Difference between revisions of "Frontier credit card"
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=== Introduction to Frontier Miles === | === Introduction to Frontier Miles === | ||
| − | Frontier's frequent flyer program is called [//www.flyfrontier.com/myfrontier/ | + | Frontier's frequent flyer program is called [//www.flyfrontier.com/myfrontier/ Frontier Miles]. |
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Revision as of 17:35, 10 October 2020
$79
40,000 Frontier Miles
$500 initial spend
($320 net value, .65/$)
Signup Bonus Chart5x Frontier Purchases
3x Restaurant Purchases
1x Everywhere Else
3% Foreign Transaction Fee
If you occasionally fly Frontier, you may want to get this card for its signup bonus (although there are better options available from Barclays).
If you fly Frontier a few times a year, it is probably worth paying $79 per year and using the card for at least $2,500 of spending to get the $100 discount voucher, priority boarding, family pooling, a way to easily keep your points from expiring, waived award redemption fees, and the opportunity to spend your way to the next status level.
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Introduction to Frontier Miles
Frontier's frequent flyer program is called Frontier Miles.
- Award prices are good. Normal prices are 20,000 miles for round trips in the United States (and to Puerto Rico) and 30,000 points to Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean. This is lower than the required points with many other programs, but Frontier is a budget flying experience and the typical cash ticket prices are also lower than normal.
- Miles expire after only six months of inactivity. You'll need to use your miles quickly. As long as you still have the card, it is easy to keep them alive with a single purchase every few months.
- There is a $15 ticketing fee for tickets booked between 21 and 179 days prior to departure; but you won't pay it if you have the card. It is very unusual to have fees for award tickets booked so far in advance, but having the credit card waives these fees, so it isn't a problem if you use your miles before you cancel the card. Within 21 days, the fees are higher.
Collecting the Signup Bonus
- If you fly Frontier, it is worth signing-up for this card, just for the signup bonus. The normal bonus is 40,000 miles. That's enough for two round trip tickets within the United States and Puerto Rico. However, because Frontier flights are so inexpensive, it is hard to find opportunities to good value from your reward points.
- It is possible to earn the same signup bonus multiple times. Barclays has no real limit on the number of times you can get the bonus. Hold onto the card until close to the end of your first year, cancel it, wait a few months, and reapply.
However, if you have been actively signing up for credit cards, it can sometimes be hard to get approved for new cards from Barclays. If you really want to keep the card part of your core credit collection, don't cancel it, counting on being able to be re-approved for the card a few months later. But if you are mainly interested in the signup bonus, there is little harm in trying.
Spending Your Way to Status
The Frontier card is the only airline credit card that counts the points you earn from spending towards your status requirements.
- If you aren't going to fly enough miles to get to the next elite status level, you can use the card to get you there. For example, if you wind up flying 12,000 miles over the course of the year, you can spend $8,000 on the card to make it to the "Elite 20K level"; or if you wind up flying 30,000 miles, you could spend $20,000 on the card to get to the "Elite 50K level".
- Earning status can significantly lower the "add-on" costs from flying Frontier. With Frontier, you pay extra for bags, seating, etc. Even low-level (20K) elites get free carry-ons, free seat assignments, and free access to "stretch seating" at check-in. 50K elites get free assigned seating for their entire family, and 100K elites get "the WORKS bundle" for their entire family, and a free checked bag.
- But, if you frequently fly Frontier, spending on the card can be the key to saving hundreds of dollars of fees. The more you fly on Frontier, the more valuable the elite status benefits are, and the less you'll need to spend on the card to earn status.
Given the low reward rate of the card, it typically isn't worthwhile to earn status primarily via spending. The opportunity cost of spending even $20,000 on the card, is at least $300.
Other Notable Benefits
- Annual $100 Frontier Airlines voucher (with a $2,500 spending requirement). You'll receive a voucher if you spend $2,500 with the card during your each 12 month period, starting when you open the card. If you are planning on holding onto the card, it makes sense to try to spend enough to earn the voucher. Even if you paid a 2.5% service fee to generate the $2,500 in spending, it would only get a $100 voucher for $62.50.
- Waived award redemption fees. You'll save $15 on each of your longer-term award redemptions, and even more on short term redemptions.
- Ability to pool miles. Cardholders can combine points from up to 8 different linked accounts to aggregate enough points to make an award redemption.
- Priority boarding. You can board in Zone 2.
- Access to Mastercard luxury hotel program. When you book at one of the participating hotels, you'll get an number of valuable benefits, like free breakfast, a $100 hotel credit, a room upgrade, and late checkout.Take Advantage of Luxury Hotel Programs for Valuable Extra Perks
- Free ShopRunner membership. Like all World Elite Mastercards, your card entitles you to a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which provides free two-day and return shipping from around 150 of the largest online retailers. ShopRunner
- DoorDash and Hello Fresh discounts. Cardmembers who have a DoorDash membership get $5 off their first two orders each month when paid for by their Mastercard. If you don't have a free membership from Chase, you can get your first three months membership for free through Mastercard. You also get a 5% credit back on each HelloFresh purchase.
Bonus Categories
- You are better off making your Frontier purchases with a card that earns a higher reward rate for airfare spending. 2x Frontier miles is okay but not as good as what you'd earn from one of the better cards.Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
- Using the card for restaurant purchases is not particularly worthwhile. 3x Frontier miles might be slightly more valuable than what you'd earn from your general-purpose reward card, but it is not nearly as good as what you can earn from a card that earns good bonus rewards on restaurant spending. {[Link|restaurant spending}}
- You don't want to use this card for your everyday spending. You'll earn higher rewards from a good general-purpose reward card. Get a Great General Purpose Reward Card and Use It for All of Your Spending.
Getting Rid of the Card
You can cancel without worrying about losing your Frontier miles. Once you earn them, they are treated like any other miles in your account.
But, there is no real downside to cancelling your card (if you don't want it). Plus, if you keep a Barclays card, and don't spend on it, you can have a harder time signing up for new Barclays cards.