which elite tier you have.
- Elite Silver earns 12 points per dollar.
- Elite Gold earns 14 points per dollar.
- Elite Platinum earns 16 points per dollar.
- Elite Diamond earns 20 points per dollar.
If you don’t hold elite status, you’re a base member, and that earns 10 points per dollar spent.
Earn Miles Through Credit Cards
You have a few options when it comes to earning Frontier miles with credit cards, but just 1 co-branded credit card earns Frontier miles directly: the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® from Barclays.
The card comes with a $89 annual fee and a sign-up bonus of up to 60,000 miles — 40,000 bonus miles after spending $500 on purchases within the first 90 days, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 6 months. This bonus is worth $660 toward Frontier flights, based on our valuation of Frontier miles.
Rewards Rates
The Frontier Airlines World card earn miles at the following rates:
- 5x miles per $1 on eligible purchases at flyfrontier.com (including airfare, hotels, and car rentals purchased directly from Frontier)
- 3x miles per $1 on restaurant purchases
- 1x mile per $1 on all other purchases
Card Benefits
Cardholders enjoy the following Frontier perks, as well:
- 1 Elite Status Point toward Frontier elite status with every $1 spent on purchases
- Unlocked family pooling to share miles with friends and family
- A $100 Flight Voucher every year after spending $2,500 or more on purchases with the card during your card membership year
- No expiration on miles
- No blackout dates for miles redemptions
- Zone 2 priority boarding
- Award redemption fee waiver
Each of these perks makes it easier to get even more value out of each Frontier flight you take!
Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Why We Like This Card
Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Pros & Cons
- Up to 14x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
- 2x points at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services
- 5 Elite Night Credits each year
- Lower point earn rate than other Marriott Bonvoy cards
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is the lowest status tier
Card Highlights
- APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees:
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
Why We Like This Card
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Pros & Cons
- Earn big when you use your card at thousands of participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
- Automatic Silver Elite Status
- $95 annual fee
- Marriott Silver Elite Status is the lowest status tier
Card Highlights
- Earn 125,000 bonus points after qualifying purchases - our best points offer!
- Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
- Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
- 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
- Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card.
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite status, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Your points don't expire as long as you make purchases on your card every 24 months.
- Member FDIC
- APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
Why We Like This Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.
Pros & Cons
- 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2x points)
- 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
- $250 annual fee (rates & fees)
- Free Night Award certificate is not an automatic benefit
Card Highlights
- Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
- Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
- Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card.
- Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
- With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
- Plan It® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
A premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
Why We Like This Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.
So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?
Pros & Cons
- 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy program
- 3x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and restaurants worldwide
- 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
- Steep annual fee of $650 (rates & fees)
- 6x points per $1 is the same earn rate offered with lower annual fee alternatives like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
Card Highlights
- Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Chase and American Express offer many great Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, and Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Frontier at a 3:1 rate, with a 5,000 miles bonus when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
This could be a worthwhile way to top off your Frontier balance if you’re close to a specific redemption, but you should generally try to avoid transferring your Marriott Bonvoy points to Frontier and instead opt for a partner that offers higher-value redemptions.
Bottom Line:Your main, and best, bet is to use the Frontier Airlines World card, which earns you 5x miles per $1 spent on Frontier flights, 3x miles per $1 spent at restaurants, and 1x mile per $1 on all other purchases. Similarly, you could also use one of the many Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, as Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred at a 3:1 rate to Frontier — though this is generally a poor value proposition for your Marriott Bonvoy points.
Earn Miles From Hotel Partners
Marriott
When you stay at Marriott hotels, you can earn Frontier miles during your stay instead of Marriott Bonvoy points. For most full-service, premium, and luxury Marriott brands, you earn 2x Frontier miles per $1 spent, while you earn just 1x mile per $1 spent at lower-end brands.
Wyndham
Similarly, you can earn Frontier miles instead of Wyndham Rewards points during your Wyndham hotel stays. The amount of Frontier miles you earn is based on your elite status level with Wyndham at the following rates:
Wyndham Rewards Elite Status Level | Miles Earned |
Blue and Gold | 1x mile per $1 |
Platinum and Diamond | 2x miles per $1 |
Radisson
Lastly, there is Radisson, which doesn’t allow you to earn Frontier miles for your Radisson Hotels Americas stays directly. After you’ve earned your Radisson Rewards Americas points, you can transfer them to your Frontier account at a 10:1 rate.
