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The Different Ways To Earn Spirit Airlines Free Spirit Points

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The Different Tiers Of Spirit Airlines' Free Spirit Program

Free Spirit is the loyalty and points/mileage program of the US low-cost airline Spirit Airlines. This allows regular travelers with the airline to build up points, use these for free or reduced flights, and earn status to get benefits when traveling. As with most airline loyalty programs, there are also useful associated credit cards. Unlike the major legacy airlines, Spirit Airlines is not part of an airline alliance, leaving the program very much just for regular Spirit users.

Earning points on Spirit Airlines flights

The most obvious way to earn points is by flying with Spirit Airlines. This is the only airline where you can earn points – Spirit Airlines is not part of an alliance, and Free Spirit does not have any additional airline partners. This may change following the merger with JetBlue, but nothing has changed in the loyalty program yet.

Points are earned based on the total fare paid and your status with the Free Spirit program. These are earned on the ticket fare (not including taxes) and on any “A La Smarte” additional purchases (including luggage and paid seats). The earnings rates are as follows:

  • Standard member / no status: 6 points per dollar on fare, 12 points per dollar on A La Smarte purchases.
  • Silver member: 8 points per dollar on fare, 16 points per dollar on A La Smarte purchases.
  • Gold member: 10 points per dollar on fare, 20 points per dollar on A La Smarte purchases.
Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-231 N680NK
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Earning points through credit card spending

Picking up additional points from credit card use is increasingly common with many airline loyalty programs. Regular travelers with Spirit Airlines will be able to grow points balance faster with an associated credit card and also receive valuable benefits when booking and traveling with the airline.

Spirit Airlines offers two co-branded credit cards in partnership with Bank of America. These are only available to US residents. The Free Spirit Travel Mastercard has no fee, whereas the second card, the Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard, has an annual fee (currently $79) but offers more benefits and higher points earning rate on some purchases.

Both cards award Free Spirit points on all purchases, with additional bonuses for some categories. These could change, but are currently:

  • Free Spirit Travel Mastercard: Two points per dollar on Spirit Airline purchases and one point per dollar for all other spending.
  • Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard: Three points per dollar on Spirit Airline purchases, two points per dollar for all dining and grocery spending, and one point per dollar for all other spendings.

In addition, pay attention to card sign-up bonuses. New and first-time cardholders can often take advantage of a sign-up bonus of up to 60,000 points.

Spirit Airlines credit cards
Image: Spirit Airlines

Earning miles through hotels and car hire

There is a range of earning opportunities with other travel partners. Compared to other major US airline loyalty programs, options are fewer, though. In particular, there are no direct partnerships with any of the main hotel chains. Points can be earned by using the Free Spirit Mall for making bookings, however. This includes Marriott Bonvoy (at three points per dollar), Choice Hotels (one point per dollar and booking.com for wider hotel booking (at a rate of two points per dollar).

Car rental is a good way to pick up miles as Free Spirit offers points earning with most of the main companies (some other loyalty programs only offer with select preferred partners). With Avis and Budget, 500 points are awarded for all rentals over three days. With Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty, earnings are lower at 50 points per day and 500 for a rental of five days or more.

Earning miles through retail and dining

Again in common with most other US airline loyalty programs, Free Spirit has its own online shopping portal and a dining program. For online shopping, there is a shopping portal known as Free Spirit Mall. By following links from this portal to US online retailers, you can earn points when shopping. Rates vary (often one to five points per dollar spent).

Spirit Airlines shopping
Image: Spirit Airlines

Free Spirit Dining allows points to be earned based on the total spent at thousands of restaurants across the US. You simply register any credit card with the Dining program and will then earn miles when you spend there.

Earning opportunities are more limited with Free Spirit than with larger loyalty programs – with the major focus for most people likely to be on Spirit Airlines flights. Do you regularly collect points with Free Spirit? Feel free to discuss your experiences in the comments.