#25 Among Airlines
Point Value
1.10 ¢
Hobby Score
4.0
Free Spirit is best for budget travelers who value low costs and no frills:
Flying with the airline or opening one of their co-branded credit cards are the best ways to earn miles for airfare on Spirit Airlines. Unfortunately Spirit does not partner with any credit card rewards systems, so earning points is more limited than with larger airlines.
When flying Spirit, you earn points based on how much you spend and your status level:
Both cards offer spending multipliers that help you earn Free Spirit miles faster.
Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard
Free Spirit Travel Mastercard
Redeeming your Free Spirit miles for airfare on Spirit is your best (and one of your only) option. Redemptions start at 2,500 points, and you’ll pay taxes on all bookings (starting at $5.60). If you book an award flight within 28 days of departure, Spirit charges a $50 redemption fee, so factor that into whether you use points or cash.
To search for an award flight, go to the Spirit home page, log in, and enter your flight details. Click on “Show Fares in Points” to see mileage options. On the results page, you can toggle between points, cash, and cash + points.
Spirit offers three main booking options, each higher tier costing more in cash and points but adding extra perks:
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
Spirit runs promos with flight deals. You can check out their pre-packaged flight deals or enter your origin, destination, and budget to see any deals based on an upcoming trip
There is no consistency or typical sweet spots you might find with other airlines, particularly those that use award charts. You simply need to do that math when searching flights to see whether it’s worth it to use points vs. just paying cash. Most redemptions we found were above 1¢ per point, which is good. If you’re going to redeem points for flights on Spirit, you want to get at least that much
Free Spirit is a good fit for travelers who fly Spirit regularly and value low fares over premium comforts. If you’re familiar with Spirit’s no-frills model and are comfortable paying separately for extras, the program can offer solid value. Earning miles is more limited than with larger airlines since Spirit has no credit card transfer partners. You can only earn through paid Spirit flights or spending on one of their co-branded credit cards, but any miles you do earn are easy to redeem for airfare.
Spirit’s reward prices track closely with cash prices, so you won’t find outsized redemptions or traditional award chart sweet spots. Still, redemptions often fall around 1.0–1.5¢ per point, which is lower than many airlines but can be reasonable for cheap fares. Free Spirit is best for travelers seeking short-haul domestic redemptions or low-cost flights to the Caribbean or Latin America. You won’t get luxury, but if you know what to expect, it can be a useful and practical loyalty program.
Free Spirit has two elite status tiers: Silver and Gold. You earn status by collecting Status Qualifying Points (SQPs) through eligible spending on Spirit flights and extras, as well as purchases made with a co-branded credit card.
Here are the levels of status, requirements you’ll need to get to each level, and the benefits of each
The biggest benefit of holding a Free Spirit credit card is that your miles never expire. Once you cancel the card, your miles become subject to the standard 12-month expiration policy unless you have qualifying activity. Any earning or redeeming of miles counts, so flying Spirit or booking an award flight will reset your expiration clock for another 12 months.
