I was getting tons of questions of Frequent Flier programs so we put together this quick guide to compare these programs. The chart is in 2 parts the award and redemption levels and the second is the fees.
Last Updated: 11-Sep-2008
|
Airline |
Program |
Award Levels (per calendar year) |
Redemption Levels |
|
American Airlines* |
AAdvantage |
Gold - 25,000 miles or 30 segments Platinum - 50,000 miles or 60 segments Executive Platinum - 100,000 miles or 100 segments |
Domestic (48+ Canada) Coach - 25,000 - 50,000 Domestic Business/First - 50,000 - 100,000 Intl Economy - 25,000 - 180,000 Intl Business - 60,000 - 220,000 Intl First - 80,000 - 270,000 |
|
Continental Airlines |
OnePass |
Silver Elite — 25,000 miles or 30 segments Gold Elite — 50,000 miles or 60 segments Platinum Elite — 75,000 miles or 90 segments |
Domestic Coach - 20,000 - 50,000 Domestic Business/First - 50,000 - 100,000 Intl Economy - 50,000 - 120,000 Intl Business/First - 80,000 - 300,000 |
|
Delta Air Lines |
SkyMiles |
Silver Medallion - 25,000 miles Gold Medallion - 50,000 miles Platinum Medallion - 75,000 miles |
Domestic Coach - 12,500+ Domestic Premium - 22,500+ Intl Economy - 17,500 - 95,000+ Intl Premium - 60,000 - 185,000+ |
|
Northwest Airlines |
WorldPerks |
Silver Elite — 25,000 miles or 30 segments Gold Elite — 50,000 miles or 60 segments Platinum Elite — 75,000 miles or 100 segments |
Domestic Coach - 25,000 - 50,000 Domestic Business/First - 50,000 - 100,000 Intl Economy - 35,000 - 180,000 Intl Business - 60,000 - 240,000 Intl First - 60,000 - 240,000 |
|
United Airlines |
Mileage Plus |
Premier - 25,000 miles or 30 segments Premier Executive — 50,000 miles or 60 segments 1K - 100,000 miles or 100 segments |
Domestic Coach - 25,000 - 50,000 Domestic Business - 45,000 - 90,000 Domestic First - 60,000 - 120,000 Intl Economy - 35,000 - 150,000 Intl Business - 60,000 - 220,000 Intl First - 80,000 - 270,000 |
|
US Airways |
Dividend Miles |
Silver Preferred - 25,000 miles or 30 segments Gold Preferred - 50,000 miles or 60 segments Platinum Preferred - 75,000 miles or 90 segments Chairman’s Preferred - 100,000 miles or 120 segments |
Domestic Coach - 25,000 - 50,000 Domestic Business/First - 50,000 - 100,000 Intl Economy - 30,000 - 160,000 Intl Business/First - 60,000 - 240,000 |
|
Southwest Airlines |
Rapid Rewards |
A List - 32 qualifying one-way flights | 16 legs for free R/T flight |
|
Alaska Airlines |
Mileage Plan |
MVP — 20,000 miles or 30 segments** MVP Gold - 40,000 miles or 60 segments |
Domestic - 10,000 - 50,000 Domestic First - 20,000 - 90,000 |
|
AirTran |
A+ Rewards |
Elite - 50 Credits or 20 credits in 90 days | One-way Coach - 8 credits One-way Business - 16 credits |
|
Frontier Airlines |
EarlyReturns |
Ascent Level - 15,000 miles or 25 segments Summit Level - 25,000 miles or 40 segments |
One-way Domestic- 15,000 - 20,000*** miles One-way Costa Rica - 40,000*** |
|
jetBlue |
TrueBlue |
(100 points for free+ travel) R/T | |
|
Hawaiian Airlines |
Hawaiian Miles |
Pualani Gold - 20,000 miles or 30 segments Pualani Platinum - 40,000 miles or 50 segments |
Interisland/Domestic - 5,000 - 35,000 Intl Economy - 25,000 - 85,000 Intl Business/First - 37,500 - 105,000 |
|
Airline |
Program |
Book by Phone Fee |
Book Online Fee |
Change Fee |
Fee for Upgrade (one-way) |
Fuel Surcharge |
Additional Redemption Processing Fees |
|
American Airlines* |
AAdvantage |
$20 |
$5 |
$150 |
$50 - $350 and 15,000 - 40,000* miles |
20 - 7 days prior - $50 6 days - 2 hours prior - $100 |
|
|
Continental Airlines |
OnePass |
$25 |
Free |
$150 |
$0 - $500 |
20 days or less prior - $75 | |
|
Delta Air Lines |
SkyMiles |
$25 |
Free |
$100 |
5,000 - 10,000 miles |
$25 - $50 |
8 - 20 days prior - $75 4 - 7 days prior - $100 3 days or less prior - $150 Intl Surcharge - Varies |
|
Northwest Airlines |
WorldPerks |
$25 |
Free |
$50 |
5,000+ miles |
$25 - $100 |
|
|
