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Traveling for free is ideal for anyone looking to see the world. And going with a no-frills flight experience like Frontier Airlines can help you accomplish your travel goals for even less. But even on a budget airline like Frontier, the prices can sometimes skyrocket, which can be frustrating.
But where there is a problem, there can be a solution — and that solution is to book your flights using credit card points or miles. In this Frontier Airlines World MasterCard® review, we’ll go over all the details of this credit card and how you can use it to fly for free on Frontier Airlines.
Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
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Frontier Airlines World MasterCard®
Current Offer
Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in the first 90 days
Annual Fee
$99
Rewards Rate
5X miles on purchases on Flyfrontier.com, 3X miles on restaurant purchases, and 1X miles on all other purchases
Who should get the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard?
The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard can be great for families due to the “family pooling” feature. With this feature, you can create a group of up to eight people who are allowed to exchange and share Frontier Airlines miles with no additional fees. All the group members must be Frontier Miles members, but you get to decide who makes up your “family” of eight. These people can be friends, coworkers, roommates; you name it.
In addition, this card is one of the best airline credit cards for people who live near airports that offer a decent amount of Frontier flights. Frontier Airlines currently operates in 81 airports around the U.S. and six internationally. Their hub is in Denver, with focus cities in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Trenton. If you're based in any of these cities, this card could be a great choice.
Lastly, this travel card is optimal for someone who doesn’t mind flying with a low-cost carrier. It is widely known that while low-cost airlines offer low fares, their fees for bags, assigned seats, and other things can end up high. So if you aren’t particular about where you sit and travel light (or you are okay with paying those additional fees), this airline and credit card can serve you well.
Card basics
| Card type | Travel |
| Credit card issuer | Barclays |
| Credit card network | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $99 |
| Intro bonus | Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in the first 90 days |
| Reward rate | 5X miles on purchases on Flyfrontier.com, 3X miles on restaurant purchases, and 1X miles on all other purchases |
| Recommended credit score | Excellent, Good |
| Intro APR on balance transfers | 0% for 15 billing cycles (on balance transfers that post within 45 days of account opening), then 20.74% to 29.99% (variable) |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Frontier Airlines World Mastercard benefits and perks
- Generous welcome offer: If you are approved for the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard, you will be able to earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in the first 90 days. Depending on when and where you travel, the 50,000 miles could be worth a round-trip flight.
- Flight voucher: You can unlock a $100 flight voucher every account anniversary after spending $2,500 or more on purchases with your card during your cardmembership year. However, the voucher expires 180 days after it is issued, so you’ll need to stay on top of using it to cash in on this benefit.
- Priority boarding: To ensure you have extra time to get comfortable and find room for your carry-on bags, cardholders are granted Zone 2 boarding when flying Frontier. Zone 2 passengers board after military passengers, elite status members, passengers with disabilities, passengers with children under the age of 5, and Zone 1 passengers — but before everybody else.
- Award redemption fee waiver: When you book an award flight with Frontier Miles, you could potentially incur up to a $75 redemption fee. But when you use the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard to pay the normal taxes and fees associated with this award ticket, you can get the redemption fee waived.
- Earn toward Elite Status: Earn one qualifying mile with every $1 spent on purchases or by flying Frontier.
- No foreign transaction fees: If you are outside of the United States, you will not incur any foreign transaction fees on your purchases. This makes this card a good fit for global travelers.
- Credit score access: This card offers complimentary access to your FICO® credit score.
Drawbacks to the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard
- Limited rewards flexibility: If you aren’t loyal to Frontier, this card won’t make sense for you. If you don’t want to be locked into one airline, a general travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card may be more fitting for your lifestyle.
- Balance transfer fee: This card has a balance transfer fee of $5 or 5%, whichever is greater.
- Miles expire: If your account has no activity for 180 consecutive days, you will lose your miles. It's possible to get them reinstated for a fee, which varies based on how many miles you lost.
Earning & redeeming Frontier Miles
Potential earnings in years one and two
Here's a look at how your points can add up with the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard rewards program. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1.1 cents apiece.
Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.
Year one earnings: $1,159
Year two earnings: $674
These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which takes a look at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.
Note that these values account for general travel spending online, not Flyfrontier.com purchases. If you're a loyal Frontier customer and you use your card to book your flights, you're likely to see a much larger return on your spending.
Best ways to earn
If you plan on regularly flying with Frontier Airlines, the best way to earn miles is to use the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard for your spending. When you make Flyfrontier.com purchases, you will earn 5X per dollar. You will earn Frontier miles on all purchases made by any authorized users on your account as well.