Earn Miles From Rental Car Partners
You can also earn Frontier miles with Frontier’s rental car partners. If you rent cars rather infrequently and don’t really have a good use for accruing points within the rental car program, then this could be a great option for you.
Here’s a look at all of Frontier’s rental car partners and their earning rates:
Brand | Miles Earned |
Up to 500 miles per rental | |
50 per day, 500 per rental of 5 days or more | |
500 per 3 to 4 day rental, 1,000 p | |
50 per day, 500 per rental of 5 days or more | |
Up to 500 per rental | |
50 per day, 500 per rental of 5 days or more | |
50 per day, 500 per rental of 5 days or more |
Earn Miles With Other Partners
Frontier offers partnerships with many other companies, including cruise lines and merchants like FTD Flowers and Vinesse Wines, all of which will allow you to earn Frontier miles when making purchases through them.
Purchase Frontier Miles
You can also easily purchase Frontier miles through points.com if you’re ever short, but it’s generally a bad deal. This is because points.com sells Frontier miles at 2.5 cents per mile but you pretty much always get just 1 to 1.1 cents per mile when redeeming them.
How To Redeem Frontier Miles
When it comes to redeeming your Frontier miles, you’ve got 2 main options: for Frontier flights or toward magazines. Only 1 of those is actually a great option, and that is Frontier flights. Here’s why.
Redeeming for Frontier Flights
When it comes to redeeming your Frontier miles, redeeming them for flights is by far your best option. First, let’s take a quick look at the Frontier award chart.
REDEMPTION LEVELS
Note that these reflect the minimum award redemption miles required.
Award Travel Type | Value | Standard | Last Seat (Elite Only) | Taxes and Fees From: |
Travel within the U.S. and Puerto Rico | ||||
One-way | 10,000 miles | 20,000 miles | 22,500 miles | $5.60 |
Round-trip | 20,000 miles | 40,000 miles | 45,000 miles | $ 11.20 |
Travel to or from Mexico | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $40.71 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $126.24 |
Travel to or from the Dominican Republic (PUJ) | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $46.90 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $115.55 |
Travel to or from the Dominican Republic (SDQ) | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $49.65 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $121.05 |
Travel to or from Jamaica (KIN) | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $49.60 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $168.70 |
Travel to or from Jamaica (MBJ) | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $49.60 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $142.42 |
Travel to/from El Salvador | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $7.10 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $63.58 |
Travel to or from Bahamas | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $6.60 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $116.65 |
Travel to or from Costa Rica (SJO) | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $22.68 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $83.62 |
Travel to or from Costa Rica (LIR) | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $22.95 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $77.04 |
Travel to or from Guatemala | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $5.60 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $55.50 |
Travel to or from Antigua | ||||
One-way | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $43.10 |
Round-trip | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $97.95 |
As you can see, these award rates, even at the standard level, are generally pretty reasonable. With one-way tickets in the U.S. and Puerto Rico costing just 10,000 to 20,000 miles and one-way tickets to Mexico and the Caribbean just 15,000 to 25,000 miles.
However, it is important to keep in mind that Frontier is a low-cost carrier, and cash tickets for these flights are usually pretty inexpensive when compared to other airlines that fly to these destinations.
Given that, you usually receive around 1.1 cents per mile when redeeming for Frontier award tickets, though it is certainly possible to get significantly more value if you redeem your miles when the cash price for your ticket is very high during peak travel seasons.
It’s also important to remember that Frontier charges the following redemption fees on award tickets, which will no doubt cut into the overall value you receive when booking an award ticket:
- 180 or more days before travel: Free
- 21 to 179 days before travel: $15
- 7 to 20 days before travel: $50
- 6 or fewer days before travel: $75
Aside from booking 180 or more days before you plan to travel, there are a few ways to avoid paying redemption fees on your award tickets, the easiest of which is by having the Frontier Airlines World card. Frontier also waives redemption fees for all elite members.
Redeeming Toward Magazines
Through MagsforMiles, redemptions using your Frontier miles start at 600 miles for a subscription. But unless you’re regularly purchasing these magazine subscriptions already, then this is probably a poor use of your miles. You’d be better off just saving up until you have enough for an award ticket.
The information regarding the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.