4 Things the Spirit Airlines Frequent Flyer Program Gets Right

Spirit Airlines might have a reputation for add-on fees that offset its low base rate, but the airline’s recently revamped frequent flyer program has its share of perks. With a little bit of savviness, you can take advantage of low flight prices and great rewards.

Here are four things the airline’s frequent flyer program, aptly named Free Spirit, gets right.

1. The price is right

Anyone can sign-up for Spirit’s rewards program free of charge.

The introductory level is Free Spirit, which allows members to earn 6x points on fares. Silver and Gold elites earn 8x and 10x points on fares, respectively. Á La Smarte options, which are purchases for things like seats and bags earn double the rate of points (12x, 16x and 20x).

Earning elite status

For Silver or Gold status with Spirit, you would need to earn 2,000 or 5,000 Status Qualifying Points (SQPs). SQPs are earned in two ways:

• When booking travel with Spirit, you earn 1 SQP for each $1 spent on flights, seats, bags and other extras.

• When using one of Spirit's co-branded credit cards (the Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard® or the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard®), you earn 1 SQP for every $10 spent on everyday purchases.

So, if you wanted to reach Silver status, you would either need to spend $2,000 on travel purchases with Spirit, charge $20,000 on one of the cards, or a combination of the two.

2. Redeem for free flights (when you plan ahead)

If you do trip planning and book a flight more than 28 days in advance, you can avoid the redemption fee altogether. Booking 28 days or fewer before departure incurs a $50 fee.

Book travel online to avoid over-the-phone reservation charges and check in online to avoid a $10 boarding pass fee at the airport.

3. Credit card purchases earn extra points

Issued by Bank of America, Spirit Airlines has two credit cards to choose from:

• Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard® (annual fee: $0): Online offer: Earn 10,000 Bonus Points after making at least $500 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening. This card earns 2x points per $1 on Spirit purchases and 1x points on everything else.

• Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® (annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $79): Earn 50,000 Bonus Points + $100 Flight Voucher after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. This card earns 3x points per $1 on Spirit purchases, 2x points on dining and groceries, and 1x points on everything else.

» Learn more: Find the best airline credit card for you

4. Dining, cruises and more offer additional ways to save

Like most airline rewards programs, Spirit allows you to earn points with its partners. You can earn points through the Free Spirit Dining program, Free Spirit Cruises, online shopping, car rentals and more.