How To Get Frontier Airlines Elite Status (Is It Worth It?)

Frontier Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier that operates routes to more than 100 destinations in the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. When you fly on Frontier, you pay a discounted fare for your ticket, but anything above and beyond 1 personal item costs extra. However, having Frontier Airlines elite status is a great way to alleviate some of those extra costs.

The Frontier Miles loyalty program was recently updated to be more in line with other major carriers. Passengers now earn elite status based on how much they spend with the airline and its co-branded credit card instead of how much they fly. This simplified program even offers a way to earn elite status without taking a single flight.

While it probably doesn’t make sense to spend your way to elite status if you never fly, it’s an excellent way to boost your status if you do fly Frontier a few times a year.

Let’s dive into the details to look at how to earn Frontier Airlines elite status and whether or not it’s even worth it.

How To Earn Frontier Airlines Elite Status

Frontier Airlines revamped its loyalty program in 2024, moving toward a spend-based program that’s similar to other airlines’ programs. This simplified program makes it possible to earn Frontier elite status without stepping foot on an airplane.

There are 2 types of miles and points that can be earned within the Frontier Miles loyalty program.

Travel Miles are redeemable miles earned by purchasing Frontier flights, spending on the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard^®, or making purchases with Frontier travel partners. These can be used to purchase flights and do not determine elite status.

Elite Status Points are earned by spending on Frontier flights and extras, as well as spending with the Frontier Airlines World card. Elite Status Points can’t be redeemed for flights. They are only used to determine elite status.

Members earn Elite Status Points every calendar year to determine status. Once elite status is earned, it is valid for the remaining calendar year and the entire following calendar year. For example, if you earned Frontier Airlines elite status in October 2024, it would be valid through the end of 2025.

Frontier status can be earned starting at just 10,000 Elite Status Points:

• Elite Silver: 10,000 points
• Elite Gold (Formerly Elite 20K): 20,000 points
• Elite Platinum (Formerly Elite 50K): 50,000 points
• Elite Diamond (Formerly Elite 100K): 100,000 points

How To Earn Frontier Elite Status Points

You earn Frontier Elite Status Points in 2 ways: Frontier Airlines purchases and Frontier Airlines credit card purchases.

Qualifying purchases on FlyFrontier.com include flights, baggage, seat assignments, Discount Den, priority boarding, GoWild! passes, and more.

• Members earn 10 redeemable miles and 10 Elite Status Points per dollar spent
• Elite Silver members earn 12 redeemable miles and 12 Elite Status Points per dollar spent
• Elite Gold members earn 14 redeemable miles and 14 Elite Status Points per dollar spent
• Elite Platinum members earn 16 redeemable miles and 16 Elite Status Points per dollar spent
• Elite Diamond members earn 20 redeemable miles and 20 Elite Status Points per dollar spent

There are a couple of exceptions. Elite Status Points and redeemable miles earned from GoWild! passes and Discount Den purchases aren’t based on the actual amount spent.

As you can see from the above chart, an Elite Gold member who purchased a GoWild! summer pass would earn 7,000 redeemable miles plus 7,000 Elite Status Points.

How To Earn Frontier Elite Status With Credit Cards

Purchases on the Frontier Airlines World card earn 1 Elite Status Point per dollar spent, regardless of how many redeemable miles a purchase earns. That means you could earn base-level Elite Silver status by spending $10,000 in a calendar year on the Frontier Airlines World card.

In addition to being a great way to earn Frontier elite status, the Frontier Airlines World card comes with benefits that should appeal to Frontier Airlines flyers:

• 5x miles on Frontier Airlines purchases
• 3x miles at restaurants
• 1x miles on all other purchases
• Family pooling
• $100 flight voucher every account anniversary after spending $2,500 during your card membership year
• Award redemption fee waiver (when you use your Frontier Airlines World card to pay the taxes and fees)
• Complimentary access to FICO credit score
• No foreign transaction fees
• Zone 2 priority boarding

Frontier Airlines Elite Status Match

The Frontier Airlines status match is currently unavailable, but you can sign up to join the waitlist to be notified when it’s available again.

