Frontier Airlines’ Credit Card Can Help You Earn a Companion Pass. But Is It Worth It?

In May, Frontier Airlines announced a new benefit for its members with Platinum and Diamond elite status: an unlimited, fly-anywhere companion pass. With this benefit, you can bring a companion with you on every flight for free (aside from fees and taxes). See how Frontier Airlines’ credit card can help you earn this perk and whether it’s actually worth it. A New Benefit for Frontier Elites: Free Companion Travel Frontier Airlines’ new companion travel perk for Elite Platinum and Diamond members, which are the top two tiers of its four-tier loyalty program, can purchase airfare for themselves and bring a companion for free (except for government fees and taxes, which start at $5.60 one way. But the companion must have a Frontier Miles account to use this benefit. [Read: Best Airline Credit Cards.] How Companion Travel Works With Frontier Airlines To use the companion travel benefit, you’ll need to have Elite Platinum or Diamond status with Frontier, which you can earn on flights and extras booked through the airline. You can also earn status through spending on your Frontier Airlines World Mastercard®. You can use the companion travel benefit on all flights except for those booked through the GoWild pass program. Your companion can be any Frontier Miles member, and you don’t have to stick with the same person to use the benefit. To add a companion to your fare, you’ll book the flight as normal on Frontier’s website, adding your companion and their Frontier Miles account number at the time of purchase. Your ticket will be full price, and your companion’s will be free aside from government fees and taxes. Make sure to book your companion’s seat when you book yours — the benefit cannot be applied later. How to Earn Frontier Companion Travel You can get a companion pass by reaching Elite Platinum status with Frontier, which you get after earning 50,000 elite status points. At 100,000 points, you’ll achieve Elite Diamond status. You earn 10 points and miles for every dollar you spend at Frontier as a Frontier Miles member. When you reach elite status tiers, you’ll earn bigger points and miles multipliers: — Silver: 12 per dollar — Gold: 14 per dollar — Platinum: 16 per dollar — Diamond: 20 per dollar You can also earn one elite status point for every dollar spent on your Frontier Airlines World Mastercard, which has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, $99 after that and a variable annual percentage rate of 20.24% to 29.99%. New card members get instant Elite Gold status after their first purchase within the first 90 days from account opening. You must also spend $3,000 in purchases within the first 90 days from account opening to be able to keep Elite Gold status for 12 months from account opening. [Read: Best Rewards Credit Cards.] How Frontier’s Companion Pass Benefit Compares Frontier’s loyalty benefit is poised to compete against other airlines, like Southwest, that also offer a co-branded card and a companion travel perk. One group that may appreciate Frontier’s flexible benefit is families. “The Frontier Airlines companion pass is an incredible opportunity for families, since you can designate a different companion on every single flight,” says Ed Pizzarello, host of a points-and-miles podcast called Miles to Go. “It’s easy to see how Frontier Platinum and Diamond members can get a ton of value from this new benefit,” he says. Unlike Frontier’s unlimited benefit, Southwest’s perk requires you to designate a particular person to be your companion, although you can change it up to three times each calendar year. With Delta, eligible cardholders receive a single one-time-use certificate after each card renewal, and they can only use it on a round-trip flight with specific fare classes and destinations. Frontier’s Elite Platinum members also receive a free carry-on bag, a free checked bag and free seat assignments and upgrades. That means you won’t have to pay additional fees for those services as you would with other airlines. Here’s a quick breakdown of how companion travel works for other airlines. Southwest Companion Pass: Earn by flying 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. You must designate your companion ahead of time and can change them up to three times each calendar year. Delta Companion Certificate: Receive one companion certificate, good for one round-trip flight, each year after card renewal. Only available to those with the following American Express cards: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card. Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare: Purchase one companion fare from $122 (includes $99 base fare plus taxes and fees from $23 depending on your flight itinerary) per cardholder year. Only available to those with a Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit Card or Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business Visa Card. Cardholders will also need to spend $6,000 or more on purchases within an anniversary year. In comparison, Frontier companion travel is available to Elite Platinum and Diamond members regardless of whether they hold the Frontier Mastercard. You can use the benefit as often as you want, as long as you maintain your status. [Read: Best Credit Cards.] Should You Get the Frontier Mastercard to Help You Earn the Companion Pass? If you frequently fly Frontier and don’t mind paying the $99 annual fee after the first year, it could be worth picking up the card to earn the welcome bonus and instant Elite Gold status. But you don’t need to have the Frontier Mastercard to earn Elite Platinum status and the companion pass. You’ll need to earn 50,000 elite status points to earn Elite Platinum status, which works out to $50,000 in spending in a calendar year (without paid Frontier flights, which earn a points bonus). However, since the companion pass is only valid on Frontier itineraries, you won’t see much value unless you’re a regular Frontier customer. Bobbi Rebell, a certified financial planner and founder of Financial Wellness Strategies, advises consumers to think carefully before applying for a travel credit card. “Travel cards can be very tempting, and for good reason — many of them offer fantastic perks. If you travel a lot with family or friends, it can make a lot of sense to look for cards that offer a companion pass as a perk. But if you aren’t a big traveler or you always travel solo, that should not be a priority,” she says. “Before signing up for a new credit card, think about what you already have and review what perks are available. You may not be using some of them. Card companies often change their perks, and there may be new ones that you can work into the spending you are already doing,” says Rebell. More from U.S. News How to Downgrade a Credit Card Without Losing Rewards 11 Lesser-Known Credit Card Tricks to Start Using Now 7 Stress-Free Ways to Maximize Credit Card Rewards Frontier Airlines’ Credit Card Can Help You Earn a Companion Pass. But Is It Worth It? originally appeared on usnews.com Source