Frontier Airlines has carved out space in the market as a low-cost option for those who are looking to fly on a budget. They don’t offer a first class experience, but when you find a fare from Denver to Los Angeles for $29 one way, it’s kind of tough to complain about that.
That said, if you want to bring a carry-on bag, check some luggage, or order a drink on your flight, that $29 fare can quickly turn into a $100+ fare. And this is exactly why it’s worth learning a bit about the Frontier Miles loyalty program and the benefits that come with it.
Frontier Miles value
According to our valuations Frontier miles are worth an average of 1.1 cents a piece. But, of course, there are different ways in which you can earn and redeem them.
Earning miles on Frontier is pretty straightforward. The number of miles you earn for any particular flight is based on the distance that you’re traveling. So, for example, if you fly 1,400 miles from Chicago to Miami, you can expect to earn that number of Frontier frequent flier miles.
Those travelers that have elite status within Frontier are also eligible to earn bonus miles on each flight. Here is how the bonus miles work:
- Elite 20k status: No additional miles awarded
- Elite 50K status: Will earn an additional 1.25x bonus miles on flights
- Elite 100K status: Members will gain an extra 1.5x bonus miles on flights
This means that a Frontier Elite 100k status traveler would earn 1,400 miles plus an additional 2,100 miles for a total of 3,500 miles on that flight from Chicago to Miami. You can see how these miles would start to add up quickly once you achieve elite status.
Redeeming Frontier miles is also pretty straightforward thanks to the airline’s standard award chart. Domestic one way flights typically start at 10,000 Frontier miles and international flights are just a bit higher starting at 15,000 miles one way.
Best ways to earn Frontier miles
Unless you’re booking frequent long-haul flights, it can take a while to accumulate Frontier miles simply by purchasing tickets. And because Frontier isn’t affiliated with any other partner airlines, it makes it even harder to earn Frontier miles simply by purchasing flights. That said, there are several smart ways you can earn those miles for future travel.
Frontier credit cards
One of the fastest ways to earn Frontier miles is to sign up for a Frontier co-branded credit card. If you plan to fly on Frontier frequently and are looking to accumulate miles quickly, check out the FRONTIER Airlines World Mastercard®. You’ll earn 50k miles when you sign up for this card and spend $500 within the first 90 days of account opening. Additionally, you’ll earn a $100 travel credit voucher (after spending $2,500 or more on purchases with your card during your cardmembership year, 5x miles on eligible purchases on Frontier.com, and 3x miles at restaurants.
Special deals on earning from Frontier partners
In addition to earning miles by booking flights and using a Frontier credit card, you can also earn additional miles with Frontier partners. These partners include a number of rental car companies, hotel chains, and other retailers.
When you book with select Frontier hotel partners, you can use the points that you’ve earned with the hotel’s loyalty program by transferring them to your Frontier miles account. While this might be a good strategy for those who need just a few extra miles to book that free Frontier flight, typically, you’ll get a better value by using those points directly with the hotel rewards program.
How to redeem Frontier miles
Once you’ve accumulated enough Frontier miles for a free flight you’ll want to start thinking about how to use them. There are two different ways to redeem your Frontier Miles for a flight.
First, you can book your flight with miles online by following these steps:
- Login to your Frontier account by clicking on myfrontier
- Search for flights by miles (not by dollars)
- Select the flight that you want to book. If you have enough miles, you can proceed with your booking.
- Complete your booking. Depending on your status, you might need to pay a small amount of taxes and fees. There are a few ways to avoid these fees including:
- Book with your Frontier Mastercard
- Purchase your fare at least 180 days prior to your flight’s departure
- Elite status member fees will be waived
You can also call the Frontier reservation hotline to book your fare, but this service will cost you an extra $25. So if you can, book online to avoid this extra fee.
Earn Frontier elite status
Earning Frontier elite status is really straightforward. There are three tiers of Frontier Elite status and it’s easy to figure out which tier you’re in based on the number of miles you’ve earned.
- Elite Status 20k – you’ll gain this status once you earn 20k miles or fly 25 qualifying segments. Benefits of this status include a free carry-on, priority boarding, seat assignment at ticket purchase, and more.
- Elite Status 50k – you can earn this status when you have accumulated 50K miles or flown 50 segments. The benefits of this Elite 50k include stretch seating, discounted membership to the Discount Den, family seating, and more.
- Elite Status 100k – this top tier status requires flying 100k miles or 100 segments and includes premium benefits like Discount Den membership, free checked bags and a free carryon, priority boarding, stretch seating, and more.
There’s also the Frontier Discount Den, a paid annual subscription that anyone can sign up for in order to get access to the lowest cost fares. This paid membership gives travelers the exclusive option to purchase the cheapest fares and that are only available for Discount Den members.
Do Frontier miles expire?
Most airlines don’t put a strict expiration date on their rewards miles but it’s important to know that Frontier does. Your Frontier Airlines miles will expire six months from the date that you earned them.
That’s not a lot of time…and that also means that you’ll need to accumulate a lot of miles within a short amount of time to cash in on those reward tickets. So if your airline rewards strategy includes building up your bank of miles, you’ll want to think about how and when you can use them within the six-month time frame.
Bottom line
Here’s the bottom line. Yes, Frontier Airlines has a rewards program, and if you qualify for Elite 100K status the benefits make flying on this budget carrier pretty nice and even more affordable. That said, it can take a lot of effort to accumulate the number of rewards miles needed to gain that status. And once you do, you’ve only got six months to capitalize on them, making it pretty tough to argue the value of this rewards program.