The 5 Best US Airline Loyalty Programs For 2025, Per A New Study

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Airline loyalty programs have become a strategic tool for flyers looking to maximize rewards and get more value from their travel, and knowing how to earn and redeem points widely can significantly reduce costs. Airlines now make far more money from customer loyalty — via co-branded credit cards and rewards partnerships — than they do from ticket sales. But as many carriers continue to devalue miles and scale back perks, some travelers feel conflicted about whether air miles are worth the hassle. That makes it more important than ever for consumers to optimize how they redeem points and for more airlines to maintain competitive rewards programs. 

In 2025, subscription-based search platform point.me released its annual ranking of the top airline loyalty programs worldwide, and four U.S. carriers made the global top 10: American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, United MileagePlus, and JetBlue TrueBlue. Southwest Airlines' Rapid Rewards ranked 13th overall, placing it fifth among U.S. airlines. 

Point.me helps travelers find high-value redemptions across more than 150 airlines and loyalty programs by comparing transfer partners and finding hidden reward availability and special redemption opportunities. In determining the best airline loyalty programs of 2025, point.me evaluated factors like redemption experience, redemption rates, partner opportunities, award availability, program flexibility, customer service quality, change fees and policies, award holds, and ease of earning and using miles, using data through August 1, 2025. The rankings did not consider status benefits, prioritizing "the everyday traveler." While point.me's rankings fairly align with other travel sites that utilize different methodologies, there are notable differences. For example, personal finance site NerdWallet crowned Alaska Airlines 2025's top U.S. loyalty program, although it came in third globally on point.me's list. However, because it's a recently rebranded program, 2026 will likely effect some changes.

AAdvantage, the loyalty program of Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines, is the oldest airline loyalty program in the U.S. and continues to rank among the best globally. In point.me's 2025 evaluation, AAdvantage earned a cumulative score of 87.63, ranking No. 1 among U.S. programs and  No. 2 worldwide, climbing four spots from the prior year. Flying Blue was named point.me's top global airline loyalty program (although it's based in Europe, travelers don't have to fly there to take advantage of its rewards).

AAdvantage scored particularly well for global reach, driven in part by American's membership in the oneworld alliance, which includes carriers such as British Airways, Alaska Airlines, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific. In addition to alliance partners, AAdvantage miles can be redeemed on select non-alliance airlines, including Etihad Airways and Air Tahiti Nui, expanding access across destinations in the Middle East and French Polynesia. Point.me also highlighted AAdvantage's easy booking experience, award availability, and consumer-favoring cancellation policies. Its online tools make booking and changing flights easy, even with partner awards. Its transfer partnership with Citi was also hailed as a perk, along with additional earnings options via Bask Bank and multiple co-branded credit cards.

Other rankings that use different methodologies have offered mixed assessments. The Points Guy named AAdvantage the top loyalty program of 2024, but cited a recent devaluation of AAdvantage miles — from 1.65 cents to 1.55 cents each — as well as weaker performance in areas such as baggage handling, business-class award availability, and airport lounge access. AAdvantage also has fewer transferable credit card partners than some rivals, and point.me cited limited reward transfer options to the Asia-Pacific region as an area for improvement.

While it did not rank first in point.me's list of top airline loyalty programs, Alaska Airlines' rebranded Atmos Rewards program was named one of the best domestic frequent-flyer programs of 2025 by multiple sources, including U.S. News & World Report, NerdWallet, and WalletHub. Point.me ranked Atmos Rewards third globally for 2025, just behind American Airlines — a four-spot jump from 2024. Atmos Rewards was introduced in 2025 following Alaska Airlines' 2024 acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines. Point.me notes that its rankings are based on Mileage Plan data — Alaska's former loyalty program – as many of the new Atmos Rewards changes won't take effect until 2026.

Point.me describes Mileage Plan as offering "exceptional redemption value and award availability," especially for partner opportunities. Like American Airlines, Alaska is a member of the oneworld alliance and also works with several non-alliance partners that expand its network reach. Its strong international award pricing – particularly to Asia — and flexibility for longer layovers drew positive mentions. The program also benefits from partnerships with the Bilt Rewards credit card, the Atmos Rewards Visa, and several hotel partners, including Marriott, IHG, and Best Western.

However, point.me cited several drawbacks, including less competitive domestic premium-class award rates, inconsistent customer service, and a higher threshold for earning points. Awards cannot be placed on hold, either — a feature The Points Guy has noted is becoming increasingly important to frequent flyers and loyalty program members. That said, NerdWallet pointed out that Alaska is one of only a few airlines that still rewards members based on distance flown rather than dollars spent, a more equitable system for budget-conscious travelers.

United Airlines MileagePlus rewards program was ranked fifth globally for 2025 by point.me, performing particularly well overall and offering solid value for less-frequent flyers. As a founding member of the Star Alliance, United also works with non-alliance partners, giving members a wide array of options for earning and redeeming miles. Mileage Plus points never expire, so members can earn and use them at their own pace.

MileagePlus partners with a wide range of non-airline companies that make it easy to earn miles, including car rental companies such as Avis and Budget and hotel brands like Hyatt and Wyndham. According to point.me, the program offers flexibility for last-minute seat availability and re-routing, as well as a competitive redemption rate. The Points Guy noted in early 2025 that United has traditionally offered the most extensive long-haul route networks in the world, and MileagePlus is among the best programs for long-haul upgrades.

