Comparison of the 7 major airline loyalty programs in the US

Note: for our airline loyalty programs comparison for European business travelers, click here.

When you’re busy traveling, you might not have the time to scour the internet for the best frequent flyer program in the US. The truth is, there isn’t one best program for everyone. There are actually seven great programs, and we’ve put together all of the finer details so you can easily review them and sign up for the one that works for you.

Want the quick answer to which one you should pick? Skim the “partner airlines” section for each program and see if the airlines you often fly with are included. If there’s some overlap with your top-trusted airlines, you can just take a look at the benefits of each and make your choice.

And remember, TravelPerk makes it easy to save loyalty program membership numbers for business travelers. This way, no matter who’s booking—your internal travel manager, administrative assistant or the traveler themselves—the business travelers will automatically collect their miles.

Here’s our airline rewards program comparison with all the top programs for US-based business travelers.

Airline Loyalty Programs Comparison

TrueBlue

With no blackout dates, a fair amount of partner airlines, and sweet bonuses in the upper tier, this rewards program from JetBlue is a fan favorite. Plus, if you’re a regular Lyft user (Lyft beats Uber on price and service in the Bay Area), then you’ll really be racking up those points quickly.

Partner Airlines:

Top Partner Companies:

Tiers & Benefits

You’ll be collecting 3 points for every dollar spent with JetBlue and their partners. If you travel often, the Mosaic level will give you priority boarding, free changes and cancellations, and free booze!

Tier Names	TrueBlue	TrueBlue Mosaic
Qualifications	Free	15,000 flight points in one year
No blackout dates for spending points
Use points for any seat, any time
Points don’t expire
Pool points with your family
No change or cancellation fees
1st and 2nd bag are free
Expedited security line
Early boarding
Get seats with extra legroom at reduced prices
Earn points on every flight	3 points per dollar spent with JetBlue and partner airlines, plus bonus points when booking on jetblue.com (when on the Premium plan, your TravelPerk representative can do this for you to keep all travel spend trackable in one place)	6 per dollar spent with JetBlue and partner airlines, plus get 15,000 bonus points after you qualify
Dedicated customer service line
Complimentary alcoholic beverages onboard

Learn more about signing up for TrueBlue

Rapid Rewards

The Rapid Rewards program from Southwest Airlines won’t allow you to collect points from other airlines other than Southwest, but it does have partnerships with over 800 retailers in the US (including heavyweights like Macy’s, Home Depot and Sephora) as well as a dozen popular hotel chains.

Partner Airlines:

• Southwest Airlines

Top Partner Companies:

Tiers & Benefits

When you ascend the tiers, you get even more points for dollars spent and you get that much closer to the famed Companion Pass.

Tier Names	Base	A-List	A-List Preferred
Qualifications	Free	Fly 25 qualifying one-way flights or earn 35,000 points in  a calendar year	Fly 50 qualifying one-way flights or earn 70,000 points in  a calendar year
No blackout dates for spending points
No fee to change or cancel a flight purchased with rewards points
Earn points on every flight	12 points per dollar on Business Select flights. 10 points per dollar on Anytime flights. 6 points per dollar on Wanna Get Away? Flights	15 points per dollar on Business Select flights. 12.5 points per dollar on Anytime flights. 7.5 points per dollar on Wanna Get Away? Flights	24 points per dollar on Business Select flights. 20 points per dollar on Anytime flights. 12 points per dollar on Wanna Get Away? Flights
Priority boarding
Free same-day standby (get an earlier flight on the same day of your ticket)
Priority check-in
Priority security
Dedicated customer service

Companion Pass

We can’t talk about Rapid Rewards without mentioning the Companion Pass. If you qualify (fly 100 one-way flights or earn 110,000 points in a calendar year) then you get a Companion Pass for the remainder of that calendar year plus the entirety of the next calendar year. The Companion Pass allows you to bring another passenger with you on any flight and only pay the applicable taxes and fees (not the airline charges for the ticket). Pretty sweet deal for the business traveler who’s also a weekend warrior. You can also get a Companion Pass for all of 2019 when you sign up for a Southwest credit card and spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. If you fly Southwest with a “companion” a lot, it’s certainly worth looking into!

