Why You Need a Frequent Flyer Program

Have you been inspired to start exploring the world outside your hometown? Perhaps becoming a future globetrotter? 🌎

Awesome! Before you book that first or next flight, let us tell you about the easiest travel hack beginners often miss: frequent flyer programs. And nope, these aren’t just for business travelers in fancy suits—they’re for YOU.

Do you like free stuff?

We do 🙂

Here’s the deal: airlines literally want to give you free stuff. Every time you fly you earn miles, points or travel dollars that stack up toward free flights, upgrades, and perks. A weekend trip to see a friend/relative? Miles. Your cousin’s destination wedding? Miles. An out of state graduation? Miles. Not signing up is like going to a coffee shop that offers a free drink after ten purchases and just… never getting your card stamped. ☕️ Why would you do that to yourself?

The best part? These programs are completely free to join. Zero dollars. Zilch. Nada. Just enter your number when booking, and boom—you’re earning.

Sounds great, but how?

With over 70 major airlines and numerous regional airlines, which one do you choose? ✈️

Start with your intended destinations. Where do you want to travel? If mainly domestic within your country, consider a regional airline such as Air Europa, Allegiant Air, Eurowings, Frontier, Jet Blue, Lion Air, Rex or Southwest. If domestic with some international locations, look at an alliance. We will start with alliances.

Alliances: Your New Best Friend

Here’s where it gets good. Most major international airlines belong to one of three big alliances: Star Alliance, Oneworld, or SkyTeam. Think of these like friend groups where everyone shares their toys. 🧸

When you join a frequent flyer program with an airline in an alliance, you can:

• Earn miles on partner airlines (fly United, earn miles on Lufthansa, or fly Delta and earn miles on Air France)
• Use your miles across the whole network (book award flights on dozens of airlines with one account)
• Enjoy status benefits globally (get that priority boarding in Amsterdam or Singapore even though you earned your status flying domestic US routes)

It’s like having one gym membership that works at gyms worldwide. Pretty sweet, right? Let’s give you an overview.

Star Alliance  

Star Alliance is the world’s first and largest alliance with 25 member airlines. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, with over 50 global hubs and a network at over 1,160 airports. Click the airline below to see their program.

• Aegean Airlines – Miles+Bonus
• Air Canada – Aeroplan
• Air China – PhoenixMiles
• Air India – Maharaja Club
• Air New Zealand – Airpoints
• All Nippon Airways (ANA) – ANA Mileage Club
• Asiana Airlines – Asiana Club
• Austrian Airlines – Miles & More
• Avianca – LifeMiles
• Brussels Airlines – Miles & More
• Copa Airlines – ConnectMiles
• Croatia Airlines – Miles & More
• EgyptAir – EgyptAir Plus
• Ethiopian Airlines – ShebaMiles
• EVA Air – Infinity MileageLands
• LOT Polish Airlines – Miles & More
• Lufthansa – Miles & More
• Shenzhen Airlines – PhoenixMiles (uses Air China program)
• Singapore Airlines – KrisFlyer
• South African Airways – Voyager
• SWISS – Miles & More
• TAP Air Portugal – Miles&Go
• Thai Airways – Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Airlines – Miles&Smiles
• United Airlines – MileagePlus

Notable Star Alliance Programs:

Air Canada’s Aeroplan is supposedly the most user-friendly and flexible program of any program. United’s MileagePlus doesn’t pass on carrier-imposed surcharges on award bookings and miles never expire. Unfortunately, most other Star Alliance member programs have expiration dates on their miles. This makes it imperative you research the member airline program you wish to join for the best benefits.

Elite Status Benefits:

Star Alliance Gold members get access to over 1,000 global airport lounges when traveling on a member airline flight. They also get priority check-in, baggage handling and boarding, and extra baggage allowance.

SkyTeam

SkyTeam is the newest and second largest alliance with 19 member airlines. Headquartered in Amsterdam, with over 900 destinations in 145 countries. Click the airline below to see their program.

• Aerolíneas Argentinas – Aerolíneas Plus (may need to translate to English)
• Aeroméxico – Aeromexico Rewards
• Air Europa – SUMA
• Air France – Flying Blue
• China Airlines – Dynasty Flyer
• China Eastern – Eastern Miles (may need to translate to English)
• Delta Air Lines – SkyMiles
• Garuda Indonesia – GarudaMiles
• ITA Airways – Volare
• Kenya Airways – Asante Rewards
• Korean Air – SKYPASS
• KLM – Flying Blue
• Middle East Airlines – Cedar Miles
• Saudia – Alfursan
• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) – EuroBonus
• TAROM – Flying blue
• Vietnam Airlines – Lotusmiles
• Virgin Atlantic – Flying Club
• Xiamen Air – Egret Club

Notable SkyTeam Programs:

As a SkyPriority member, you get priority access to check-in, baggage and security lanes at over 900 airports worldwide. Delta SkyMiles has no mileage expiration, making it ideal for infrequent travelers to accumulate miles.

Elite Status Benefits:

SkyTeam Elite Plus members receive lounge access at over 750 airport lounges worldwide when traveling internationally. They also receive higher priority services, extra baggage allowance, and guaranteed reservations on sold-out long-haul flights when booked at least 24 hours in advance.

OneWorld

Founded in 1999 it has 15 member airlines. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with over 900 global destinations. Click the airline below to see their program.

