Frontier Airlines is known for being one of the most popular ultra low cost carriers but just like many other airlines, they have a frequent flyer program that you can benefit from if you find yourself flying Frontier a lot. Because this is a low cost carrier that charges you hefty fees for things like seat selection, carry-ons, and checked baggage fees, a lot of the benefits will be able to save you on normal travel expenses when flying.
In this article, I will break down all of the benefits for the Frontier miles frequent flyer program (formerly Frontier Early Returns) and show you how the benefits differ for the different elite levels (20K, 50K, and 100K). I’ll also show you how to obtain these different levels including how to do so without even flying.
Table of Contents
What is “Frontier Miles?”
Frontier Miles is the frequent flyer program for Frontier Airlines, formerly known as Frontier Early Returns. The new program does not only have a new name but also has some new features, which I will highlight below.
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What are the Frontier elite levels?
Their are three Elite tears in the Frontier Miles frequent flyer program.
- Elite 20K: Earn 20,000 status qualifying miles or fly 25 segments
- Elite 50K: Earn 50,000 status qualifying miles or fly 50 segments
- Elite 100K: Earn 100,000 status qualifying miles or fly 100 segments
How do you earn Frontier status miles?
You can earn Status Miles by flying Frontier or spending on your Frontier Airlines World Mastercard.
You will earn one mile for every one mile flown, no matter the price of your ticket. This is different from other airlines that allow you to earn more miles for more expensive fares. For example, Southwest Airlines has the following earning rates:
- 6X per dollar for Wanna Get Away fares
- 10X per dollar for Anytime fares
- 12X per dollar for Business Select
Status Miles and are not redeemable for flights or with partners.
Additionally, the following type of miles are NOT considered Status Qualifying Miles: special bonus miles, mileage multipliers, and other promotional miles. This means that all of those additional bonus miles that you will earn from having a higher elite status will not count towards status.
Earn elite status with a credit card
Frontier is a bit unique in that they allow you to spend your way to elite status.
You can do this with their cobranded credit card that is issued by Barclays. With this credit card you can find a sign-up bonus worth up to 40,000 miles which can get you up to two round-trip tickets.
This credit card will also allow you to earn five times the miles per dollar spent on purchases at flyfrontier.com
and three extra miles on restaurant purchases. You will also earn one Frontier mile for every dollar spent on all other categories.
Some of the additional perks of this credit card include:
- Zone 2 boarding
- 0% introductory APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening
- No foreign transaction fees
- Award redemption fees waived
- Complimentary FICO credit score
- Keep your miles from expiring with one purchase every six months
- $79 annual fee
Frontier elite benefits
Below, I will break down all of the different benefits for the different elite levels.
Elite 20K benefits
Free carry-on
As an elite 20K member, you will be able to bring on a carry-on for free. This benefit only applies to the member.
Just like other low cost carriers, Frontier charges some pretty hefty fees for carry-ons. These fees can range from $30-$60, so it’s really nice that you can save money as an elite member on these carry-on fees.
Flyfrontier.com, at booking
- $30 to $35
Flyfrontier.com, after booking and up to 24 hours before departure
- $38
Call Center
- $40
Web Check-in
- $40
Airport ticket counter or self-service kiosk
- $45
Departure Gate
- $60
Family pooling
Unlock family pooling where you can combine FRONTIER Miles with up to 8 family members and friends to make using miles easy.
This benefit can really make it much easier to use your points since you can simply pool the points within your family. The primary member of the pool will be able to use the points as they wish and also can control who is in the pool, so you want to make sure that someone very responsible is designated as the primary member.
Note that this benefit is also available to the co-branded credit card holders of the Frontier credit card.
Seat assignment
Receive free advanced seat assignment on your flights (note this does not include stretch seating). This benefit is for the member only. Seat selection will cost $6 for a standard seat at the time of booking.
Stretch Seating
Upgrade, for free, to stretch seating (if available) during flight check-in, at the ticket counter or gate. This benefit is for the member only.
Priority boarding
Enjoy priority boarding and Express TSA (at participating airport).
Award fees waived
Award fees are waived when booking in award flight
Travel fees waived
Travel fees are waived, these include: call center reservation fee, unaccompanied minor fee (if the minor is the elite member), same-day confirmed fee and same-day standby fee. This benefit is for members only. Read more about cancellation fees here.
Last seat toward
Use miles to redeem last seat available award tickets. This benefit can be used by any traveler on the Elite member’s booking.
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Elite 50K benefits
Family seating
You and your family & friends get free advanced seat assignments, including stretch! This benefit can be used for up to 8 travelers on the Elite member’s booking.
Earn more miles
Receive 25% additional redeemable mileage bonus on all eligible Frontier flights. The mileage multiplier apples towards redeemable miles and does not apply toward Status Qualifying Miles. This benefit is for the member only.
50% off Discount Den
Elite 50k members enjoy 50% off Discount Den, our fare membership club that allows exclusive access to our lowest fares. Sign Up! This membership would typically cost you $60 per year. However, you should know that this benefit is for the member only. This is similar to the $9 Fare Club offered by Spirit Airlines.
Elite 100K benefits
The works
You and your family & friends enjoy Family Status and all receive the WORKS bundle. The WORKS bundle includes:
- Advance Seat Assignment, including Stretch Seating at booking, for the Member and up to 8 other Members traveling on the same reservation with the same confirmation number.
- Carry-on baggage for the Member and up to 8 other Members traveling on the same reservation with the same confirmation number.
- One checked baggage item for the Member and up to 8 other Members traveling on the same reservation with the same confirmation number.
You’ll also get: priority boarding, flight flexibility and refundability.
Saving on baggage fees for checked luggage can really add up and here are the prices that you would normally be paying if you had to pay out-of-pocket. Prices taken via a chart from Frontier’s website.
| Purchase Location | Carry-On Bag | 1st Checked Bag | 2nd Checked Bag | >3+ Checked Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST VALUE! Flyfrontier.com, at booking | $30*/35 | $25*/30 | $45 | $80 |
| Flyfrontier.com, after booking and up to 24 hours before departure | $38 | $38 | $45 | $80 |
| Call Center | $40 | $40 | $45 | $85 |
| Web Check-in | $40 | $40 | $45 | $85 |
| Airport ticket counter or self-service kiosk | $45 | $45 | $50 | $85 |
| Departure Gate | $60 | $60 | N/A | N/A |
Earn more miles
Receive 50% additional redeemable mileage bonus on all eligible Frontier flights. Keep in mind that the mileage multiplier applies towards redeemable miles and does not apply toward Status Qualifying Miles. So as a 100K member, you will be earning 1.5 miles per dollar spent.
Discount Den
Get Discount Den for FREE.
Final word
There are a lot of benefits to climbing up the elite status levels with Frontier. If you regularly travel with your family then you can really save a lot of money with free carry-ons and checked bags and also have a more convenient experience with perks like priority boarding in seat selection. I really like that you can spend your way to elite status via a credit card since that is something typically not offered by other airlines.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.