From how easy it is to earn miles with the program, to redemption rates and booking availability; it’s all part of a recently released ranking of the world’s best airline reward programs.

Points and travel reward search platform point.me took a deep dive into 62 global airline loyalty programs to determine which is the best for customers to earn and redeem points.

Here are the results, some of which may come as a bit of a surprise.

Point.me Releases Global Airline Loyalty Program Rankings

Points and travel reward search platform point.me has released its first annual rankings of 62 global airline loyalty programs.

The goal of the extensive examination was to provide consumers transparency and greater confidence when it comes to earning and redeeming points.

Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France and KLM, has landed in top spot globally, followed by Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus.

In releasing its top ten global airline reward programs, points.me names Flying Blue “best-in-class” globally for its ease of earning miles, competitive redemption rates, and flexible routing rules to make booking flights easy.

The Flying Blue loyalty program is most commonly associated with Air France KLM, the company that owns KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France. However, Flying Blue is actually the frequent flyer loyalty program of a total of five airlines: Air France, KLM, TAROM, Transavia, and Aircalin.

The Flying Blue program is also known for its interesting monthly Promo Rewards, which can offer an outstanding deal on flights to or from Europe.

Air Canada’s Aeroplan is ranked number two in the top ten list thanks to its extensive network through Star Alliance and external partners, which makes it possible to use points on other airlines within and outside of the alliance.

Referring to Aeroplan as the most “modern” rewards program it analyzed, points.me says the key benefits to the program are ease of earning, reward seat availability on partner airlines, and generous routing rules.

Considered to be one of the most popular loyalty programs in Canada and the United States, Aeroplan has over 45 airline partners with which you can redeem points and the program offers a variety of ways to boost your balance through credit cards, transferable points currencies, and much more.

United MileagePlus rounds out the top three for best loyalty programs globally based on the benefits it provides for less frequent flyers.

Great redemption rates and excellent points pricing landed British Airways Executive Club and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club in a tie for fourth spot, followed by American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Avianca LifeMiles.

In identifying its top ten airline reward programs, points.me took into consideration a variety of criteria that didn’t just deal with earning and redeeming points. The rankings were also based on factors like seat availability and customer service quality, as well as change fees and policies.

A full breakdown of the evaluation criteria used in the rankings is as follows:

• Ease of earning miles: 25%
• Redemption rates: 20%
• Availability on partner airlines: 15%
• Ease of booking: 12.5%
• Expanded availability on own airline: 7.5%
• Routing rules: 5%
• Ability to hold awards: 5%
• Customer service quality: 5%
• Change fees/policies: 5%

Best Performing Loyalty Programs By Region

point.me’s analysis and report also determined the best reward programs by region, to help travellers navigate based on their personal location.

In North America, Air Canada’s Aeroplan ranked number one with an overall score of 77.43, followed by United MileagePlus and American Airlines AAdvantage. WestJet Rewards ranked dead last in 13th position amongst North American airlines, according to point.me’s analysis.

In Europe, Air France KLM Flying Blue ranked first, followed by a tie for second place between British Airways Executive Club and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

In Latin America (LATAM) Avianca LifeMiles is in top spot, followed by Copa Airlines ConnectMiles and LATAM Pass.

In the Middle East & Africa, Qatar Airways Privilege Club is ranked number one, followed by Emirates Skywards and Etihad Guest, while for Asia/Oceania there is a three-way tie between Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and ANA Mileage Club.

A full breakdown of the report can be found on the point.me website.

Canadians Have Access to Two of the World’s Best Loyalty Programs

It’s great to see point.me launch these global loyalty program rankings, and I found this to be a very fascinating read.

It’s worth noting that some people may beg to differ with the rankings and the results, since loyalty programs have different appeal based on an individual’s place of residence, travel style, and access to points currencies.

I’m not surprised to see Air France KLM Flying Blue and Air Canada Aeroplan take the top two spots, given their relative ease of acquisition through co-branded credit cards and transferable points currencies, as well as the number of airlines that can be booked and competitive redemption rates, amongst other factors.

Plus, these programs were designed and are run by Miles & Points enthusiasts, which is evidenced by the broad appeal to beginners and advanced users alike.

As it relates to Canadians, we have direct access to both Aeroplan and Flying Blue through co-branded credit cards and transferable points currencies (American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy). WestJet Rewards performed poorly with the criteria given, which doesn’t strike me as particularly surprising, as the program hasn’t seen any positive changes in years.

I didn’t find VIPorter anywhere on the list, which may change as the airline launches a co-branded credit card at some point in the future.

Many other programs on the list are relatively difficult to access in Canada, with the exception of British Airways Executive Club. If this list were tailored specifically for Canadians, I’d give it the third spot, due to the ease of acquisition, flexible nature of the Avios ecosystem, and access to excellent oneworld airlines.

In my opinion, I would like to see a separate category added for carrier-imposed surcharges, which I think would have closed the gap between Flying Blue and Aeroplan’s scores, since Aeroplan doesn’t pass them along while Flying Blue does (based on class of service).

It’ll be interesting to see how the results change in the future, since loyalty programs change all the time (for better or (more often) for worse). Hopefully, these results offer lower-ranked programs some specific suggestions for improvement, while would be of benefit to loyalty program members.

Conclusion

For the first time ever, points and travel reward search platform point.me has released its annual rankings of 62 global airline loyalty programs. Flying Blue – the reward program for Air France and KLM – has snagged the number one spot globally followed by Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus. When it comes to just North American programs, Aeroplan ranked number one.

The rankings are based on a variety of criteria that take into account things like how easy the program is to earn and redeem points, seat availability, and customer service quality.

The goal of the extensive examination was to provide consumers transparency and greater confidence when it comes to earning and redeeming points.

One of the interesting takeaways from this report by point.me is that flying frequently isn’t your only option to earn rewards.

Most loyalty points are earned through credit card spending and other activities, not just flights, giving consumers more choices now than ever before on how to earn and redeem points.