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Cheap, no frills, and barebones — these are the terms you will likely hear when you ask someone about Spirit Airlines. Indeed, Spirit Airlines is a budget-friendly carrier recognized for its low base fares and numerous add-on fees.
However, customers can find value in Spirit's loyalty program, Free Spirit, which allows members to earn points based on their spending with the airline. Here’s a breakdown of key details about earning and using points, achieving elite status, and making the most of the Free Spirit program.
Page Contents
Why Join Free Spirit
Spirit Airlines connects travelers to approximately 90 destinations across the U.S., Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. As a low-cost airline, Spirit offers reward flights starting at just 2,500 points. Free Spirit can be a decent program for frequent travelers within the Americas, especially those perfectly content with fewer frills on their journey.
Joining the program is free; you can register for the Spirit Airlines frequent flyer program here. And then add your Free Spirit account to your AwardWallet here.
How To Earn Free Spirit Points
Like other airline programs, the Free Spirit program has two different sets of points: Free Spirit Points and Free Spirit Status Qualifying Points (SQPs).
Free Spirit Points are the traditional frequent flier program currency that you can use to book free or nearly free travel. There are three main ways to earn these points:
- Flying on Spirit Airlines: Points are earned based on your ticket price and elite status tier. Standard members without elite status earn 6 points for every $1 spent on airfare and 12 points per $1 on À La Smarte extras, such as seats and baggage.
- Credit Card spend: For U.S. customers, Spirit offers two co-branded credit cards that earn Free Spirit Points — the Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard® and The Free Spirit® Travel More MasterCard®. Both earn Free Spirit points towards award travel on Spirit Airlines.
- Buying points outright. Spirit Airlines sells points you can use to book award travel outright — and sometimes with a discount or bonus. Purchasing points is an easy way to top off your account for an award redemption.
Spirit Airlines points expire if there is no activity in your account for 12 months, so you'll need to continue to earn or redeem points to keep them active.
Track your points and miles expiration for 630+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
The other type of points, Free Spirit Status Qualifying Points (SQPs), are the system through which members earn up to either Silver or Gold status. And, of course, each status tier comes with its own set of benefits, as we'll outline below.
Free Spirit Loyalty Program Member Tiers
The Free Spirit program includes three status tiers for members, determined entirely by the number of SQPs earned. All members earn one Status Qualifying Point for each dollar spent on fares and fare add-ons.
Free Spirit credit card holders can also bolster their SQP earnings based on card spending. For each $10 spent on the Spirit More Travel Mastercard, cardholders earn 1 Free Spirit Status Qualifying Point. There is no cap on the number of SQPs one can earn based on credit card spending. Thus, members could ensure they maintain top-tier Gold status based on credit card spending alone each year.
General member
Everyone starts with baseline member status. Members earn 6x points per dollar spent on fares and 12x points per dollar spent on what Spirit calls its À La Smarte options, which include checked bags and seat assignments.
Free Spirit Silver
Members who earn 2,000 SQPs with Spirit Airlines in a calendar year earn Free Spirit Silver status. Mid-tier status holders earn 8x points per dollar on fares and 16x points per dollar spent on À La Smarte options.
Free Spirit Silver members also enjoy free seat selection, as well as complimentary expedited security and same-day standby. Plus, Silver status holders can pool points with others toward redemptions and avoid close-in redemptions fees that regular members have to pay.
Free Spirit Gold
Spirit Airlines enthusiasts earning 5,000 SQPs in a calendar year are rewarded with Free Spirit Gold status. Gold members earn 10x points per dollar spent on fares and 20x points per dollar spent on options.
On top of all the Silver benefits, Gold members get a free carry-on and checked bag for each flight, group one boarding, and they can select standard or exit row seats for free. In addition to all this, Free Spirit Gold members are also treated to free inflight beverages, snacks, and Wi-Fi.
How To Redeem Free Spirit Points for Award Flights
Once Free Spirit members have accumulated points from flying, card spending, or buying points outright, it's time to put them to use! Members can book award travel on spirit.com by toggling the “Show Fares In Points” button.
Spirit Airlines prices awards dynamically, which means the number of points required will fluctuate alongside the price of the fare if you pay in cash. Moreover, Spirit's fares are now bundled with the cheapest awards offering nothing besides a seat on the flight and a personal item.
When booking with points, each bundle requires the same amount of Free Spirit points. Where each bundle differs is the out-of-pocket cash component.
On this example itinerary between Myrtle Beach (MYR) and Chicago (ORD), here's a breakdown of the cents per point (CPP) you'll unlock. Spoiler: each fare type will give you the same CPP.
| Bundle | Go | Go Savvy | Go Comfy | Go Big |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award Cost | 12k points + $0 | 12k points + $90 | 12k points + $145 | 12k points + $220 |
| Cost of the Ticket (If Paid Wholly in Cash) | $166 | $256 | $311 | $386 |
| Cents per Point | 1.38¢ | 1.38¢ | 1.38¢ | 1.38¢ |
Alternatively, Free Spirit members can also choose to split flight costs between points and cash. This could be useful for travelers looking to lighten their out-of-pocket costs yet lack big points balances. However, expect to get less for your points under this redemption option.
Enhance Your Spirit Airlines Experience With a Co-branded Credit Card
Spirit Airlines fans can boost their Free Spirit experience by holding a Spirit Airlines credit card. Specifically, the Free Spirit® Travel More MasterCard® packs a strong punch. Apart from the SQP earning potential, cardholders enjoy the following benefits:
Avid Spirit Airlines fliers should jump at the welcome offer: Earn 50,000 Bonus Points + a $100 Companion Flight Voucher when you apply online and after making at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. The annual fee is just $79 (waived for the first year).
Even if your travel plans don't envision you accumulating massive points balances, this credit card may still work in your favor. Cardholders can pool points with up to eight others for redemptions and cardholders' Free Spirit points never expire. This way, members who earn points at a slower pace won't have to worry about losing what they've already earned.
What Is Spirit Saver$ Club?
If you fly frequently with Spirit Airlines, you may want to consider the Spirit Saver$ Club, which is a separate paid membership for customers to access discounts. Membership costs $69.95 per year and includes the following benefits for the member and up to eight guests:
- Guaranteed lowest fares
- Discounts on bag fees
- Select seats at a discounted rate
- Discounted shortcut security
Students can also take advantage of a 20% savings in Saver$ Club membership.
Our Take
If Spirit flies where you want to fly, it could just be the airline for you. Free Spirit Gold status comes with a number of valuable perks to make a notoriously no-frills experience quite the opposite. Free bags, free exit row seats, free snacks and drinks, and free trip modifications flesh out the flying experience.
Plus, redemptions start at just 2,500 for a one-way trip or 1,000 points plus cash for the same. This lets travelers reap the rewards from the Free Spirit program very quickly.
Even if you don't fly Spirit Airlines very often, this is still a program that you shouldn't overlook.
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