• Alaska Airlines – Atmos Rewards (merged with Hawaiian Airlines)
• American Airlines – AAdvantage
• British Airways – British Airways Club
• Cathay Pacific – Asia Miles
• Fiji Airways – Tabua Club
• Finnair – Finnair Plus
• Iberia – Iberia Club
• Japan Airlines – JAL Mileage Bank
• Malaysia Airlines – Enrich
• Oman Air – Sinbad
• Qantas – Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways – Privilege Club
• Royal Air Maroc – Safar Flyer
• Royal Jordanian – Royal Club
• SriLankan Airlines – FlySmiLes

Notable Oneworld Programs:

British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Qatar Airways  share the Avios currency, allowing transfers between programs. This flexibility makes it easy to move points where you need them most.

Elite Status Benefits:

Oneworld Sapphire members enjoy access to airport lounges, priority check-in and boarding, priority baggage handling and access to preferred or preserved seating. You may also check-in an extra baggage for free.

Non-Alliance Airlines

Several major airlines are not a member of any alliance. One of them might even be your preferred airline. Click on each airline below for their frequent flyer and partnership agreements (if applicable) with other airlines.

• Aer Lingus – Aer Club
  • It uses the reward currency Avios. You can collect and use Avios with several partner airlines in the Oneworld Alliance.
• Easy Jet – Flight Club
  • It has codeshare agreements and partnerships with several major airlines in their Worldwide by easyJet.
• Emirates – Skywards
  • Has key partnerships with Air Canada, flydubai, Qantas and United Airlines. It has codeshare agreements with several others.
• Etihad – Etihad Guest
  • Has major code share partnerships with 23 airlines, including Air Canada, Air France/KLM, American Airlines, ANA, Korean Air, Oman Air and Saudia.
• JetBlue Airways – TrueBlue
  • Has partnership agreements with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.
• Southwest Airlines – Rapid Rewards
  • Has partnerships with China Airlines, Condor Airlines, EVA Air, Iceland Air and Philippine Airlines.
• WestJet – WestJet Rewards
  • Has partnerships with Aeromexico, Air France/KLM, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Qantas Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
• Allegiant Air – Always Rewards
• Frontier Airlines – Frontier Miles

Choosing Your Alliance/Airline

Consider several factors when choosing your ideal alliance.

Geographic Focus: If you only plan to fly domestically or within your region, you may want a non-alliance airline depending on how extensive their network is. If you are considering international flights, choose an alliance with an extensive network where you plan to travel (Europe, Asia, etc). You don’t need accounts with every airline, just one per alliance that suits your travel patterns. Is your city a major hub city for an alliance airline?

Status and Lounge Accessibility: Some programs make elite status easier to achieve than others. Requirement do vary so find a program that fits you best. Elite status with one airline automatically grants alliance-wide status, unlocking benefits across all partner airlines. Take advantage of alliance lounge access when traveling internationally, especially if you have top-tier status.

Transfer Partners: Consider which credit card points transfer to your preferred programs. Most major transferable currencies (Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One) transfer to multiple alliance programs, but availability varies.

Research: Research award pricing before booking. The same flight can cost vastly different amounts depending on which program you use (Delta vs KLM booking, etc).

What do Buddy and I Use?

We are in the SkyTeam Alliance since we have been Delta Airlines Medallion members for over 20 years, with 1.5 million+ miles.

• We travel to Europe quite a bit and like Air France and KLM. We also enjoy traveling to Mexico, and Aeromexico is in the SkyTeam.
• We’ve had good customer service and baggage delivery with Delta and their flight attendants and pilots are quite engaging. KLM service is superb and Air France has quite good food.
• The Delta One cabins and airport lounges are some of the best we’ve experienced.
• We have frequent flyer accounts with Delta, Air France, KLM and Aeromexico.
• With Delta changing to only Medallion Qualifying Dollars for Medallion status, it’s made it easier to achieve top tier status.
• American Express has a big partnership with Delta and my Platinum card helps me earn status faster.
• However, Delta’s onboard service, upgrade availability and departure delays have gotten a lot worse this year so we will be trying another Alliance a few times in 2026. Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, has made it clear he prioritizes profits over passenger loyalty and Medallion benefits.

We are also in the Star Alliance as we’ve been United Airlines MileagePlus members for over 5 years.

• United has an extensive network and Lufthansa covers Europe quite well.
• We have frequent flyer accounts with United and Lufthansa.
• We want to be in a second Alliance to keep our options open. I also have memberships in a couple organizations that give me a 5% discount with United.
• We will try United a couple times next year after the issues we experienced with Delta this year. I value loyalty, but I value wisely spending my money more. If we pay for a premium cabin, we expect premium service.

Two Alliances are enough for us with international travel. The key to quickly achieving higher tier status in a frequent flyer program is staying with one program. We have achieved Delta’s top tier status (Diamond) for the last two years by staying with the program. However, as we mentioned, we’ve been disappointed with Delta this year and will try United on a domestic and international flight next year.

The Bottom Line

Starting your travel journey without being a member of a frequent flyer program is like playing a video game and ignoring all the collectibles. Sure, you’ll get to the end, but you miss out on rewards that make the journey a lot more fun.

So pick an airline you’re likely to fly, or an alliance that serves your favorite destinations, sign up with a program and start collecting those miles. Future-you, sipping champagne in business class on an award ticket, will thank present-you for being so smart.

Buddy and Jordan