Learn more about signing up for Rapid Rewards

Mileage Plan

Alaska Airline’s rewards program, the Mileage Plan, has partnerships with global airlines, including many in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. If your travel takes you out of the states often, then choosing a program with a lot of global partnerships is a smart move.

Partner Airlines:

Tiers & Benefits

With First Class and Premium upgrades on lots of fares, you’ll be sitting pretty if you earn MVP status.

Tier Name	Mileage Plan	MVP	MVP Gold	MVP Gold 75K
Qualifications	Free	In a single calendar year: 20,000 miles flown on Alaska Airlines OR 25,000 miles flown on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners OR 30 segments flown on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners	In a single calendar year: 40,000 miles flown on Alaska Airlines OR 50,000 miles flown on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners OR 60 segments flown on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners	In a single calendar year: 75,000 miles flown on Alaska Airlines OR 90,000 miles flown on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners OR 90 segments flown on Alaska Airlines and elite-qualifying partners
Blackout dates	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply
Earning points		50% more bonus miles earned	100% more bonus miles earned	125% more bonus miles earned
First class upgrades at time of booking (Alaska Airlines only)		Y, S, or Z fares	Y, S, B, M, or Z fares	Y, S, B, M, H or Z fares
Premium class upgrades at time of booking (Alaska Airlines only)		Y, S, B, or Z fares	Y, S, B, M, H, Q, L, V, N, K, or Z fares	All fares except Saver fares
First or Premium Class upgrades on other fairs		48 hours before departure	72 hours before departure	120 hours before departure
Companion upgrades to First Class (Alaska Airlines only)
Companion Upgrades to Premium Class (Alaska Airlines only)
Complimentary premium beverage (Alaska Airlines only)
Priority check-in and boarding
Two free checked bags
Preferred seating
Express security line
Standby and waitlist for full flights
No fees for changing tickets

Learn more about signing up for Mileage Plan

SkyMiles

This is the best fit for the traveler who flies in Europe just as often as the States! If your national carrier is likely to be Delta but you want global partners, then consider SkyMiles for your top-choice rewards program.

Partner Airlines:

Top Partner Companies:

Tiers & Benefits

The coolest thing about the mass of tiers that the SkyMiles program offers is that you can rollover your MQMs (Medallion Qualification Miles) to the next calendar year, so if you have more than you needed to qualify, those extra MQMs rollover when it’s time to re-qualify for the next year. This makes it more likely that you’ll hit the higher tiers.

Another interesting element of this program is that in the two higher tiers, you choose your benefits.

Tier Names	SkyMiles	Silver Medallion Status	Gold Medallion Status	Platinum Medallion Status	Diamond Medallion Status
Qualifications	Free	25,000 MQMs	50,000 MQMs	75,000 MQMs	125,000 MQMs
No blackout dates for Delta Airlines
Blackout dates for partner airlines	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply
Earning points	5 miles spent for each $1 on Delta flights	7 miles spent for each $1 on Delta flights	8 miles spent for each $1 on Delta flights	9 miles spent for each $1 on Delta flights	11 miles spent for each $1 on Delta flights
Rollover MQMs		Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Choice Benefits Options: Upgrade certificates, Global Entry Application Voucher, Delta Sky Club Access, Bonus Miles, $200 Travel Voucher				Choose 1 “Choice Benefits”	Choose 3 “Choice Benefits”
Unlimited Complimentary US Delta One Upgrades (except E fares)		Day of Departure	Day of Departure	Day of Departure	Day of Departure
Unlimited Complimentary First Class Upgrades (except E fares)		Availability begins 1 day prior to departure	Availability begins 3 days prior to departure	Availability begins 5 days prior to departure	Availability begins 5 days prior to departure (with priority over Platinum members)
Complimentary Preferred Seats
Priority Waitlist Status
Dedicated Phone Line
Priority Check In
Priority Boarding
Priority Security Line
SkyTeam Lounge Access

Learn more about signing up for SkyMiles

AAdvantage

With a long list of partner airlines, the AAdvantage program from American Airlines is a great option for the global traveler. Note that there are less European airlines here than the SkyMiles program. With the highest number of participating retailers (950 to be exact) this card lets shoppers rack up miles.

