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Just like any miles aficionado in the know, I have all of my accounts tracked with Award Wallet.  Walking to work the other day, AwardWallet pinged me, and I opened the app.  Read more to keep your Frontier miles active!

Expiration warning:  Frontier Airlines:  902 miles expiring in about 3 months.

I received three of those notifications from AwardWallet.  You see, my family flew down to Georgia in April for a week exploring Atlanta and the Okefenokee.  The trip was planned last minute, and had to be over my son’s April vacation, so I was at the mercy of the airlines when it came to pricing.  I usually try for more flexibility, just like Dan notes in his Traveler’s Triangle.

Frontier is one of the WORST frequent flyer programs out there if you ask me.  And despite all their awesome fare sales (check out this one from earlier in July), I still have a hard time finding any value in the Frontier EarlyReturns program.  Why, you ask?  For one reason, and one reason only.  Despite any other details of Frontier’s mileage system, all I need to know is their expiration policy.  Miles expire in 180 days, and that kills the whole program for me.

a group of penguins walking on a beach

Despite Frontier’s frequent fare sales, their program offers vary little value to all but the most frequent Frontier fliers.

Fly Frontier

This is the most obvious, and maybe even the easiest on Frontier.  Most of the time, there’s a much easier way to earn miles on an airline.  To keep your Frontier miles active though, it’s kind of tough.  If you’re flying with them though, no problem!  Remember Frontier uses a distance-based system, so you’ll earn miles based on the number of miles flown, not based on the price of your ticket like most current programs.

Spend some Money

…on the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard from Barclaycard.  This card will net you 5x Frontier miles on Frontier purchases, 3x miles on restaurant spend, and 1 mile per dollar everywhere else.  Every mile earned on the card counts as a qualifying mile for elite status with Frontier, something than no other airline card currently offers!

Rent a Car

Choose Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, or National,  All of these rental companies partner with Frontier and your mileage will vary with the kind of car booked, which company, and the rental rate.  You’ll also have the option to redeem Frontier miles with Alamo and National to book car rentals.  Keep in mind though, Frontier needs earning activity every 6 months to keep your Frontier miles active, so redeeming your miles for a car will not work to keep your miles active.

a car parked in a field of flowers

Use your Frontier number when booking a rental and keep those miles active!

Shop Online

But not through a dedicated Frontier Airlines shopping portal, like all the other airlines.  No, no…that would be far too easy!  Instead, you’ll earn with Teleflora or ThanksAgain.  You can haul in 10 Frontier Miles per $1 spent on purchases from Teleflora, but make sure you use the promotion code for the miles!  ThanksAgain rewards you for spending at their partners.  Although I’ve never used this one in particular, I often take advantage of programs like Ebates In-Store Cashback, airline dining programs, and Drop.  All of these programs link to your credit card number, and track any purchases mad with their partner merchants.

Stay a Night

Many hotel programs partner with airlines, instead of earning hotel points.  You can opt to earn frequent flyer miles with any of your hotel stays.  Currently, Frontier partners with Marriott, La Quinta, Radisson, and Wyndham.  Your mileage will vary depending on the category of your hotel and which brand it’s part of.

Book a Cruise

Frontier Cruises partners with some of the big names in the cruise industry to ensure you get a cut of all the commissions.  You can book with lines including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival, and you’ll earn Frontier Miles in direct correlation to the number of nights you book.  Earn 1,500 Miles for a cruise 1-5 nights in length, 3,000 Miles for 6-9 nights, 5,000 Miles for 9-12 nights, and 10,000 Miles for cruises over 12 nights in length.

Drink some Wine

Vinesse is also partnered with Frontier  to provide members with something to sip while they earn more miles.  Earn 10,000 Frontier Miles on your first order here, plus 4 miles for every $1 that’s spent with Vinesse.  Keep in mind that Vinesse is a subscription based service, and although the company claims you can “cancel with no hassles at any time” most of these subscription services make it tough on you to cancel in practice.

Buy More (or Transfer Some) Miles

Obviously you can buy some Frontier miles to top off your account.  Stop by Points.com to purchase more Frontier miles.  Currently you can buy between 1,000 and 25,000 Frontier miles at a time, for 2.5 cents per mile.  You can also use Points.com as the middle man between mileage currencies.  Swap some of your miles from another program into Frontier miles, though these rates aren’t often favorable.  This is the only option I think makes sense to keep my miles active, and even then, it’s a stretch…

Snag a Ride

Book your airport transportation with SuperShuttle for 50 Frontier Miles per ride.  Or earn 150 Frontier Miles per trip with ExecuCar.  If you’ve never ridden ExecuCar, think Uber or Lyft.  Only fancier.  And more complicated.  Be sure to include your Frontier Miles number when booking either of these services online.

a plane on the runway

Don’t forget to use up your miles after you keep them active!

One other thing that might help you keep your miles active:  Frontier offers family pooling, similar to JetBlue and others.  Here’s the catch…you either need the Frontier World Mastercard, or elite status with Frontier to “unlock” family pooling.  Unfortunately, I have no plans to open the card, or to reach elite status on Frontier.  Check out more information on earning Frontier Miles with their partners here.

Why can’t airlines make their currencies easy to keep and use?  Looking at you, Delta and JetBlue.  Thanks for not expiring guys!

Ever have your miles expire?  Let us know in the comments!


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