DALLAS (NewsNation) — Achieving status with airline loyalty programs may be more difficult in 2024 as airlines opt to incentivize passengers willing to spend more.
According to insights from The Points Guy, the strategy of squeezing in a few flights at the year’s end to attain elite status is fading away. For decades, frequent fliers could earn several free flights or upgrades using this method.
However, airlines have become savvy, and began phasing out mileage programs even pre-pandemic.
American, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and most recently Delta now prioritize customer rewards based on airline credit cards. According to travel experts, the credit cards proves more lucrative for the airlines. So, the more consumers spend on a ticket, the more points they earn.
United Airlines plans to make it easier for customers to earn elite status via co-branded Chase United MileagePlus credit cards.
Delta Airlines announced changes to its SkyMiles program in October. The airline plans to retire Medallion Qualifying Mile and Medallion Qualifying Segments and focus instead on a redefined version of Medallion Qualifying Dollars. The move will further reward those who spend more on tickets versus those who rack up miles.
However, Southwest has made it easier to earn status in 2024. It lowered the number of qualifying flights and money spent needed to achieve A List or A List Preferred Status.
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines is the only mileage program holdout, planning to launch a loyalty program for sustainable aviation fuel. Customers are devising new strategies, like partnering with international airlines, to secure top-tier status with airlines.
Hawaiian Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and a few other smaller airliners plan to reward travelers based on miles flown.
“Including what we call status runs, so you’re buying sometimes cheap tickets that the airline can’t always see. One example of this is if you fly on a partner of Delta Airlines they can’t see how much you paid for that ticket sometimes,” explained Clint Henderson, managing editor of The Points Guy. “What you’re going to see going forward is the airlines are all prioritizing spend on their co-branded credit cards over people actually flying on the planes. Because frankly, they’re making more money from people spending on their credit cards than they are flying people.”
Henderson noted some small business owners can put the majority of their business expenses on cards like American Airlines and reap significant rewards for premium flight seating and even with limited travel.