Partner Airlines:

Top Partner Companies

Tiers & Benefits

To move up the tiers, you need EQMs, which aren’t exact miles but are a percentage of the miles flown. You can learn how to calculate EQMs here.

Tier Names	AAdvantage	Gold	Platinum	Platinum Pro	Executive Platinum
Qualifications	Free	25,000 EQMs or 30 segments in a calendar year	50,000 EQMs or 60 segments in a calendar year	75,000 EQMs or 90 segments in a calendar year	100,000 EQMs or 120 segments in a calendar year
No blackout dates for American Airlines
Blackout dates for partner airlines	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply
Earning points	5 miles for every dollar	7 miles for every dollar	8 miles for every dollar	9 miles for every dollar	11 miles for every dollar
Complimentary Auto-Requested Upgrades		Available on flights 500 miles or less, 1 day prior to departure	Available on any flight 2 days prior to departure	Available on any flight 3 days prior to departure	Available on any flight 4 days prior to departure
Free checked bags for each flight		1	2	2	3
Complimentary Main Cabin Extra and Preferred Seats		At Check-in	At booking	At booking	At booking

Learn more about signing up for AAdvantage

MileagePlus

As part of the Star Alliance, United Airlines offers MileagePlus members the ability to collect miles from over 35 other airlines. Since United Airlines flies almost everywhere in the US (more than most other US companies), this is a great option for the States-bound traveler who also flies internationally. There are also 900+ retailers to collect 1 mile per dollar spent.

Partner Airlines:

Top Partnering Companies

Tiers & Benefits

Tiers are based on Premier Qualifying Miles (PQMs), which are simply the number of qualifying miles flown, and not a complex percentage calculation as with the AAdvantage program.

Tier Names	Mileage Plus	Premier Silver	Premier Gold	Premier Platinum	Premier 1k
Qualifications		25,000 miles or 30 segments	50,000 miles or 60 segments	75,000 miles or 90 segments	100,000 miles or 120 segments
No blackout dates	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply	Some blackout dates apply
Earning points		7 miles for every dollar spent	8 miles for every dollar spent	9 miles for every dollar spent	11 miles for every dollar spent
Complimentary access to Economy Plus		At check-in	At booking	At booking	At booking
Complimentary access to Preferred Seating		At booking	At booking	At booking	At booking
Complimentary Premier Upgrades		Available on the day of departure	Available 2 days prior to departure	Available 3 days prior to departure	Available 4 days prior to departure
Instant Upgrades on Y- or B-class full-fare economy tickets
Instant Upgrades on M-class full-fare economy tickets
Priority waitlist and standby
Priority check-in
Priority security access
Priority boarding
International lounge access
Complimentary checked bags		1	2	3	3

Learn more about signing up for MileagePlus

HawaiianMiles

This program is great for Pacific Coast or Hawaiian-located travelers who fly often from the islands to the mainland or from either place to Asia. With their signature motto “a mile flown is a mile earned,” we’ll leave it to you to guess how you earn miles. 😉

Partner Airlines:

Top Partner Companies:

Tiers & Benefits

The higher tiers are some of the easier ones to access versus other plans. Fly round-trip between SFO and HNL four times in one year and you’ll almost reach Pualani Gold. A few partner hotel stays should get you to the 20,000 mile requirement.

Tier Names	HawaiianMiles	Pualani Gold	Pualani Platinum
Qualifications		Fly 30 segments or 20,000 miles in a calendar year	Fly 60 segments or 40,000 miles in a calendar year
No blackout dates
Earning miles			Earn 1 mile for every mile flown (ex: Honolulu to Hilo gives you 216 miles each way, while Honolulu to San Francisco gives you 2,397 miles each way regardless of your ticket price)
More seats available for selection
First Class check-In
Premier Club Access (Honolulu, Hilo, Kona, Kahului, Lihue)
Priority Security Lines (in select airports)
Complimentary checked bags		2	3
Earn 500 HawaiianMiles on any Neighbor Island flight
Neighbor Island Same Day Standby for an earlier flight with no additional fee
Complimentary First Class Upgrade based on availability			50% discount
Complimentary Preferred Seat Upgrade based on availability

Learn more about signing up for HawaiianMiles