United Airlines |
Mileage Plus |
$25 |
Free |
$150 |
8,000 - 60,000 miles |
21+ days - $0 7 - 20 days - $75 6 days or less - $100 |
|
|
US Airways |
Dividend Miles |
$30 - $40 |
Free** |
$150 |
15,000 - 40,000 miles |
Domestic - $25 Latin America/Caribbean - $35 International/Hawaii - $50 14 days or less - $50 - $75 |
|
|
Southwest Airlines |
Rapid Rewards |
Free |
Free |
Free |
|||
|
Alaska Airlines |
Mileage Plan |
$15 |
Free |
$100 |
15,000 miles |
||
|
AirTran |
A+ Rewards |
$10 |
Free |
$75* |
4 credits |
||
|
Frontier Airlines |
EarlyReturns |
$25 |
Free |
$75 |
14 days or less - $75 | ||
|
jetBlue |
TrueBlue |
$10 |
Free |
$100 |
|||
|
Hawaiian Airlines |
Hawaiian Miles |
$10 - $20 |
Free |
$30 - $150 |
5,000 - 60,000 miles |
* Effective Oct 1, 2008
** Charges additional processing fees
*** Flights booked after 9/15/08
The listing for redemption awards for UA awards are incomplete. Like AA, NW and other airlines, if saver awards are still available, the cost is 1/2. So domestic economy would be 25K - 50K, domestic business 45K - 90K, etc. Same applies for int’l flights.
Comment by Jeff — September 10, 2008 @ 11:18 pm
Thanks, Jeff. UA’s saver award numbers are now accounted for.
Comment by Rick Seaney — September 11, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
What about Air Canada’s Aeroplan? Don’t forget about your Canadian readers!
Comment by Garrett — September 11, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
I’ll make sure we get Aeroplan in on Monday — flying back from London to Dallas in the morning …
Comment by Rick Seaney — September 13, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
Hey Rick, Not everyone flies from or to the US with US airlines, what about other international companies and their Frequent Flyer awards?
Thanks
Comment by Nora — September 18, 2008 @ 6:43 am
Thanks Rick, for this chart. I know this would be hard, but the REAL information I would like, is the relative difficulty involved in actually booking a reward ticket with each particular airline. My experience has been that it is nearly impossible to find a reward seat on a Delta flight when I want one.
Comment by Anthony Q — September 18, 2008 @ 7:22 am
Rick, can miles be transfered from one carrier to another?
Comment by Pete Vanderhaak — September 18, 2008 @ 9:15 am
I have a suggested addition to the “Frequent Flier Award, Redemption and Fee Chart”.
Could you add whether an airline matches another airline’s frequest flyer (FF) program status? Usual options are:
(1) Match level for level
(2) Match - 1 (current FF level, less one level)
(3) Don’t match at all
Comment by Jim Rooney — September 18, 2008 @ 9:20 am
“Intl Surcharge - Varies” doesn’t say nearly enough about Delta’s international fees for rewards tickets. Based on round trips between Cairo and JFK or Philadelphia, the total fees vary anywhere between a reasonable $75 and a not only outrageous, but completely unbelievable $650!
I discovered this when I had an emergency and needed to fly home from Cairo within 24 hours. Every flight had me going AirFrance through CDG and would charge over $600 in fees. Keep in mind, this was almost as much as a one-way flight cost at the last minute. For unknown reasons, if you can get a flight on KLM through Amsterdam, the fees are more like what I would consider “normal.” They are also normal if you originate in JFK or PHL going to Cairo and back, rather than the other way around. Why is one charged over $600 to take the same flights that cost $90 just because the round trip is in reverse order?
Needless to say, I didn’t fly Delta home that time. Instead, I called USAirways and booked a trip on Lufthansa (same dates as I’d looked for through Delta) and the total fees were around $250. This is still too much in my opinion, but at least it wasn’t $650!
Comment by Melinda — September 18, 2008 @ 9:44 am
Rick, could you please add info for B.A. ?
