Ultimate guide to Frontier Miles: How to earn and redeem miles, elite status and more

With its discount fares and robust frequent flyer program, Frontier Miles can offer great value for frequent Frontier Airlines travelers.As a Frontier Miles member, you can earn miles and elite status. Frontier elite status offers multiple perks to make your travels more enjoyable and less expensive, including complimentary luggage, priority boarding and the ability to pool your miles. You can then redeem your miles for award travel.Here’s an overview of how the program works.How to earn Frontier points and milesThe interior of a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo. DAVID SLOTNICK/THE POINTS GUYThe Frontier Miles program is free to join. It offers two types of rewards: miles, which are redeemable for award flights, and elite status points, which are used to reach elite status tiers and get perks like free bags and seat selection.Let’s take a look at the many ways to earn Frontier miles and elite status points, such as by making eligible Frontier purchases, spending on the carrier’s cobranded credit card and making transactions with Frontier’s partners.Earn points and miles on eligible Frontier purchasesUnder its revenue-based mileage accrual system, Frontier Miles allows you to earn based on the dollar amount of your ticket plus any additional products you purchase (including bags, seat assignments and bundles of optional services).Earning rates on purchases vary depending on your status. Members earn at the starting rate of 10 miles and 10 points per dollar spent, and earning rates go up to as many as 20 miles and 20 points for every dollar spent at the highest tier (Elite Diamond).Tier names, qualification levels and points and miles multipliers are as follows:TierQualificationMultiplier  Member (no status)After enrollment10 miles and points per dollar spentElite Silver10,000 points12 miles and points per dollar spentElite Gold20,000 points14 miles and points per dollar spentElite Platinum50,000 points16 miles and points per dollar spentElite Diamond100,000 points20 miles and points per dollar spentEarn redeemable miles and elite status points with the Frontier Airlines credit cardFrontier Airlines partners with Barclays to offer the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard®. New cardmembers earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening. They can also earn Elite Gold status after making their first purchase with the card in the first 90 days of opening their account.The information for the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.With this card, you’ll earn 5 miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Frontier (including airfare, fees and onboard purchases), 3 miles per dollar spent at restaurants and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. For each mile you earn with this card, you’ll also earn one point toward elite status.The card offers valuable benefits like Group 4 boarding on all Frontier flights, two free checked bags and family miles pooling. You can also earn a $100 flight voucher each account anniversary after spending $2,500 or more on purchases with your card during the card membership year.Unless you place a high value on Frontier Airlines miles and elite status, we generally don’t recommend this card. Most travelers are better off with a transferable points credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees).Related: Frontier Airlines World Mastercard vs. Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard: Which low-cost carrier card is best?Earn miles with Frontier’s partnersXAVIER LORENZO/GETTY IMAGESFrontier offers several more ways to earn miles, but keep in mind that these only earn miles, not points toward elite status.Frontier has relationships with several major rental car companies, so you can earn bonus miles and access negotiated rates when booking through Frontier’s partner page. While earning rates depend on the rental car company, you can generally earn between 50 and 100 miles per rental, per day or between 500 and 1,000 miles per rental.Frontier Miles also partners with Marriott Bonvoy and Wyndham Rewards. Marriott Bonvoy members can earn 1 to 2 Frontier miles per dollar spent at participating Marriott brands, and Wyndham Rewards members can also earn 1 to 2 Frontier miles per dollar spent at participating hotels, depending on their status.In both cases, you must update your hotel loyalty account preferences to earn Frontier miles instead of hotel points. We don’t recommend doing this since you’ll typically get a lower return with Frontier miles.For example, basic Bonvoy members earn 10 points per dollar spent at Autograph Collection hotels. According to TPG’s February 2026 valuations, which peg Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, that’s a return of 7%. Compare that to the 2 Frontier miles per dollar you would earn at Autograph Collection hotels, which provides only a 2.6% return.You also have