Key takeaways
- Free Spirit members can earn points by purchasing airfare and additional services from Spirit Airlines, using Free Spirit credit cards or shopping with Free Spirit partners.
- Since Free Spirit points can only be spent on Spirit flights or with select partners, earning transferable travel rewards in another program will likely be more lucrative.
- This program offers two levels of elite status, Silver and Gold, plus a separate paid membership program called the Spirit Saver$ Club.
Free Spirit is the frequent flyer Spirit Airlines rewards program, an ultra-low-cost airline that flies throughout the United States, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Members can earn points for every dollar spent on Spirit flights, redeem points for free flights, gain elite status and more.
Free Spirit: The basics
Free Spirit members can earn points by purchasing airfare and additional services from Spirit Airlines, using a Free Spirit credit card or shopping with Free Spirit partners. Members can then redeem points for flights or with select Spirit partners.
To start earning Free Spirit points toward your travel on Spirit Airlines, you’ll need to create a Free Spirit account. Joining the Free Spirit program is easy. From the Free Spirit homepage, simply click the sign-up button to create an account.
Who is Free Spirit best for?
If you prefer to fly with Spirit Airlines, you should have a Free Spirit account that allows you to earn and redeem points within this program.
However, note that Spirit Airlines does not have any partner airlines. Since Free Spirit points can only be spent on Spirit Airlines flights or with select business partners, earning transferable rewards in another program will likely be more lucrative. If you’re looking for a more flexible travel rewards program, you might want to consider a loyalty program that earns general (and transferable) travel rewards, like American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards.
How to earn Free Spirit points
Earn by flying with Spirit Airlines
The most obvious way to earn rewards in any airline loyalty program is to fly with that airline. Free Spirit members earn points for every dollar they spend on Spirit Airlines’ airfares. Since Free Spirit is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, members earn points based on the amount of money they spend rather than on the number of miles they fly. Free Spirit awards additional points for spending on extra services and fees, which it brands as “À La Smarte.”
Here are the points you can earn in the Free Spirit program for purchases of Spirit Airlines’ airfares and extra services:
| Free Spirit status level | General member | Silver | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points earned per dollar on airfares | 6X points | 8X points | 10X points |
| Points earned per dollar on À La Smarte | 12X points | 16X points | 20X points |
Earn with a Free Spirit credit card
In partnership with Bank of America, Spirit Airlines offers two credit cards that allow Free Spirit members to earn additional points:
- Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard®*. Cardmembers earn 2X points on eligible Spirit purchases and 1X points on all other spending.
- Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard®*. Cardmembers earn 3X points on all eligible Spirit Airlines purchases, 2X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases and 1X points on all other purchases.
Earn with Free Spirit partners
As an ultra-low-cost carrier, Spirit Airlines is not a part of an airline alliance and does not have any airline partners. If you are looking for a travel loyalty program that allows you to transfer rewards to other airline programs, you might want to consider earning rewards elsewhere.
However, Free Spirit members can earn additional points at a number of travel and online retail partners. If you’re looking to rent a car, book a cruise, start a mortgage or shop online, you can check out Free Spirit’s full list of partners for additional points-earning opportunities.
Select Free Spirit partners
- Car rental partners: Earn Free Spirit points for rental car bookings with Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Payless and Thrifty.
- Emergency Assistance Plus: Enroll to earn 1,200 Free Spirit points and earn an additional 1,200 points each year upon renewal.
- Free Spirit Cruises: Earn up to 10,000 Free Spirit points for booking through Spirit Cruises.
- Free Spirit Dining: Receive 500 bonus points when you sign up for Free Spirit Dining and dine within 30 days.
- Free Spirit Online Mall: Earn Free Spirit points for shopping at various brands through Spirit’s shopping portal.
- Points for Thoughts: Earn Free Spirit points for completing surveys.
- Rocket Mortgage: Get 25,000 Free Spirit points when you buy or refinance a home.
- Vinesse Wine Club: Earn up to 5,000 Free Spirit points when you sign up for select offers through Vinesse Wine Club (terms and conditions apply).
How to redeem Free Spirit points
Redeem for flights on Spirit Airlines
The main way you can redeem Free Spirit points is for flights. To redeem points for Spirit Airlines flights, search for flights on Spirit’s homepage and select the “Show Fares in Points” checkbox at the top of the screen to view prices in terms of Free Spirit points. If you do not have enough points to purchase the flight you select, Spirit allows you to buy additional points to top off your account during booking.
Spirit also offers a cash and points option. If you don’t have enough points to purchase your entire flight using Free Spirit points, you may find that purchasing the flight with cash and points offers a better value than purchasing points.
Note that most ultra-low-cost carriers make a large share of their profits by charging fees, and Spirit Airlines is no different. Free Spirit members booking flights less than 28 days before departure can expect to pay a $50 reward redemption fee, but this is waived for Free Spirit members with Silver or Gold status or with an eligible Free Spirit credit card. There will be no redemption fees for flights booked at least 28 days in advance.
Redeem with select partners
Most members of Free Spirit will want to redeem their points for flights, but the program does offer one option to redeem points that doesn’t involve flying on Spirit Airlines: Redeeming with select partners. Currently, members can only redeem points with Mags for Points. Through Mags For Points, you can redeem a small number of Free Spirit points for a subscription to one of several magazine titles.
How much are Free Spirit points worth?
The question of how much airline points are worth is frequently debated. Comparing cash prices to points prices for the same flights can be helpful, as well as looking at Bankrate’s points and miles valuations for major airline, hotel and credit card loyalty programs. For example, Bankrate values Spirit Airlines Free Spirit points at about 1.0 cents per point.
