Best Frequent Flyer Programs for 2022
Air travel demand is trending up, following a two year disruption from the pandemic. We are now getting close to pre-pandemic levels, and restrictions and requirements are being dropped around the world.
For those who are looking to start traveling again, and need to figure out their best options, WalletHub has a list of the best frequent flyer programs for this year. They have compared the 10 largest domestic airlines’ loyalty rewards programs across 21 key metrics, ranging from the value of a rewards point or mile to blackout-date policies.
The rankings for the best airline rewards programs are based on a trio of annual airfare budgets: Light ($321), Average ($3,658) and Frequent ($6,994). So the best overall frequent flyer programs are chosen for loyal airline customers of all types.
Top 5 List
Alaska Mileage Plan is the best frequent flyer program of 2022, beating last year’s winner United MileagePlus. Here are the top five domestic programs:
- Alaska Airlines – Mileage Plan
- United Airlines – MileagePlus
- Delta Air Lines – SkyMiles
- Hawaiian Airlines – HawaiianMiles
- American Airlines – AAdvantage
To find out which airline miles program is best for you, you can also try a frequent flyer miles calculator here. The calculator will customize the results of this study based on your own airline budget.
Frequent flyer programs also have co-branded credit cards, which allow frequent travelers to earn free flights and provide extra perks for travelers. The rewards these cards provide vary widely.
Other Findings
- Hawaiian Airlines offers the most rewards value, at $24.78 per $100 spent. Alaska Airlines comes closely in second, with $24.65 per $100 spent.
- Three of the 10 largest airlines are offering more rewards value in 2022 than in 2021, sweetening the pot by an average of roughly 10%.
- Seven major airlines have miles that do not expire because of inactivity: Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines.
- American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines give preference to frequent flyer program members when deciding whom to bump from overbooked flights.
- 6 of the 10 largest U.S. airlines allow rewards program members to earn and redeem miles with partner carriers.
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I’m honestly shocked that Hawaiian is in 4th. They have such a limited route network (especially on the East coast), and their mileage redemption rates are often more than double what it would be on AA or United or Southwest for the same route. I tried to use my stash to get to Hawaii for my honeymoon and it just didn’t make sense between needing a positioning flight plus the hugely inflated redemption rates. The Hawaiian Airlines card from Barclays is the only card I regret signing up for.