10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. All values of Membership Rewards are assigned based on the assumption, experience and opinions of the 10xTravel team and represent an estimate and not an actual value of points. Estimated value is not a fixed value and may not be the typical value enjoyed by card members.
Spirit Airlines stands among the ranks of other American budget airlines, such as Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines. Its main selling point is the number of Caribbean, South and Central American, and domestic destinations it flies to for ultra-cheap base prices.
Despite being a budget airline, Spirit boasts its own frequent-flyer rewards program—Free Spirit—as well as a co-branded credit card issued by Bank of America.
While Free Spirit may not compete with the likes of major carriers’ frequent-flyer programs, such as United MileagePlus or American Airlines AAdvantage, it still offers the opportunity to rack up a number of points and redeem them for award fares starting at as little as 2,500 points per direction.
Let’s dive into the Free Spirit rewards program to see if it’s worth your interest.
Free Spirit Rewards Program: Overview
The Free Spirit frequent-flyer program enables you to earn Free Spirit points and Status Qualifying Points (SQPs) on every dollar spent with the airline and its partners.
While Spirit doesn’t have any airline partners, it has agreements with car rental agencies and other companies that allow you to earn Free Spirit points on your expenditure with them.
You can redeem your Free Spirit points for cheap award flights with Spirit while your SQPs get you closer to achieving elite status within the Free Spirit rewards program.
What is Spirit Saver$ Club?
If you fly frequently with Spirit, it can make sense to consider a Spirit Saver$ Club membership.
Spirit Saver$ Club is a separate program from the Free Spirit rewards program, offering paid memberships in exchange for discounts on a variety of Spirit Airlines’ products, including:
- Discounts on airfare—for both cash and award bookings
- Discounts on À La Smarte purchases
- Discounts on seats and baggage, for up to eight companions traveling on the same reservation
- Promotional offers with Spirit’s partners
The standard fee for Spirit Saver$ Club membership is $69.95 per year, although you can sometimes find promotional pricing and membership discounts.
If you fly frequently with Spirit, you could easily offset this fee in a single booking, particularly if you select seats and purchase additional baggage. Members can also get reduced rates on award bookings, meaning your redemptions will have a higher cents-per-point value.
Free Spirit Elite Status Tiers
Spirit Airlines offers three tiers of elite status: Free Spirit, Silver and Gold.
Each status tier unlocks new perks and enables you to earn more points per dollar spent on base fares and Á La Smarte purchases. Your status will last for the remainder of the calendar year you earned it as well as for the next whole calendar year.
However, while elite status undoubtedly benefits frequent flyers with Spirit Airlines, many of the additional perks offered—such as a complimentary in-flight beverage and snack and a free carry-on bag—are given by other airlines to those without elite status.
That said, when compared to other budget airlines, such as Allegiant Air, these perks do offer value.
Here’s an overview of Spirit Airlines’ status tiers, their benefits and how to reach each status tier:
| Status tier | Requirements | Base fare points multiplier | Á La Smarte points multiplier | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Spirit | Sign up for the Free Spirit rewards program | 6X points per dollar spent | 12X points per dollar spent | • Ability to earn and redeem points |
| Silver | Earn 2,000 SQPs or spend $20,000 on the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard®. | 8X points per dollar spent | 16X points per dollar spent | • Expedited security screening • Priority boarding • Priority check-in (subject to availability) • Same-day standby • Complimentary seat selection at check-in • Exit row seat selection prior to boarding |
| Gold | Earn 5,000 SQPs or spend $50,000 on the Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard. | 10X points per dollar spent | 20X points per dollar spent | • Silver status perks • Free first checked and carry-on bag • Standard seat selection at booking (including exit rows) • Priority check-in (subject to availability) • Free onboard snack and beverage • Wi-Fi streaming (subject to availability) |
Free Spirit Status
Free Spirit status is Spirit Airlines’ lowest status tier.
Anyone can obtain Free Spirit status by simply signing up for the Free Spirit rewards program.
As a Free Spirit member, you’ll be able to earn Free Spirit points and Status Qualifying Points (SQPs), as well as redeem them for either award flights or point + cash bookings.
