The best airline loyalty program is one that's well-rounded and can meet the needs of a wide range of travelers.
Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan fits the bill, with WalletHub naming it the number one frequent flyer program of 2024.
The personal finance website analyzed programs operated by the 10 largest airlines in the U.S. across three different annual spending types—including light ($355), average ($3,736) and frequent ($7,117)—examining coverage, rewards value, earning and redemption policies, among other important factors to see how the top programs stack up.
Mileage Plan earned an overall score of 72.09 to overtake last year's winner, United Airlines' MileagePlus program (69.34).
"Alaska Mileage Plan and United MileagePlus are 2024's best frequent flyer programs because they save members the most money and generally have the most consumer-friendly policies," says WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. "For example, neither Alaska Mileage Plan nor United MileagePlus has blackout dates, award-ticket cancellation fees, short-notice booking fees, or miles that expire."
"Plus, both offer retroactive flight credits for up to 12 months and the ability to book flights more than 300 days in advance," she added.
Delta Air Lines' revamped SkyMiles program (66.17), Hawaiian Airlines' HawaiianMiles (60.26) and American Airlines' updated AAdvantage program (59.88) round out the top five best programs for 2024.
While Mileage Plan ranked first overall, MileagePlus was determined to be the best for destination coverage and redemption policies while HawaiianMiles is the best program for membership status perks and AAdvantage ranks first for airline coverage.
Frontier Airlines' FRONTIER Miles program actually offers the most rewards value at $15.40 per $100 spent, followed by Mileage Plan at $11.00 per $100 spent.
"Some travelers scoff at airline loyalty programs, thinking only the most frequent flyers can benefit, but the truth is these programs are free to join and save members an average of 9 percent on airfare. Seven of the 10 largest airlines are offering more rewards value in 2024 than in 2023. On average, the top 10 airlines are offering 18 percent more value than they did last year," added Happe.
"Most major airlines have good credit cards, too. When you pair program membership with one of the best airline credit cards, you can really get first-class savings along with perks such as priority boarding and free checked bags."
For a comprehensive breakdown of the research, visit WalletHub.com.
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