the option to convert your hotel points to Frontier miles. Marriott points transfer to Frontier at a 3:1 ratio, while Wyndham points transfer to Frontier at a 5:1 ratio.These are not favorable ratios; you’re probably better off redeeming those points for hotel stays. However, it’s an option worth knowing about if you ever need to top off your Frontier Miles account for a redemption.Frontier has a few other partners to give you more options for earning miles. You can earn 10 miles per dollar spent when you order flowers from Teleflora. Or, you can book a cruise through Frontier Cruises and earn miles at a preset rate:One- to five-night cruises: 1,500 milesSix- to eight-night cruises: 3,000 milesNine- to 12-night cruises: 5,000 milesCruises 13 nights and longer: 10,000 milesThis may be a useful option for Frontier loyalists, but you can often earn more miles by booking through other cruise platforms.Lastly, you can buy Frontier miles at a rate of 2.5 cents per mile. This is considerably higher than TPG’s February 2026 valuation of 1.3 cents per Frontier mile, so we don’t advise it in most cases. However, if you’re planning a redemption and you’re short a few miles, it could make sense.Related: When does it make sense to buy points and miles?How to redeem Frontier milesYour carry-on bag and personal item must fit in Frontier’s sizers. CAROLINE TANNER/THE POINTS GUYThe airline publishes an award chart with starting award rates for flights, but there are a few added fees that you should be aware of before booking. Here’s a breakdown of the specifics.Frontier offers three different redemption tiers: Value, Standard and Last Seat.Value: This is the lowest redemption rate for all Frontier redemptions and can be compared to a saver ticket on a traditional carrier. These are generally offered on off-peak dates and less desirable flights, but we’ve found Value tickets on other dates and routes. These tickets start at 5,000 miles one-way plus taxes and fees.Standard: Standard awards are generally priced at twice the cost of a Value ticket, starting at 20,000 miles one-way plus taxes and fees. These awards are available on more (but not all) dates.Last Seat: As the name suggests, Last Seat awards are available until the last seat on the plane is booked. Unfortunately, these awards are only bookable by Frontier elite members and cost 2,500 more miles each way than Standard awards. This can be a good option if you’re booking at the last minute and paid fares are high.Here’s a look at Frontier’s current award chart, with starting award rates:Travel within the US and Puerto RicoAward travel typeValueStandardLast SeatTaxes and feesOne-way5,000 miles20,000 miles22,500 miles$5.60Round-trip10,000 miles40,000 miles45,000 miles$11.20To or from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, El Salvador, Guatemala, the Bahamas, Costa Rica and AntiguaAward travel typeValueStandardLast SeatTaxes and fees (vary by country)One-way15,000 miles25,000 miles27,500 miles$5.60 to $49.65Round-trip30,000 miles50,000 miles55,000 miles$55.50 to $168.70Redeem miles for add-onsYou can redeem miles for bundled features such as baggage, seats and other add-ons.Considering Frontier provides many add-on options — and how quickly the fees can stack up, even if you book your ticket with miles — being able to redeem miles for these items could be a great asset for Frontier Miles members.Redeeming your 5,000-mile Super Bowl weekend bonusIf you were lucky enough to catch Frontier’s Super Bowl weekend promotion (no longer available), you might be wondering how you can use your 5,000 miles. Fortunately, you can find one-way award flights on Frontier for as few as 5,000 miles, meaning you can use your entire bonus in one go.For example, you could fly between Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Denver International Airport (DEN) for just 5,000 miles one-way, plus $6 in taxes and fees.Alternatively, you could use your 5,000 miles to top off your account for a bigger redemption. If you’re eyeing a trip from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, you can get there on Frontier for 10,000 miles one-way, plus $5.60 in taxes and fees.With this Super Bowl weekend bonus in hand, you’re already halfway to snagging this redemption.Frontier’s Discount Den membershipELIZABETH PAGE BRUMLEY/LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE/GETTY IMAGESFrontier Airlines offers a membership program called Discount Den. While not the same as elite status, this program provides access to discounted fares for a $59.99 annual membership fee. New members must pay a $40 enrollment fee on top of the annual fee.On Kids Fly Free flights, one child under the age of 15 can fly free for every adult Discount Den fare purchased, offering excellent savings on certain routes.We’ve found that Discount Den can offer pretty good deals, too. On this one-way flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas, a Discount Den member would save $20 per ticket compared to the