Comment by Ron McGuire — September 18, 2008 @ 12:06 pm
I live in buenos aires,Argentina.
My last trip was whith continental airlines,month ago(system milles).
Next flight i will be to Barcelona,can you send me the new fligh alerts.Thank you!
Comment by mariana nuez — September 18, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
This is great, but I will say that the unlimited “space available” upgrades to first class on Continental and Northwest are a huge benefit and are not represented here. I know you are only depicting certain things, but perhaps a footnote is warranted, since this chart makes those two programs look mediocre.
Comment by mwarden — September 22, 2008 @ 12:09 am
It’s almost impossible to book with Delta. the total cost (miles + fees)is prohibitely expensive.
How can Delta sell to credit card companies??
I cancelled my Delta-american express after 10 years (850 usd annual fee). Economically stupid, It was my mistake.
Read on:
http://www.portfolio.com/business-travel/seat-2B/2007/11/13/Frequent-Flier-Mile-Misconceptions
Comment by bacai — September 23, 2008 @ 4:04 pm
I agree with Rick 9/08 stating that it is next to impossible to use raward points to upgrade a ticket. It would be helpful to know which airlines make that process easier….I would switch to them in a heartbeat!!!
Comment by Kathy — September 26, 2008 @ 8:54 am
Yes Rick!! As as Ron and Nora requested how about information for the other internatinal airlines?
Thank You,
Len
Comment by Leonard — September 26, 2008 @ 10:25 am
Dear Rick,
I have AA Frequent Flyer miles. I plan on traveling, some day, to AU. I want to know if I book an economy flight is there an approach I can use to ask for a bump up to first and or business section without additional cost and or miles?
Thank You,
Francis
Comment by Francis Betz — September 26, 2008 @ 11:04 am
Cab you also list for international? such as 7th heaven rewards for Jamica Air?
Comment by Elaine — September 26, 2008 @ 11:31 am
How about using credit cards for points outside of the airline programs, cards like Capital One….
Comment by brian — September 26, 2008 @ 2:43 pm
I have had good experiences with the Delta FF program! Using my AMEX card combined with regular travel miles, my husband and I have traveled from the east coast to Jackson Hole, WY twice in the past 2 years, one time flying first class. I also flew “free” one time…so that’s 5 tickets in the past 2 years….yes, we flew midweek, but we had no problems booking or changing the reservation on any of the trips. Our daughter now lives in the west, and by using FF miles, we are able to visit more often and spend more $$ on the rest of our trip.
Comment by Ruth — September 26, 2008 @ 5:40 pm
Delta is charging miles and fees , to much , it is like thay you are buying a ticket… uhaaaaaaau
Comment by Anil — September 28, 2008 @ 12:09 am
Delta makes it sound good on the amount of miles you get, but it is almost impossible to use them when you need to travel on holidays.
Comment by Brenda — October 16, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
Delta actually quotes one way mileage award, but it is based on a round trip, e.g. 12.500 miles is a “price” of each way for a round trip ticket, which starts at 25.000 miles, however, if you want to redeem miles for a one way ticket, it will still cost you 25.000 miles, not 12.500!
Comment by Alex — January 31, 2009 @ 7:37 pm
To add Air Canada to your fees section;
Book by phone: $30
Book online: free
Changes: $100
Fuel Surcharge: $60-$400
Comment by Scott — March 14, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
Scott, I am presently in Guatmala volunteering with sick kids, I have enough points to fly my dauhjter Detroit -Montreal for her grandmas 90th birthday, but don’t know how to use my aeroplan miles, I have about 43,000 to do so. She lives in Michigan and would only come in for the weekend. If the points required were 15,000 both she & her daughrer whose 18th birthday it also is could come as well, otherwise it would be just my daughter. Can this be dne on line, if so how, if not how do I do it, the birthday os in May.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Naomi
Comment by Naomi — March 21, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
Regarding your frequent flyer redemption chart. Since it is getting so difficult (closer to impossible) to use miles, a chart of the different possibilites to transfer miles into a frequent flyer program would be useful. As many people do I have miles scattered several places and just spent a lot of time during the past few days trying to book some internation flights. After calling about 5 different airlines and spending the minimum of 1 hours with each, one of them almost 3 hours, I finally was successful. Unforunately the websites are not very useful to check international possibilities using miles. One last discovery, UA website does not permit you to find flights using their partner airlines and therefore you MUST call for assistance. Then guess what, they charge you for the assistance because you did not use the website. Pretty neat revenue generator! Neal
Comment by Neal — May 26, 2009 @ 3:24 pm