Some might likely say that this is the category that matters the most and based upon personal interviews—we agree. Miles&Go added to their sweep of the 2022 Freddies with a clean #1 rating, but there is interesting jockeying in the following places. While Miles & More (Lufthansa) was a clear #2 in POTY, in this elite category they switched places and Air France KLM Flying Blue finished a strong #2. British Airways Executive Club maintained their #4 position finish but Virgin Atlantic Flying Club dropped two places to finish in seventh place while Turkish and Aegean each rose a place to take up where Virgin dropped. We’ve always been puzzled here because Virgin has such a reputation with their product which doesn’t seem to transfer into respecting their finest members. Of course, Turkish and Aegean have both been darlings of status matches and alliance benefits so their places are certainly deserved. Higher ranking by both would likely come about from more for their own members than for members of other programs.
During the pandemic period of loyalty programs, some stood still awaiting the return to travel while others used the change in travel sentiment to change themselves. Miles&Go just might be that trendsetter having moved up the ladder of loyalty in a big way. A 210 Award winner in the 2020 Freddie Awards, they swept aside both Norwegian and Aeroflot on their way to sweeping all major categories in the airline category in 2022. And they did it in a convincing fashion with a rating exceeding 9 (of 10) in every category they won. Following in the distance were the European powerhouses of Lufthansa Miles & More (second), Air France KLM Flying Blue in third, and British Airways Executive Club in fourth place. And when we say, convincing fashion, here’s why: they were 1.5 points ahead of Lufthansa in second place, whereas in the Americas and the Asia Pacific, the race for second place was much, much closer—approximately 3/10th of a point in both other regions. Norwegian Reward which captured this honor in 2020 fell back a full three points to land in ninth place. It wasn’t even close.
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
We would not argue with any member of these programs if you stated that this category is the most important. After all, what good are all the miles in the world if you can’t use them in a reasonable way for your travel goals? Looking at how close the top three ranked programs are, there’s more competition than what most members might assume in who has the seats. Avianca is right there as is Southwest, both known for availability in high numbers. But Aeroplan certainly earned this title considering they also are fulfilling redemption against other Star Alliance partners. But let’s also turn our attention down to #4—American AAdvantage, the (by far) highest ranked legacy carrier.
This might be the “most valuable” category and one of our favorites. Award redemption is important as is recognition of status, but the manner in which all members’ needs are met is called customer service. Are phones being answered? do you have to grovel in the public social media to be deemed worthy? Are even #no answers handed out with respect? Likely no airline got this award on their legacy of customer service other than Southwest. They proved many years ago that low fares did not mean low service. And the re-invented Aeroplan is right behind. But here’s a sad observation—five years ago, in 2017, the top two programs in this category both earned a ranking above a 9 percent average … this year, no single program did.
In a test of how well you know the winners of the Freddie Awards—did you know that Avianca (also at one point known as AviancaTaca) has won the best promotion award seven times out of the past eight years? Southwest Rapid Rewards won in 2018 and AAdvantage won in the years 2009-2013. Again a top-five finish for Free Spirit and even an appearance by Frontier Miles, but where did Mileage Plus go? And asking for a friend—we’re wondering when the day will come when bonus offers to sell more miles will not be considered a #great promotion. But those offers appear to have great value to members, in fact, did you notice that the results for this category are the only category in the Americas in which the winner garnered a 9+ rank for its value vote?
