Page Contents<\/p>
- Timeline of Riyadh Air and the Sfeer Loyalty Program<\/a><\/li>
- What We Know About Riyadh Air\u2019s New Loyalty Program<\/a><\/li>
- Riyadh Air Is Growing Its Partnership Network<\/a>
- Delta Air Lines partnership<\/a><\/li>
- Virgin Atlantic partnership<\/a><\/li>
- Other collaborations and future plans<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Our Take<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n
Timeline of Riyadh Air and the Sfeer Loyalty Program<\/span><\/h2>\n
Riyadh Air was first announced in March 2023 as Saudi Arabia\u2019s new national airline, backed by the country\u2019s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The carrier aims to connect Riyadh with major global destinations and play a central role in Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 tourism strategy.<\/p>\n
More than two years later, on May 7, 2025, Riyadh Air revealed the first details of its upcoming loyalty program. In a press release, the airline confirmed the program\u2019s name \u2014 Sfeer \u2014 and announced a partnership with Loyalty Juggernaut<\/a>, the technology company that also powers Emirates Skywards and WestJet Rewards.<\/p>\n
In the months that followed, Riyadh Air gradually shared more information on its website, opening pre-registration for early members known as \u201cFounders.\u201d Finally, on October 26, 2025, the airline operated its inaugural flight to London Heathrow.<\/p>\n
![\"sfeer](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\")
Credit: Riyadh Air<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n What We Know About Riyadh Air\u2019s New Loyalty Program<\/span><\/h2>\n
Riyadh Air\u2019s loyalty program is called “Sfeer”, a name derived from the Arabic word Safir, meaning \u201cambassador.\u201d The program is built to be “digital-first”, focusing on real-time engagement, AI-driven personalization, and a “seamless mobile-first experience.”<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what we know so far about what Sfeer will offer:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Dynamic earning and redemption:<\/strong> Riyadh Air describes Sfeer as offering \u201cdynamic earn and redemption opportunities,\u201d suggesting that award prices will fluctuate with the cash cost of flights \u2014 similar to models used by Southwest Rapid Rewards<\/a> or JetBlue TrueBlue<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Spend-based elite status:<\/strong> Members will earn Level Points based on annual spend (from January 1 through December 31). These Level Points will determine elite status tiers, though specific thresholds haven\u2019t yet been published.<\/li>\n
- Community-centric features:<\/strong> The program will allow members to share points, benefits, and even qualifying spend with family and friends.<\/li>\n
- No points expiration:<\/strong> Riyadh Air has confirmed that Sfeer points will not expire.<\/li>\n
- Gamified engagement:<\/strong> Riyadh Air plans to include challenges and achievements to reward frequent interaction within the app and website.<\/li>\n
- Free onboard Wi-Fi:<\/strong> The Sfeer website mentions that members will receive complimentary Wi-Fi access.<\/li>\n
- Founder status for early members:<\/strong> Travelers who pre-register are designated as \u201cFounders\u201d and will receive early access to flight bookings and other introductory benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
While we don\u2019t yet know the full details \u2014 like exact elite-tier thresholds, partner earning rates, or non-flight redemption options \u2014 Riyadh Air has described Sfeer as \u201ca community built around travelers,\u201d suggesting the program will expand to include partnerships with hotels, car rentals, and retailers in the future.<\/p>\n
- Spend-based elite status:<\/strong> Members will earn Level Points based on annual spend (from January 1 through December 31). These Level Points will determine elite status tiers, though specific thresholds haven\u2019t yet been published.<\/li>\n
- Virgin Atlantic partnership<\/a><\/li>
- What We Know About Riyadh Air\u2019s New Loyalty Program<\/a><\/li>
![\"sfeer](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-10-20-at-3.11.49-PM.png\")