Free Spirit members earn 6X points per dollar spent on base fares and 12X points per dollar spent on Á La Smarte purchases.
That means a $400 flight would earn you 2,400 Free Spirit points.
Silver Status
Silver status is Spirit Airlines’ second tier of elite status.
To reach Silver elite status, you need to earn 2,000 SQPs, either by spending $2,000 on Spirit Airlines flights or $20,000 on the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard®.
Silver status members earn 8X points per dollar spent on base fares and 16X points per dollar spent on Á La Smarte purchases. So a $400 flight would earn you 3,200 Free Spirit points.
Silver members enjoy additional benefits when flying with Spirit, including free expedited security screening, priority boarding, priority check-in (subject to availability), same-day standby, complimentary seat selection at check-in and exit row seat selection prior to boarding.
Silver members also have the ability to pool their points with up to eight friends or family members, enabling you to rack up your points balance faster.
Gold Status
Gold status is Spirit Airlines’ highest tier of elite status.
To reach Gold status, you need to earn 5,000 SQPs, either by spending $5,000 on flights or $50,000 on the Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard.
As a Gold member, you’ll earn 10X points per dollar spent on base fares and 20X points per dollar spent on Á La Smarte purchases. So a $400 flight would earn you 4,000 Free Spirit points.
In addition to benefits enjoyed by Silver status members, Gold members also receive a free first checked and carry-on bag, standard seat selection at booking (including exit rows), priority check-in (subject to availability), a free onboard snack and beverage and Wi-Fi streaming (subject to availability), among other benefits.
How to Earn Free Spirit Rewards Points
There are a number of ways that you can earn Free Spirit rewards points, some more lucrative than others.
Let’s check them out.
Spend and Fly with Spirit Airlines
One of the best ways to earn Free Spirit rewards points is by booking airfare and flying with Spirit Airlines.
Unlike other airlines with which you earn points (or miles) based on the distance flown, Spirit Airlines awards you points based purely on the amount you spend.
Depending on your status, you’ll earn between 6X and 10X points per dollar spent on airfare purchased with Spirit Airlines.
So, if you spent $500 on flights with Spirit, you’d earn between 3,000 and 5,000 Free Spirit points.
Once you reach Silver status with Spirit, you’ll also be able to pool your Free Spirit points with up to eight friends or family members, enabling you to boost your points balance even faster for larger redemptions.
Spend on À La Smarte Purchases
Just like with airfare purchases, you’ll earn points on every dollar spent on extras, such as baggage and seat assignment fees, known as “À La Smarte” options.
Depending on your status level, you can earn between 12X and 20X points per dollar spent on À La Smarte purchases. So if you paid $37 for an extra bag, you’d earn between 444 and 740 Free Spirit points—a competitive rate of return.
If you fly often enough with Spirit and always check a bag or select a seat, these earnings can add up quickly.
Apply for a Co-Branded Spirit Airlines Credit Card
The Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard®, co-issued by Bank of America, allows you to earn Free Spirit points on a variety of purchases, as well as enjoy exclusive cardholder perks.
The card offers the following earnings rates:
- 3X points on eligible Spirit purchases
- 2X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases
- 1X points on all other purchases
This makes it easy to earn Free Spirit points on your everyday spending.
The card also comes with a welcome offer that can go as high as 50,000 bonus points, as well as include companion flight vouchers, for a minimum spend of around $1,000 in the first 90 days of card membership.
Additional cardholder perks include:
- Two free checked bags on eligible bookings made with the card
- A $100 Companion Flight Voucher each anniversary after making at least $5,000 in purchases within the prior anniversary year
- Group 2 Priority Boarding on all flights, plus a 25% rebate on all in-flight food and beverage purchases when you pay with your card
- Ability to pool points, regardless of status
For an annual fee of $79, which is waived in your first year of card membership, the Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard could be a solid choice for frequent flyers with Spirit.
Likewise, your points won’t expire as long as you put regular spending on your card.
Spend with Spirit’s Partners
Spirit Airlines works with a variety of partners, enabling you to earn Free Spirit points on all types of spending.
You can find its comprehensive list of the most up-to-date partners and offers here.
