Top 5 Airline Loyalty Programs

Airline Loyalty Programs is a reward program offered by many airlines to strengthen the bond between the passenger and the airline. People who stay loyal to a dedicated airline and are frequent fliers, the airlines, in return, consider those passengers for rewards and offers. Travelers can earn points and redeem them for free flights, hotel stays, car rentals, and even shopping. It is a great way to save money, and frequent flyers greatly benefit from these programs. Airline loyalty programs bring so many perks, like almost free flights (sometimes), huge discounts, and an easy booking process, but in recent times, there have been challenges as well. Since the beginning of 2025, many airlines have continued to offer perks, flexibility, and value to loyal customers. Let's understand which airlines have the best loyalty programs and what you need to consider before enrolling in one. We have listed the Top 5 Airline Loyalty Programs to join this year.

Alaska Airlines Loyalty Program:  Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan continues to dominate the skies with one of the best premier airline rewards programs. It has been ranking at the top for the past 10 years and is recognized by the U.S. News 2025 Frequent Flyer Report. Their commitment to reward the passengers based on miles flown rather than dollars spent makes Alaska Airlines exceptional and loved by many. This model benefits flyers in numerous ways, and one of the biggest benefits is that the miles are non-expiring, and the traveler can redeem them at any time. They can accumulate the miles and redeem them at their own pace, with no restrictions. The passengers who travel more on the airline get more generous bonus miles to get elite status. It focuses on customer-centric benefits like complimentary upgrades, early boarding, and free checked bags.

American Airlines Loyalty Program: AAdvantage

The loyalty program of American Airlines is called the AAdvantage, which allows members to earn points on flights and then redeem them for rewards. This program keeps evolving to ensure the flyer gets maximum benefit. The program offers elite status to the passengers based on loyalty points earned, under which they can get Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, or Executive Platinum status tiers. Travelers with elite status can enjoy the perks of priority check-in, baggage allowance, and lounge access. Passengers with additional miles can redeem it to access the Admirals Club Hall, dine at Flagship First Dining in the airport, and rent cars. American Airlines is so considerate of its loyal customers that it offers extensive miles redemption opportunities across the network of Oneworld partner airlines, giving you flexibility to choose how you want to redeem your miles.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Programme

Passengers who join Southwest Airlines' Rapid Rewards program can enjoy numerous benefits as frequent flyers. Members can earn bonus points on flights and later redeem them for flights, upgrades, hotel stays, and car rentals. Unlike other loyalty programs, Rapid Rewards has no blackout dates, which makes it easy to find flights. The program's Companion Pass allows you to fly with one guest member for free. This program has many benefits, like priority boarding, 25% bonus points, same-day standby and change, and access to a dedicated A-List phone line.

Emirates Skywards Loyalty Programme

Emirates Skywards is a loyalty program that is combined with Emirates and Flydubai. Under this program, people can earn Skywards Miles based on their routes, fare type, and travel class. You can redeem those points at any time for a variety of rewards, including flights, upgrades, and partner experiences. After accumulating a certain level of Skywards Miles, you become eligible for the Membership Tiers. There are four membership tiers, namely Blue (default), Silver, Gold, and Platinum, with each of them having more benefits than the other. The perks included are priority check-in, lounge access, increased baggage allowance, and more. Emirates Airlines also has partnership ties with various hotels and companies that allow members to redeem points through these partners. Skywards membership makes flying more convenient with features like digital membership cards and online account management.

United Airlines MileagePlus Loyalty Program

The MileagePlus program by United Airlines allows passengers to earn miles for flights on United and partner airlines. Passengers can easily redeem those points for award tickets, upgrades, hotels, credit cards, and dining. One of the biggest perks of these miles is that they never expire, and there are no blackout dates on award flights. Other perks of being a member of the MileagePlus Loyalty Program include access to Economy Plus seating, priority boarding, free checked baggage, and even lounge access. The United Airlines MileagePlus program is worth joining since you can become a member for free.