Top 10 Best Airline Loyalty Programs

In today’s world, where traveling has become a regular part of our lives, it is essential to have a good airline loyalty program to make the most out of our travels. These programs offer various benefits, such as free flights, upgrades, and other perks, to loyal customers. However, with so many different programs out there, it can be challenging to determine which one is the best fit for you. To help you make an informed decision, we have ranked the top 10 airline loyalty programs based on various criteria that travelers value the most.

Key Takeaways:

1. Top Picks: Aeroplan (5k stopovers), Flying Blue (monthly promos), United (no-expiry miles, no partner surcharges).

2. Decision rule: Use miles for saver partner seats with low taxes; pay cash when surcharges or mileage costs are high.

3. Expiry: BA/Flying Blue activity-based; KrisFlyer/Turkish/Emirates fixed three years; pooling helps with BA/Emirates.

How We Ranked the Loyalty Programs

We focused on the factors that travelers value the most when booking and flying to rank the loyalty programs.

1. Value per point: We considered the value that customers can expect per point, shown as broad ranges rather than fixed pennies per point.

2. Saver award availability: We looked at the availability of saver awards, especially in premium cabins.

3. Partner reach: We considered the partner reach and the ease of booking partners online.

4. Cash outlay on awards: We took into account the cash outlay on awards, including taxes, fees, and carrier surcharges.

5. Flexibility: We looked at the flexibility to change or cancel awards.

6. Expiry policy: We considered the expiry policy and family pooling options.

7. Routing perks: We took into account routing perks such as stopovers and open jaws.

8. Ease of earning from flying: We looked at how easy it is to earn miles from flying only.

To compare the cash fare against a potential award, we recommend using Wego. If an award is significantly above the usual range for that program and has high fees, consider paying with cash. If it falls within a typical range and fees are modest, book with miles.

The Top 10 Airline Loyalty Programs

1.

Why it ranks: Air Canada partners across Star Alliance and beyond. One-way stopovers for +5,000 points. Good for complex trips.

Use it for: Long-haul business with a stopover, multi-city itineraries, and partner awards with sensible fees.

Watch-outs: Partner surcharges vary. Popular premium routes can be tight on space.

How to book: Join Aeroplan. Use Multi-city and Book with points. Add a +5,000 point stopover on one way, test partners for low fees, then book.

Pro moves: