On September 12, the points and travel rewards search platform Point.me announced its first-ever ranking of 62 airline loyalty programs.
The results of this extensive data analysis reveals that Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue program tops the list, closely followed by Aeroplan in second place and United MileagePlus in third.
Each program was evaluated according to a list of quantitative and qualitative criteria, the importance of which varies for each:
Point.me specifies that only factors concerning all travellers were taken into consideration. Thus, status-related benefits were not considered, so that this ranking is representative of all travellers (rather than just frequent travellers).
Using the scores obtained in their evaluation, Point.me has ranked the best airline loyalty programs in several categories: globally and regionally.
Here are the top ten airline loyalty programs according to Point.me’s global ranking and score.
The full report is available here on the Point.me website.
According to Point.me, Flying Blue came out on top because of the extent of its partnerships, which facilitate the accumulation of Flying Blue miles, in addition to favourable rates for redeeming miles, as we regularly see in the Promo Rewards.
“We are thrilled to top the rankings released today by point.me. By harnessing the power of point.me, Flying Blue broadens its reach, captivating travellers and fostering loyalty, even among those who have yet to experience our airline firsthand. Point.me in increasing brand awareness and cultivating a community of avid explorers drawn to the promise of Air France, KLM, and all our partners.” – Benjamin Lipsey, SVP Customer Loyalty and President of Flying Blue
Air Canada’s Aeroplan stands out in several respects, but above all for the availability of award tickets with its airline partners, which testifies to its network, which is the most extensive in the world. Point.me also highlights the flexibility of its routing, particularly with the Aeroplan stopover.
The ease with which Aeroplan points can be earned has also contributed to its high score, firstly with its co-branded credit cards, but also with its numerous transfer partners such as American Express and Marriott Bonvoy, as well as Chase, Bilt Rewards and Capital One in the United States.
As for United MileagePlus, the program stood out for its competitiveness in all evaluation criteria, and its accessibility to all travellers by offering availability at reasonable rates even in high season. As with Aeroplan, it’s easy to earn MileagePlus miles quickly with co-branded credit cards and transfer partners (Bilt Rewards, Chase, Marriott Bonvoy).
Tied for fourth place are the British Airways Executive Club and the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, renowned both for their ease of earning points and their affordable points-based fares.
In its report, Point.me also divides its rankings into regional formats: North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. For those who are more interested in each evaluation criterion, Point.me also displays its results by isolating each of these criteria. It is therefore possible to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of each program by consulting the full report. Here are some interesting facts about the detailed report:
Point.me’s rankings are based on qualitative and quantitative criteria that do not necessarily apply to every individual’s objectives and preferences. So, when you’re asked about your preferred airline program, your choice may differ from the results displayed depending on the fare class you choose, your itineraries, and many other factors. And if you have status with one of these programs, it’s only natural that you’ll be more inclined to book your award flights with that program, since you’ll be able to take advantage of the benefits linked to your status. In other words, many external factors can influence your perception of this ranking, but it’s still interesting to see which programs come out ahead.
Another lesson to be learned from these rankings is that the strength of an airline program lies in its ability to offer us flights at reasonable fares with points, far beyond the original airline. We see this with Aeroplan and its fifty or so airline partners, and it’s the same with the biggest players in the rankings.
That said, we know it can be difficult to choose an airline program when it comes to accumulating points or miles and ensuring you get good value for them. Point.me’s rankings can help guide us in these decisions, although it’s important to take personal circumstances into account too. For example, programs such as the British Airways Executive Club may be more valuable to Canadians if they take into account the ease of transferring Avion Rewards points to Avios.
To better understand your options, consult our tutorial on points transfer partners in Canada.
This was the first ranking unveiled by Point.me, so it will be interesting to follow the evolution of this ranking over the years, since as we all know, airline programs are constantly evolving, whether with the announcement of new partnerships or any other change related to award ticket pricing or program terms and conditions.
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