For a lot of vacationers, it is concerning the vacation spot, not the way you get there. Should you are usually budget-conscious and do not thoughts flying ultra-low-cost carriers resembling Frontier Airways or Spirit Airways, you’ll have thought of both of those cobranded bank card choices.
You will have the Frontier Airways World Mastercard with Frontier and the Free Spirit Journey Extra World Elite Mastercard with Spirit. Whereas these playing cards (and their loyalty packages) are sometimes missed, they might be surprisingly first rate choices so as to add to your bank card portfolio primarily based on their advantages.
With related annual charges, we’ll show you how to resolve which airline card is finest for you.
Associated: Which low-cost provider must you fly? Evaluating Frontier Airways and Spirit Airways
The knowledge for the Frontier Airways World Mastercard and the Free Spirit Journey Extra World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Frontier vs. Free Spirit card comparability
| Frontier Airways World Mastercard | Free Spirit Journey Extra World Elite Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual charge | $89 | $0 for the primary yr, then $79 |
| Signal-up bonus | Earn 50,000 bonus miles and a $100 flight voucher after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual charge in full inside the first 90 days of account opening | Earn 50,000 bonus factors plus a $100 companion flight voucher after making a minimum of $1,000 in purchases inside the first 90 days of account opening |
| Bonus classes | 5 miles per greenback on eligible Frontier purchases
3 miles per greenback on restaurant purchases 1 mile per greenback on all different purchases |
3 factors per greenback on eligible Spirit purchases
2 factors per greenback on eligible eating and grocery retailer purchases 1 level per greenback on all different purchases |
| Advantages | $100 flight voucher every card anniversary after spending $2,500 or extra on the cardboard every year
Zone 2 precedence boarding Earn 1 Elite Qualifying Mile per $1 spent in your card Household pooling Award redemption charge waiver No international transaction charges |
$100 companion flight voucher every card anniversary after spending $5,000 or extra on card every year
Zone 2 precedence boarding 25% rebate on inflight purchases World Elite Mastercard advantages No international transaction charges |
Frontier vs. Free Spirit card welcome supply
However, the Free Spirit Mastercard supplies an analogous supply with the next spending requirement. New cardholders will earn 50,000 bonus factors plus a $100 companion flight voucher after making a minimum of $1,000 in purchases inside the first 90 days of account opening.
Frontier miles and Spirit factors are currencies which might be each price 1.1 cents, in accordance with TPG valuations. That makes the Frontier card’s welcome supply price $550 and Spirit’s price $650 (with the inclusion of the $100 companion flight voucher).
Winner: Spirit
Each day Publication
Reward your inbox with the TPG Each day e-newsletter
Be a part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s consultants
Frontier vs. Free Spirit card advantages
These playing cards share many similarities, so the variations lie inside the particulars of every profit provided.
First, each playing cards supply the chance to earn a $100 flight voucher every year. This nice incentive can cowl the price of the respective annual charges. Nonetheless, the Frontier card’s annual voucher is a greater providing since you may solely need to spend $2,500 or extra in your card to obtain it. In the meantime, you may have to spend $5,000 or extra with the Spirit card. Plus, you need to use the Frontier voucher to your personal flight and fewer limitations, whereas the Spirit voucher requires you to apply it to a companion ticket (along with reserving your individual ticket).
Each playing cards supply the chance to earn elite qualifying miles out of your card spending. The Frontier card earns 1 qualifying mile per greenback spent, and so to earn Frontier’s lowest elite standing — Elite 20K — you may want 20,000 qualifying miles or 25 flight segments in a calendar yr. Theoretically, you’ll be able to earn elite standing by spending $20,000 or extra in your Frontier card, unlocking unique advantages resembling a free carry-on bag and seat project.
Equally, you’ll be able to attain Free Spirit Silver or Gold elite standing with the Spirit card by incomes 1 Standing Qualifying Level (SQPs) for every $10 in purchases throughout a calendar yr. It is simpler to realize elite standing with the Spirit card, as you’ll be able to attain Silver standing by getting 2,000 SQPs or Gold standing with 5,000 SQPs. So, with simply $2,000 or $5,000 in spending every year, you may get unique advantages resembling free same-day standby flights and seat choice at check-in.
Moreover, each playing cards grant you entry to household pooling, which lets you share miles with household and pals.
With the Frontier card, you may additionally get an award redemption charge waiver, which begins at $5.60 for a one-way ticket. That is unlocked with the Spirit card on the Silver elite degree, requiring simply $2,000 in spend per yr. In the meantime, the Spirit card gives a 25% rebate on inflight purchases. Each playing cards supply perks resembling Zone 2 precedence boarding and no international transaction charges.
Winner: Tie. These playing cards supply very related advantages.
Incomes rewards with the Frontier vs. Free Spirit card
Though Frontier and Spirit are low-cost carriers, their cobranded bank cards supply spectacular incomes charges.
Based mostly on TPG’s valuations, the Frontier card gives an efficient return of 5.5% on Frontier purchases, 3.3% at eating places, and 1.1% on all different purchases. In the meantime, the Free Spirit Mastercard gives a barely decrease return of three.3% on Spirit purchases, 2.2% on eating and grocery, and an analogous 1.1% on all different purchases.
Whereas the Frontier Mastercard gives a a lot larger price on affiliated airline purchases, it solely gives one different bonus class (eating places). In the meantime, you’ll be able to earn 2 miles per greenback on eating and grocery retailer purchases with the Free Spirit card.
Winner: Tie. Some folks might discover having the next incomes price for Frontier flight purchases helpful. In distinction, others will recognize the Spirit Mastercard’s larger incomes potential attributable to its extra complete vary of incomes classes.
Redeeming rewards with the Frontier vs. Free Spirit card
Frontier publishes an official award chart, citing {that a} one-way home flight begins at 10,000 miles. That is large since you’ll be able to fly wherever inside the U.S. and Puerto Rico for this value — even trans-continental flights. Along with your sign-up bonus, you’ll be able to unlock two round-trip flights or as many as 5 one-way flights.
In the meantime, Spirit doesn’t have an official award chart for redemptions. Nonetheless, the provider has unimaginable potential for low-cost awards when utilizing the Free Spirit loyalty program. We have discovered that one-way flights value as little as 2,500 factors, stretching the worth of your sign-up bonus with a ton of reserving choices.
Associated: 5 issues it’s best to learn about Spirit’s revamped bank card lineup
One essential factor to recollect is that Spirit prices a $50 redemption charge for flights booked inside 28 days — severely affecting the worth of utilizing your hard-earned factors. There isn’t any redemption charge in case you guide greater than 28 days prematurely. With the Frontier card, it can save you on redemption charges (which vary from $15 to $75) — including immense worth to this card.
Winner: The Frontier Mastercard. Due to its waived redemption charges and its clear, printed award chart.
Ought to I get the Frontier or Free Spirit card?
Should you stay close to a Spirit or Frontier hub, decide the cardboard that finest advantages your journey patterns. The Frontier Mastercard has a slight edge over the Spirit Mastercard in incomes and redeeming rewards. Nonetheless, your alternative needs to be guided by which airline you fly extra incessantly.
Backside line
Associated: Why Spirit offers Delta a run for its cash in our head-to-head comparability
