AAdvantage, American’s loyalty program, scored 87.63 points out of 100, finishing second globally behind Flying Blue, the loyalty program of KLM-Air France....
AAdvantage, American’s loyalty program, scored 87.63 points out of 100, finishing second globally behind Flying Blue, the loyalty program of KLM-Air France. American, which operates a megahub atAirline loyalty programs have emerged as a way for frequent flyers to be rewarded for repeated trips with perks like free flights and upgrades.
Flyers can also typically earn points through everyday activities like dining and shopping. They are also a lucrative profit center for airlines as customers are incentivized to spend on credit cards in exchange for flying perks. American Airlines had $6.4 billion in revenue from its AAdvantage program in 2024, including a new 10-year deal with Citi.“Loyalty programs are an umbrella nowadays,” Tiffany Funk, co-founder and president of Point.me, said. “One side of the program are frequent flyer benefits but the reward side is really a separate side of the business. And this report looks at the reward side, it looks at what matters for your everyday transactions, for the choices you’re making.”’ Rapid Rewards program received just 62.55 points and was ranked 13th best globally and 6th best in North America, behind notable competitors’ loyalty programs like American, Alaska, United, and JetBlue.To compile the rankings Point.me independently evaluated 59 airline loyalty programs using data from 22 million annual searches and 500 million search results, the company said. Each program could earn a maximum of 100 points based on the following factors:Funk said American’s race up the rankings could be attributed to the ability for customers with the airline’s co-branded Citi Bank credit cards to receive added benefits.“They have now made it possible that if you have any Citi ThankYou points, you can transfer those points into AAdvantage,” said Funk. “So that means if you have these Citi Strata cards, Citi Strata Premier or the rewards plus , or other cards that let you earn two, three, four times points per dollar based off what you’re spending, you can then later move those points to AAdvantage.”Meanwhile, Southwest lagged in the rankings, according to Funk, because of three things. “The ease of earning miles with Southwest is great,” Funk said. “Their redemption rates are only average...there’s no good or bad deal with you Southwest points. They also don’t have any partners. Unlike all of these other programs, Southwest has always taken the very independent .” She also pointed to a dip in quality following last year’s activist investor battle and changes at the company.“And, the customer service quality at Southwest has gone very downhill in the past 18 months with the takeover by Elliott, the’ve gone from like they have great customer service and now it’s average at best,” Funk said. “A lot of those customer-friendly policies, that great brand reputation that’s been built up over a couple generations is being de-prioritized.”Rapid Rewards members would receive free Wi-Fi on all flights starting next month. That perk is also offered by American for members of its loyalty program.Jordan Parker is the aviation beat reporter for The Dallas Morning News. Prior to joining the newsroom in August 2025, he spent three years at the San Francisco Chronicle as a breaking news reporter covering everything from crime to protests to natural disasters. He graduated from Sacramento State University, where he studied journalism, in 2022.State champions Celina and Gunter face off in marquee Texas high school football showdown
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