Plastic typically has its own mind and not always does a leading loyalty program have the leading credit card. This year they do as KrisFlyer sweeps all airline programs and the Best Loyalty Credit Card category with the American Express Singapore KrisFlyer Credit Card. But there is something telling about this finish—it is the only category in which they won a Freddie Award in which the category rating was below 9.X. But that is not unusual as it also happened in the Americas where the plastic winner was rated below the average of the other winning categories. Is it because the credit card is managed outside the loyalty program? One more interesting quirk about this category this year is that for the first time in any credit card region, a hotel credit card finished in the #2 spot. The Marriott Bonvoy credit card in the region is known as The Best Shihan Card. First released in early 2021, it is the first hotel industry credit card in South Korea and has proven to be not only very popular but highly rated as well. GarudaMiles Citi Card and American Express Membership Rewards almost tied for the third place though by just a one/hundredths of a point did GarudaMiles rank higher. As for American Express Membership Rewards, they are no stranger to this category having won Best Loyalty Credit Card in 2017, 2019, and the most recent year, 2020. What is surprising is that a perennial winner, the ADIB Etihad Guest credit card did not even place anywhere near the top. And just as in other categories, Vistara Club Vistara is in the ratings with their plastic product.
Full Voting Results
Rank
Best Loyalty Credit Card (Middle East & Asia/Oceania)
Rating
1
American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Credit Card
No stranger to winning this category, Membership Rewards won Best Loyalty Credit Card in 2018 breaking a streak by upstart Norwegian Reward and their Norwegian Card from Bank Norwegian which won in 2020, 2019, and 2017. Prior to that, it was a nice streak by Flying Blue in the years 2013-2016. Membership Rewards is also a frequent winner in the Middle East & Asia/Oceania region as well. They (Membership Rewards) play well with others and have a value proposition that is hard to beat when maximizing all your loyalty currencies—flexibility. And very close right behind was the TAP Miles&Go Millennium BCP Credit Card. Miles&Go won all the other airline categories in this region and we’re sure would have loved this one. It is issued as a Visa. Perhaps the interesting card in the top five is the Accor ALL Visa Payment Card. Hotel loyalty credit cards are still rarities and it’s nice to see such a strong showing as this one by ALL.
Full Voting Results
Rank
Best Loyalty Credit Card (Europe & Africa)
Rating
1
American Express Membership Rewards
8.68
2
TAP Millennium BCP Credit Card
8.42
3
ALL Visa Payment Card
8.18
4
Lufthansa Miles More Gold Credit Card
7.92
5
Air France KLM American Express
7.59
6
Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
7.58
7
Bank Norwegian Norwegian Card
7.56
8
Turkish Airlines Miles Smiles Credit Card
7.43
9
British Airways Executive Club American Express Card
7.37
10
UIA Alfa Sky Pass Card
7.34
11
Czech Airlines Raiffeisenbank OK Plus E Mastercard
And what would any award be these days without recognition of a little bit of plastic (though w/ virtual cards blossoming, maybe even the mention of plastic will be replaced at some point)? The years 2021-2022 proved to be more interesting than ever for loyalty programs as several programs announced that earning elite status via use of your spending power outside of travel was a #thing. As such, we expect this category to gain more impact and more relevance in years to come. But there is little change from the past in this year’s winner—Southwest Airlines Rapid Reward Premier Credit card issued by Chase. When we mention “little change ….”, well, this credit card has won for the fifth consecutive year and eight of the past nine years (in case you are wondering, SPG’s American Express Card interrupted this current streak in 2016). That’s quite a record for Rapid Rewards. But since you’re reading along (DYK>), Diners Club Rewards is the record holder in this category with an astounding nine consecutive years of #best (1998-2006). Avianca LifeMiles Visa claims second place in this category but it’s not a sure lock given that Citi AAdvantage, MGM, and Caesars are all clumped in close enough for a near traffic jam for that #2 spot. And in the *small trivia category, you likely noticed that Mastercard captured both the #4 and the #7 slots in the top ten ratings. And as it is becoming more common to say—may the power of plastic be to all the winners.
Full Voting Results
Rank
Best Loyalty Credit Card (Americas)
Rating
1
Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card
8.54
2
Avianca LifeMiles Visa Credit Card
8.33
3
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card
8.30
4
MGM Mlife Rewards Mastercard
8.30
5
Caesars Rewards Visa
8.27
6
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card from Chase
8.14
7
Free Spirit Travel More Elite Mastercard
7.98
8
American Express Membership Rewards
7.95
9
Wyndham Rewards Earner Card
7.94
10
Capital One Rewards
7.77
11
AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard
7.76
12
Chase Ultimate Rewards
7.44
13
Alaska Airlines Visa Signature
7.24
14
Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express