As of the time of writing, Spirit offers the following partner discounts and earning opportunities (terms and conditions apply):
- Up to 35% off with Avis plus 500 bonus Free Spirit points
- Complimentary Spirit Club Level with the Broward Center for Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale (including benefits such as complimentary valet parking, private lounge access, premium dining options, unlimited beverages at the open bar and premium seating)
- Up to 30% off with Budget plus 500 bonus Free Spirit points
- Bonus of 250 Free Spirit points for every stay with a Choice Privileges hotel in the United States, Europe, Caribbean, Mexico or Australia
- 50 points per day on Dollar Car Rentals of one to four days and 500 points per transaction for rentals of five or more days (fee of $0.75 applies per day to earn Free Spirit points)
- Earn Free Spirit points by completing surveys with Points for Thoughts.
- Up to 5% off Payless car rentals in the U.S. and Canada, plus earn 50 points per rental day
- Earn 25,000 bonus points when you buy or refinance your home through Rocket Mortgage.
- Complimentary Ticket Club membership, plus $10 off your first purchase
- Up to 10,000 points on cruises booked with Free Spirit Cruises
- Sign up to Free Spirit Dining and dine within the first 30 days to earn 500 Free Spirit points. You can earn up to 5X points per dollar spent through the Free Spirit Dining program.
Purchase Spirit Points
Your last option for building up your balance of Free Spirit points is to purchase them. This is also the least desirable option, as they generally cost 2.5 cents apiece with a much lower redemption value.
Unless you’re a few points short of an amazing redemption opportunity and can buy points during a promotional sale, you’re better off avoiding this option altogether.
How to Redeem Free Spirit Points
Once you’ve built up a stash of Free Spirit points, it’s time to put them to good use.
Let’s see what your options are.
Award Flights
The number one way to use your Free Spirit points is to book award flights.
You can choose between a variety of fare types that have different inclusions, such as baggage, seat selection, Wi-Fi and more.
Spirit uses dynamic pricing for its award flights, with fares starting at 2,500 points per direction (plus taxes and fees). Depending on when you book, you can save thousands of points.
For instance, you could save at least 4,000 Free Spirit points on a flight to Newark (EWR) from Orlando (MCO) by simply booking your flight in the following week.
Therefore, having flexibility with your travel dates is key to squeezing the most value out of your Free Spirit points. The lower the points requirement compared to the equivalent cash cost of the fare, the more value you’ll squeeze out of your points.
Points + Cash Bookings
Free Spirit also allows you to combine your points with cash when booking fares.
Generally speaking, you won’t get as good a value for your points on points and cash bookings compared to booking solely with points. That said, if you aren’t worried about maximizing the value of your points on every redemption, it’s still a good way to cut the cash cost of airfare.
Here’s an example award booking to demonstrate. Below, you’ll see the rates for a points and cash booking for Orlando to Newark.
And in the image below, you have the cash fares for the same flights.
To work out if a redemption is worth making, you can calculate the cents per point value. A basic Go fare could cost you $69 or 2,400 points plus $53. That means your 2,400 points have a value of 0.6 cents per point when redeemed like this (69 – 53 / 2,400), a suboptimal rate.
Compare this to the number of points required to book the same flight solely using points
If you booked the flight for 6,000 points, you’d get a redemption value of 1.6 cents per point (69 / 6,000).
That doesn’t mean you should avoid points and cash combined bookings, but do the math first to check that you’re getting a redemption rate you’re happy with.
Final Thoughts
If cheap award fares across the U.S., South and Central America and the Caribbean sound like a good deal, the Free Spirit rewards program may have something to offer you. It’s free to sign up and easy to earn and redeem your points, making it a no-brainer if you ever fly Spirit.
And while it may not have the glamorous perks of heavyweight frequent-flyer programs, it can still help you save a significant amount of cash on flights. If you manage to rack up status and open a co-branded Free Spirit credit card, you’ll reap even more value from the program.
New to the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to start with.
With a bonus of 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. , 5x points on travel booked through the Chase TravelSM Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. All values of Membership Rewards are assigned based on the assumption, experience and opinions of the 10xTravel team and represent an estimate and not an actual value of points. Estimated value is not a fixed value and may not be the typical value enjoyed by card members.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
bonus cash back
after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
miles
once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
bonus points
after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