standard price.FRONTIER AIRLINESThese discounts also apply to international flights. For example, you can score $20 in savings per person when flying from Chicago to Cancun, Mexico.FRONTIER AIRLINESWe recommend that frequent Frontier flyers consider a Discount Den membership if they expect to get more than $59.99 annually in savings from the service. It’s easier to get value from a Discount Den membership when you travel with kids; a family of four may recoup the annual cost from just one family vacation a year.Frontier’s GoWild PassAL DRAGO/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGESFrontier Airlines also offers an all-you-can-fly pass called GoWild.You may find unexpectedly high fees and limited availability with this pass.You’ll generally get the most value from the pass by booking last-minute flights. For instance, when we searched in December for a flight from Chicago to Denver on Jan. 2, the pass provided $92 in savings compared to the standard fare. However, the same flight on Feb. 6 is actually more expensive if you hold a GoWild Pass.FLYFRONTIER.COMFRONTIER AIRLINESYou can currently choose a monthly pass for $0 for your first month (then $149 each month), a fall and winter pass for $299 or an annual pass for $349.In the past, Frontier has offered summer passes for $499 and annual passes for $599. You can find the latest GoWild Pass offers here.Frontier elite statusZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUYFrontier elite status underwent a major revamp in 2024.It added a new tier, Elite Silver, and renamed all its status tiers, now called Elite Gold (previously Elite 20K), Elite Platinum (previously Elite 50K) and Elite Diamond (previously Elite 100K). Aside from the addition of Elite Silver, which requires 10,000 points, the elite status point thresholds for Frontier’s new tiers mirror the program’s previous requirements.Aside from earning elite status through spending a certain amount, you can also get status with the cobranded Frontier credit card. Cardholders will earn instant Elite Gold status after making their first purchase on the card in the first 90 days after account opening.The airline has offered status-matching programs in the past, though none were available as of February 2026.Let’s look at each of these status tiers and their respective benefits.Elite Silver status:12 miles and elite status points earned per dollar spentNo change/cancellation fees (more than seven days before departure)Priority customer careFamily miles poolingStandard seat at bookingPreferred seat at check-inGroup 4 boarding (for everyone on booking)Elite Gold status (includes the same benefits as Silver, plus):14 miles and elite status points earned per dollar spentCarry-on bag (for only the member)Preferred seat at bookingPremium seat at check-inUpFront Plus (four hours before departure)Group 1 boardingElite Platinum status (includes the same benefits as Gold, plus):16 miles and elite status points earned per dollar spentCarry-on bag (for everyone on booking)First checked bag (for everyone on booking)Standard seat at booking (for everyone on booking)Standard seat at check-in (for everyone on booking)Preferred seat at check-in (for everyone on booking)Premium seat at check-in (for everyone on booking)Premium seat at bookingUpFront Plus (12 hours before departure)Group 1 boarding (for everyone on booking)Companion travelPet-in-cabin fee waiver50% off Discount Den membershipAbility to gift Elite Silver statusElite Diamond status (includes the same benefits as Platinum, plus):20 miles and elite status points earned per dollar spentRefundability (more than one day before departure)Two checked bags (for everyone on booking)Premium seat at booking (for everyone on booking)UpFront Plus (24 hours before departure)Preboarding (for everyone on booking)Discount Den membershipAbility to gift Elite Gold statusRecently added Frontier elite benefitsElite members enjoy complimentary upgrades on every flight, subject to availability and status level. These upgrades range from UpFront Plus seating with guaranteed empty middle seats to the carrier’s new premium first-class-style seating that will debut in 2026.Frontier also introduced a companion pass as a perk for top-tier Elite Platinum and Elite Diamond members in mid-2025. According to a press release, you can “bring a friend or family member on any flight with unmatched flexibility … with an unlimited number of bookings for anyone, on any flight.”Related: How to earn last-minute airline elite status — and whether or not it’s worth itBottom lineThe Frontier Miles loyalty program is worthwhile for those who fly on the airline often. Its award chart is easy to understand (compared to most airlines’ dynamic pricing models) and can provide excellent value if you avoid the pesky booking fees.Frontier Airlines elite status could also be beneficial for families and those who want to avoid fees when flying on the low-cost carrier.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.