However, MileagePlus has undergone significant devaluations in recent years. United has eliminated features such as instant upgrades and the Excursionist Perk, and introduced dynamic pricing for award bookings, making it more difficult for members to predict the value of their points. Award travel holds are no longer permitted, and the booking process — particularly for partner awards and transfers — can be cumbersome, sometimes requiring customers to contact customer service. Partner award availability can also be inconsistent, despite MileagePlus benefiting from transfer partnerships with Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards. Despite these drawbacks, point.me notes that MileagePlus' dynamic award pricing model may be more sensitive for casual travelers. During peak travel periods, when award space is typically tight on fixed-price programs, MileagePlus members can sometimes find accessible redemption opportunities.

Point.me ranked JetBlue's TrueBlue loyalty program eighth globally, placing it fourth among domestic carriers — a notable achievement in some ways, considering it's not part of a major airline alliance. With a score of 69.88 points under point.me's methodology, TrueBlue earns a "Good" rating on its redemption value and a "Great" rating for redemption experience, driven by generous award availability and an easy booking process. NerdWallet also named JetBlue its fourth-best U.S. airline loyalty program for 2025, valuing TrueBlue points at approximately 1.4 cents each as of this writing. JetBlue points do not expire, and point.me also highlights the program's competitive pricing and strong last-minute deal availability, particularly on East Coast routes from the New York-based carrier.

TrueBlue points are easy to earn through transfers from major credit cards, including American Express, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi, and Capital One, as well as through JetBlue's shopping portal. The program also offers a "Points Pooling" feature that allows friends and family to combine points and redeem rewards collectively.

Despite its independent status, JetBlue partners with several airlines, including Qatar, Etihad, Icelandair, and Hawaiian, to expand its global reach. It also maintains a fairly significant partnership with United Airlines, with flights earning 5x the amount of points compared to most other partner airlines. JetBlue offers a premium, lie-flat "Mint" seat, which point.me compares as competitive with legacy carriers American and United's lie-flat seats. However, point.me notes that TrueBlue still has room for improvement. Transfer partners do not always allow a 1:1 conversion ratio, which can reduce value. Plus, the program does not allow award holds — making it more difficult for travelers to lock in flights while finalizing plans.

It may come as a surprise that Southwest landed among the top five U.S. airline loyalty programs, even though it didn't crack the global top 10. In early 2025, the airline faced backlash from loyal customers after announcing the end of its longstanding free checked-bag and open-seating policy – two signature perks that had set the Dallas, Texas-based budget airline apart from many domestic competitors. Its notably great value on seats available through Rapid Rewards also crumbled, purportedly achieving only one-third of its former purchasing power. Southwest also does not participate in a global alliance (although it does partner with several airlines), which limits its international reach.

Despite concerns about its perceived flight devaluations, point.me gave Southwest's Rapid Rewards program high marks, highlighting its straightforward earning structure, reliable redemption value, and flexible booking policies — there are no blackout days or seat restrictions for award travel — and no change or cancellation fees — even if you cancel 10 minutes before your flight. Rapid Rewards also offers partnerships with Chase Ultimate Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, Choice Privileges, Radisson, and Best Western, allowing users to redeem points for more than just flights.

Most of the changes to Rapid Rewards occurred in 2025, leaving the Southwest points valued at roughly 1.3 cents by the end of the year, according to NerdWallet. The Points Guy ranked Southwest fifth in its top U.S. airline loyalty programs for 2024, and it will be interesting to see how the program fares in other rankings this year.

Maximizing air travel rewards can be complex. Frequent flyers often treat it like a game — but the rules vary widely and change frequently. That's why point.me focuses on precision, helping users find creative ways to transfer points, maximize awards, and receive step-by-step guidance for booking. It's also useful to understand which loyalty programs offer the most perks — or which benefits they emphasize — to make the most of your points from the start. Not all airlines are created equal — even for different types of travelers. To determine the best airline loyalty programs for 2025, point.me analyzed data from the previous year through August 1, 2025. Eight categories were reviewed and weighted according to their impact on the everyday traveler, for a total of 100 possible points. Rankings emphasized "practical usability for average travelers," prioritizing the overall redemption experience rather than only dollar-for-dollar conversion. Each program received a computed score and ratings from "poor" to "great" for every factor.

The categories that point.me evaluated were ease of earning miles — i.e. credit card partnerships, elite qualifying, and bonus categories — weighted at 20%; redemption rates, weighted at 20%; partner opportunities including alliance strength, weighted at 20%; overall redemption experience including booking platform and search functionality, weighted at 10%; award availability, weighted at 10%; customer service quality, weighted at 7.5%; flexibility and change fees and policies, weighted at 7.5%; and award holds — the ability to hold a space before officially confirming the ticket — weighted at 5%.

The top 10 airline loyalty programs for 2025 included both international and U.S.-based airlines, with Europe's FlyingBlue coming out on top globally, while American Airlines led the domestic programs at No. 2 worldwide. No matter how you use your miles, maximizing your rewards is key — after all, the airlines are already maximizing theirs.