Additionally, you can take advantage of Frontier’s Family Pooling program. With this, you can join a group of up to eight people total to exchange and share Frontier Airlines miles with no fees attached.
| Categories | Rewards rate |
| Flyfrontier.com purchases | 5X per dollar |
| Restaurants | 3X per dollar |
| All other purchases | 1X per dollar |
Maximizing your redemptions
Frontier Airlines works on a static award chart when it comes to how much your flight will be when you’re paying in miles. This means, unlike some other airlines, the number of miles it takes to book a flight stays the same despite the time of year or popularity of a route. This is a great advantage to you, the traveler, as you will always know exactly how many miles you need to save up to book a particular flight.
| Minimum award redemption miles required (as of Nov. 2022) | ||||
| Award travel type | Value | Standard | Last seat (elite only) | Taxes and fees starting from |
| One way within U.S. and Puerto Rico | 10,000 miles | 20,000 miles | 22,500 miles | $5.60 |
| Round trip within U.S. and Puerto Rico | 20,000 miles | 40,000 miles | 45,000 miles | $11.20 |
| One way to/from Mexico | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $33.70 |
| Round trip to/from Mexico | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $80.20 |
| One way to/from Dominican Republic | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $36.90 |
| Round trip to/from Dominican Republic | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $105.70 |
| One way to/from Jamaica | 15,000 miles | 25,000 miles | 27,500 miles | $49.60 |
| Round trip to/from Jamaica | 30,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 55,000 miles | $135.87 |
Frontier Airlines World Mastercard partners
Frontier has 16 partners that allow you to earn and use your miles. None are airline partners, but there are still opportunities to earn and spend Frontier miles. They include:
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Frontier Airlines World Mastercard FAQs
Is the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard worth it?
The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard is worth it if you fly Frontier even only a few times per year and do not mind flying on a budget airline. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure you can take advantage of the card’s benefits to offset the annual fee. Living near an airport serviced by Frontier might make it even more appealing of a card as well.
Is Frontier Airlines part of Star Alliance?
No, Frontier is not part of any airline alliances like Oneworld or Star Alliance. This means miles earned aren’t transferable or usable for booking across a number of airlines like Delta or Alaska airlines, but the airline has 16 partners that can help you earn miles.
Do you get free bags with the Frontier Airlines credit card?
No, you do not get free bags with the Frontier Airlines credit card. However, there are other ways to get your Frontier baggage fees waived. If you like to fly low-cost airlines and are interested in a travel rewards credit card that comes with free checked bags, consider a different airline and credit card, like Southwest and the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card. Learn more about how Frontier baggage fees work.
Do Frontier Miles expire?
If your account has no accrual activity for 180 consecutive days, you will lose your miles. However, you can get them reinstated for a fee. The fee varies based on how many miles you lost.
Can I give my Frontier Miles to someone else?
Yes, you can give your Frontier Miles to someone else. Frontier Airlines has a unique program called “family pooling.” You can create a “family” consisting of up to eight people to share your Frontier miles; these people don’t have to actually be related. Then, you can gift your miles to someone else within this group. Whether they need 100 miles or 100,000, there is no limit to what you can give others within your “family,” and there are no fees attached.
Other cards to consider
If the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard does not fit your needs, there are other good credit cards to consider.
If you like the idea of flying economically on budget airlines, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card might be a good fit for you. Southwest is famous for its outstanding customer service and baggage policy, so this card may be a better investment than the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard. With this card, you can earn 2X points on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners; on local transit and commuting, including rideshare; and on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming; plus 1X points on all other purchases. Once you are approved, the welcome bonus offers you a chance to earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening.
If being loyal to one airline does not fit your travel habits, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great choice. With this card, you can earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. In addition, you will earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25. The Capital One miles you earn can be used for hotels, flights, gift cards, and more.
Easy-to-earn welcome bonus
Frontier Airlines World MasterCard®
Why We Like It
Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $500 in the first 90 days
See how these cards compare:
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Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
- Solid rewards rate
- Redeem points for flights, gift cards, and more
- 3,000 bonus points after cardmember anniversary
- 2 EarlyBird Check-Ins® per year
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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Has a generous welcome offer
- Offers up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® statement credit
- Has an easy rewards program and highly flexible travel redemptions
- Doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees
- Offers valuable travel protections
- Rates and fees