How do Free Spirit points compare to other loyalty programs?
Here’s how Free Spirit points compare to rewards values from other popular airline loyalty programs, according to Bankrate’s valuations.
| Airline loyalty program | Bankrate value |
|---|---|
| Spirit Airlines Free Spirit | 1.0 cents |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | 1.1 cents |
| American AAdvantage | 1.0 cents |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1.2 cents |
| Frontier Miles | 1.3 cents |
| HawaiianMiles | 0.7 cents |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.3 cents |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 1.5 cents |
| United Mileage Plus | 0.9 cents |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 2.6 cents |
Free Spirit elite status and memberships
Travelers who fly frequently with Spirit Airlines can earn status in the Free Spirit program, entitling them to a host of Free Spirit member benefits and elevated points-earning opportunities. In addition to its Silver and Gold frequent flyer membership levels, Spirit Airlines also offers a separate paid membership program called the Spirit Saver$ Club.
Free Spirit Silver elite status
Free Spirit members who earn 2,000 status qualifying points (SQP) within a year receive Free Spirit Silver status.
Notable benefits
- Earn 8X points for every dollar spent on Spirit Airlines airfares
- Earn 16X points per dollar spent on extra flight options
- Free shortcut security and boarding
- Free same-day standby
- Free seat selection at check-in
- Access to a dedicated guest care line
- Ability to create a Points Pool to share points
- Never pay redemption fees
Free Spirit Gold elite status
Free Spirit members who earn 5,000 SQP within a year receive Free Spirit Gold status, entitling them to all of the benefits of Silver status, along with more benefits.
Notable benefits
- Earn 10X points for every dollar spent on Spirit Airlines airfares
- Earn 20X points per dollar spent on extra flight options
- Free first checked and carry-on bag
- Free seat selection (including exit rows) at booking
- Receive free in-flight beverages and snacks
Spirit Saver$ Club membership
Spirit offers a paid membership called the Spirit Saver$ Club, which is separate from the Silver and Gold status levels within the Free Spirit program. Membership costs $69.95 per year.
All the following benefits are available for you and up to eight additional guests on the same reservation.
Notable benefits
- Exclusive, discounted fares
- Discounted checked and carry-on bags
- Additional savings on seat assignments, including the Big Front Seat and exit rows
- Savings on À La Smarte options like shortcut security and shortcut boarding
- Exclusive savings offers with Spirit Airlines partners
- Students receive a 20 percent discount when they sign up for the Saver$ Club Membership
Top credit cards that earn Free Spirit points
Free Spirit offers two credit cards (co-branded with Bank of America) for travelers looking to earn Free Spirit points and other perks.
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The Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard®* is Spirit’s entry-level card, offered with no annual fee. The card earns 2X points on eligible Spirit purchases and 1X points on all other purchases. It currently comes with a welcome offer of 10,000 bonus points after spending at least $500 in the first 90 days of account opening. Plus, cardmembers can earn 5,000 bonus points each cardmember anniversary after making at least $10,000 in purchases on the card within the previous anniversary year.
In addition to earning Free Spirit points toward travel on Spirit Airlines, the Free Spirit Travel Mastercard offers cardmembers access to points pooling with up to eight friends and family members — a rare perk. Cardmembers also get a 25 percent rebate on all in-flight food and beverage purchases when they pay with the card, as well as enjoy automatic Zone 2 shortcut boarding on all flights and no foreign transaction fees.
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Travelers looking to earn more Free Spirit points toward their travel should consider the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard®*. This card earns 3X points on eligible Spirit purchases, 2X points on eligible dining and grocery store purchases and 1X points on all other purchases. It currently comes with a welcome offer of 50,000 bonus points and a $100 flight voucher after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening. And if you make at least $5,000 in purchases within the previous anniversary year, you’ll receive a $100 companion flight voucher.
Like the Free Spirit Travel Mastercard, the Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard offers a 25 percent rebate on in-flight food and beverage purchases, automatic Zone 2 shortcut boarding and no foreign transaction fees. Plus, those chasing Free Spirit status can earn 1 SQP for each $10 in net purchases made using the card. Note that this card also includes a $79 annual fee, but a $0 intro annual fee applies for the first year.
FAQs
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Free Spirit points do not expire as long as you earn or redeem Free Spirit points within 12 months or if you currently hold a Free Spirit credit card. Learn more about keeping your rewards from expiring.
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Free Spirit Silver and Gold members and Free Spirit cardmembers can become a Pool Pilot and invite up to eight friends or family members to contribute to a points pool.
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Yes, you can buy Free Spirit points. Typically, points purchased through Spirit’s website cost 2.5 cents per point and can be purchased in increments of 1,000 points. However, buying points is rarely worth it, unless you only need a few to book a trip, especially because Free Spirit points value at 1.0 cents. The good news is Spirit occasionally runs promotions where you can receive bonus points on top of select points purchases.
The bottom line
If you fly frequently with Spirit Airlines, it might make sense for you to earn and redeem points through the Free Spirit program. Points can be earned on every dollar you spend with Spirit Airlines and on purchases through select partners. You can redeem your points for airfare, airline services and with select business partners. Frequent flyers can also enjoy perks like shortcut boarding, seat selection at check-in and elevated points earnings on Spirit purchases.
With that said, Spirit Airlines is not currently a member of an airline alliance — which means, unlike many frequent flyer programs, your Free Spirit points can not be used for flights with airline partners. Earning transferable travel rewards through other programs may provide a better overall value.
*Information about the Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard® and the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Bankrate and has not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.
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