WHICH AIRLINE HAS THE BEST REWARDS PROGRAM?

When it’s that time to hang up your “gone fishing” sign and take a vacation, you’ve got options—maybe it’s a white sand beach in Bali where your Microsoft Teams messages can’t reach you, or a once-in-a-lifetime expedition cruise to Antarctica, or a glamping safari on the Botswana salt flats with breakfast served next to watering giraffes. But before you go off to see any elephants, you have to address the one in the room: the airplane tickets.

They’re often the largest expense we make when we travel. For frequent flyers, getting the best bang for your buck often requires staying loyal to a few select airlines—allowing you to earn points and miles along the way. But figuring out which airline has the best rewards program can also bring on a new whirlwind of decision paralysis: how does points redemption from one airline compare to another, let alone hundreds of others? Is going with ease of booking and expanded availability on the same airline worth compromising earning extra rewards and getting seats on partner airlines? And is playing this complicated game even worth the potential rewards? Where do you even begin?

Point.me, a real-time points and travel reward search platform, is a good place to start: On September 12, 2024, the company released their new 62-airline study ranking the world’s best rewards programs.

The top airline rewards programs selected in the study are those “that offer the most value for consumers—even those who don’t fly frequently,” Point.me said in the press release announcing this year’s winners. “Our ranking factors consider how much money has to be spent to earn a free flight, the points charged by the program on various routes, and how easy (or difficult) it is to book an award flight, along with other customer-friendly considerations.”

However, the study notes that the airline rewards program with the best overall value is not guaranteed to be the one that works best for your personal travel habits. How often you fly, the airports you most frequently fly from and to, and the type of rewards you’re most interested in will all influence where your airline loyalty lies.

In their overall ranking of the best all-around programs, Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue came out on top, with a score of 93.06 out of 100. Flying Blue’s extensive partnerships with other airlines, easy point transfer from major credit card companies, and generous routing rules gave passengers the greatest real-value compared to other existing loyalty programs, according to Point.me.

“Flying Blue has made a number of enhancements that benefit consumers, with a goal of providing great value when you transfer and redeem points for travel with Air France, KLM, or our 40+ airline partners,” Flying Blue President Benjamin Lipsey said in the release.

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So what exactly were the factors calculated that put Flying Blue on top? The Point.me study evaluated 62 international airline rewards programs that offer services to American travelers using the following rubric, considering a mix of quantitative and qualitative factors that impact the member experience:

• Ease of earning miles (25% weight)
• Redemption rates (20% weight)
• Availability on partner airlines (15% weight)
• Ease of booking (12.5% weight)
• Expanded availability on own airline (7.5% weight)
• Routing rules (5% weight)
• Ability to hold awards (5% weight)
• Customer service quality (5% weight)
• Change fees/policies (5% weight)

To help ensure that the ranking reflects the best rewards programs for everyday flyers regardless of their loyalty status or credit card, the company also notes that it “explicitly did not consider tier benefits, in-flight status levels, or other factors tied to high participation in the traditional loyalty side of these programs.”

Below, see the full lists of the best global airline rewards programs and the top 10 of each region, according to the Point.me study. For the complete breakdown of each airline, check out their web page detailing the ranking. To learn more about how to best earn—and spend—airline and hotel rewards, read our monthly points and miles column.

The top 10 airline rewards programs in the world

1. Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)
2. Air Canada Aeroplan
3. United MileagePlus
4. British Airways Executive Club (tie) and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (tie)
5. American Airlines AAdvantage
6. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
7. Qatar Airways Privilege Club
8. JetBlue TrueBlue
9. Avianca LifeMiles
10. Emirates Skywards

The top 10 airline rewards programs in North America

1. Air Canada Aeroplan
2. United MileagePlus
3. American Airlines AAdvantage
4. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
5. JetBlue TrueBlue
6. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
7. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
8. Delta SkyMiles
9. Allegiant myAllegiant
10. Spirit Airlines Free Spirit

The top 10 airline rewards programs in Europe

1. Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)
2. British Airways Executive Club (tie) and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (tie)
3. Aer Lingus AerClub
4. Finnair Plus
5. Aegean Miles+Bonus
6. SAS Eurobonus
7. Miles & More (Lufthansa Group)
8. Iberia Plus
9. TAP Miles&Go
10. Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

The best airline rewards programs in Latin America

1. Avianca LifeMiles
2. Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
3. LATAM Pass
4. Aeromexico Rewards

The top 10 airline rewards programs in the Middle East and Africa

1. Qatar Airways Privilege Club
2. Emirates Skywards
3. Etihad Guest
4. Egyptair Plus
5. Saudia Alfursan
6. Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles
7. Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
8. El Al Matmid Frequent Flyer Club
9. Royal Jordanian Royal Club
10. South African Airways Voyager

The top 10 airline rewards programs in Asia and Oceania

1. ANA Mileage Club (three-way tie), Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (three-way tie), and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (three-way tie)
2. Asiana Airlines Asiana Club
3. Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank
4. Qantas Frequent Flyer
5. Korean Air SkyPass
6. EVA Air Infinity Mileagelands
7. Virgin Australia Velocity
8. Air New Zealand Airpoints
9. Fortune Wings Club (Hainan Airlines)
10. China Airlines Dynasty