Frontier Elite Status Benefits

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits offered at each level of elite status with Frontier Airlines.

Elite Silver — 10,000 Points

You get Frontier Airlines Elite Silver status after earning 10,000 Elite Status Points in a calendar year. This status comes with the following benefits:

• No change or cancellation fees 7 or more days from departure (for everyone on the same reservation)
• Standard seat assignment at booking
• Zone 2 priority boarding (for everyone on the same reservation)
• Priority customer care
• Family points pooling
• Earn 12 Elite Status Points and 12 redeemable miles per dollar spent on Frontier flights and extras

Elite Gold — 20,000 Points

You get Frontier Airlines Elite Gold status after earning 20,000 Elite Status Points in a calendar year. It comes with all of the benefits of Elite Silver plus the following:

• Free carry-on bag
• Premium seat assignment at check-in
• Zone 1 priority boarding
• 14 Elite Status Points and 14 redeemable miles per dollar spent on Frontier flights and extras

Elite Platinum — 50,000 Points

You get Frontier Airlines Elite Platinum status after earning 50,000 Elite Status Points in a calendar year. It comes with all of the benefits of Elite Silver and Gold plus the following:

• Benefits, including baggage, premium seating at check-in, and zone 1 boarding, extended to everyone on the same reservation
• Free checked bag, including a ski or golf bag
• Pet-in-cabin fee waiver
• 50% off Discount Den membership
• Ability to gift 1 Elite Silver membership
• 16 Elite Status Points and 16 redeemable miles per dollar spent on Frontier flights and extras

Elite Diamond — 100,000 Points

You get Frontier Airlines Elite Diamond status after earning 100,000 Elite Status Points in a calendar year. It comes with all of the benefits of Elite Silver, Gold, and Platinum, plus the following:

• Full refundability
• Priority boarding (first to board the plane)
• Free second checked bag
• Ability to gift 1 Elite Gold membership
• 20 Elite Status Points and 20 redeemable miles per dollar spent on Frontier flights and extras

Is Frontier Airlines Elite Status Worth It?

Whether or not earning Frontier Airlines elite status is worth it is subjective. However, we can look at some numbers to get an idea of the value you could expect to receive from having elite status:

• Carry-On Bag: Around $54 to $99
• First Checked Bag: Around $54 to $99
• Seat Choice: Starts at $11 per person, per direction
• Priority Boarding: $6 to $12 per person, per direction
• Flight Changes (7 to 59 Days Before Departure): $49 per person, per direction
• Cancellation Fee: $99 per person, per direction
• Pet Fee: $99 per pet, per direction

An Elite Silver member could save about $20 each way on just a seat assignment and priority boarding. Add to that a $49 savings per direction if you need to make a change at least 7 days before departure, and you could quickly get to almost $150 in savings for just 1 round-trip flight. For someone who flies Frontier a few times a year, that’s real savings.

It takes just $1,000 in spending on Frontier flights and extras (members earn 10 points per dollar spent) to earn Elite Silver status, which makes this level of status achievable for even casual travelers.

Things get very interesting once you hit Elite Platinum status. At this level, benefits like a free carry-on bag, free checked bag, seat assignments, priority boarding, and even pet fee waivers are extended to everyone on the same reservation. That means a family of 4 could easily save $500 each way if everyone traveled with a checked bag and a carry-on bag.

If you travel with your pet often, this level of status could be especially interesting, since you could save $99 each way on pet fees on every flight you take.

Final Thoughts

Frontier Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier that charges hefty fees for anything from seat assignments to carry-on bags. An excellent way to get around many of these fees is by having Frontier Airlines elite status. Status can be earned through Frontier purchases and by using the Frontier Airlines World card. This simplified program is based on how much you spend, not how much you fly, which means you could earn Frontier status without stepping foot on an airplane.