As travel advisors we are often asked about airline loyalty programs, and which ones provide our Australian travellers with the best travel rewards and incentives.
With so many airlines globally, each having different points and redemption systems, it’s often a challenge to compare like with like. So, we were very interested when we read the first independent analysis conducted by travel tech company PointMe, where they have objectively ranked over 60 different airline loyalty programs.
In their analysis, PointMe scored airline rewards programs across several criteria which included ease to earn points, redemption rates, ease of booking, flexibility on routes, partner airlines, change fees and customer service quality.
Airlines could not influence the results or ranking.
So which airlines ranked the highest?
The 2024 top 10 airline loyalty programs worldwide, as ranked by PointMe are:
1. Air France and KLM: Flying Blue – 93.06
2. Air Canada: Aeroplan - 77.43
3. United: MileagePlus – 72.22
4. (Tie) British Airways – Executive Club – 69.10
4. (Tie) Virgin Atlantic – Flying Club – 69.10
6. American Airlines – AAdvantage – 68.06
7. Alaska Airlines – Mileage Plan – 65.97
8. Qatar Airways – Privilege Club – 62.85
9. JetBlue – TrueBlue – 61.81
10. Avianca - Life Miles – 59.72
To view the remainder of the rankings, as well as rankings by region, please visit the PointMe website.
How do popular airlines that fly to Australia rank?
We knew you’d ask. Here are how some of the most popular airline loyalty programs across our region ranked in the study:
- Emirates Skywards - ranked 11th (58.68)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer - tied 15th (51.39)
- ANA Mileage Club - tied 15th (51.39)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - tied 15th (51.39)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer - ranked 24th (38.89)
- Air New Zealand Airpoints – tied 33rd (26.39)
- Virgin Australia Velocity - tied 33rd (26.39)
It was interesting to see that Australian airlines and airlines flying to and from Australia seem to slip down the ladder when it comes to top tier loyalty programs. Why could this be?
In a recent interview with The Australian newspaper, PointMe co-founder Tiffany Funk said, “We also looked at redemption rates which is how many points it takes to get on a flight, and that’s one thing that’s a challenge for the Australian programs.”
Commenting that the number of points needed for a flight on Qantas or Virgin Australia was a “constant complaint” from PointMe customers in Australia, with their analysis showing they were generally higher than other airlines. *
Reward yourself
Next time you’re speaking with your travel advisor, reward yourself and remember to let them know which airline loyalty programs you are a member of and to check if any components of your itinerary can be redeemed via points.
We recently had a client who flew Frankfurt to Singapore to Sydney in a First Class Suite on Singapore Airlines just by using their points! So be sure to make them count.
You don’t always have to be a frequent flyer! Many of the top airline loyalty programs reward users via credit card programs and other non-flying methods. Ultimately, it’s not just the loyalty program rank that is important, travellers should choose the airline loyalty program that is best suited their needs.
Contact us below to start designing your next trip.
*Credit to: The Australian Newspaper - https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/the-worlds-best-airline-loyalty-program-revealed-and-where-qantas-frequent-flyer-ranked/news-story/c1949b2dcf453e2e431fda938f014232
