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Point.me, a service dedicated to assisting users in finding frequent flyer award seats and guiding them through account setup, point transfers, and bookings, has released a new report ranking the world’s best airline frequent flyer programs. This report is based on extensive award search data collected from users who are consistently looking for available awards.
The rankings by Point.me are as follows:
1. Air France KLM Flying Blue
2. Air Canada Aeroplan
3. United Airlines MileagePlus
4. British Airways Executive Club
5. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
6. American Airlines AAdvantage
7. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
8. Qatar Airways Privilege Club
9. JetBlue TrueBlue
10. Avianca LifeMiles
KLM Business Class was also mentioned but not ranked within the top ten list.
The evaluation of these programs goes beyond mere availability and price; it includes various factors such as ease of earning miles (25%), redemption rates (20%), availability on partner airlines (15%), ease of booking (12.5%), expanded availability on their own airline (7.5%), routing rules (5%), ability to hold awards (5%), customer service quality (5%), and change fees/policies (5%).
Regarding the top-ranked program, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Point.me notes that it offers reasonably-priced and frequently available awards in premium cabins across the Atlantic and partners with all major currencies for points transfers. The program has reportedly improved significantly over recent years.
Air Canada Aeroplan ranks second due to its elimination of fuel surcharges during its relaunch amid the pandemic, generous award rules despite some fees, numerous airline partners, and transparent award charts.
United Airlines MileagePlus comes third despite some criticism regarding pricing and value decline since eliminating award charts.
Some disagreements were expressed about certain rankings, such as Virgin Atlantic Flying Club's high placement due to perceived better availability on partner airlines compared to United and American Airlines.
Point.me also identified Air India Flying Returns as the worst program, closely followed by Middle East Airlines, Air China, and South African Airways.
Delta's position behind Southwest yet ahead of Allegiant and Spirit rounds out the bottom tier in North America according to this analysis.
In a disclosure note, it was mentioned that an award booking service now collaborates with Point.me, expressing respect for co-founders Tiffany Funk and Adam Morvitz.
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