Update 3/27/24: Deal is back.
The Offer
- Barclays is offering up to 60,000 miles on the Frontier card. Bonus is broken down as follows:
- 40,000 miles after $500 in spend within the first 90 days
- Additional 20,000 miles after spending $2,000 in total purchases within the first six months
Card Details
- $89 annual fee not waived
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 5x at flyfrontier.com
- 3x on restaurant purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
- Earn 1 qualifying mile for every $1 spent
- Family pooling
- $100 flight voucher after you spend $2,500 or more on purchases during your card member year
Our Verdict
Previous best was 50,000 miles but that required only $500 in spend. This is an extra 10,000 miles for an extra $1,500 in spend, still a great deal for those who have no issues meeting minimum spend requirements. The issue with Barclays cards is getting approved, with big bonuses on the Wyndham and Aviator cards I don’t think this one is worth considering and won’t add this to the best credit card bonuses. You can read these things everybody should know about Barclays cards by clicking here.
Hat tip to DWhite
Of course they’re not gonna pick Spirit. Both Spirit AeroSystems and Spirit Airlines are suffering right now……
I got an in-flight only offer on this card- 40k miles after 1st purchase, 20k after spending $1500 in 6 months, and extra 500 for getting the in-flight application. Reminds me of the AAviator card. You also get a $100 flight voucher if you spend $2500 in one year on the card. They said that they are doubling their # of aircraft in the next 5 years, they are really expanding their presence near me and I am more and more finding their flight schedule to be the most useful. Plus Barclays cards are good for tradeline sales. May jump on this for the longterm, $21 profit a year if spend $2500 plus anything I get in tradeline sales. I’m not sure when an in-flight offer expires.
They also just announced a status match program that’s a good deal, OMAAT has a good write up:
https://onemileatatime.com/deals/frontier-airlines-status-match/
I’m going to use Wyndham diamond (from the biz card) to get the Elite 100k.
Potentially a possibility to match elsewhere once you get the status.
Does anyone know if the bonus points count towards status requirements?
No, only the miles from spend or flying. The 20k was a good tier when they had promos, free bag and seat assignment makes frontier tolerable.
Frontier charges a redemption fee, between $15 and $75, just to use your miles. Why would anyone lock themselves into this airline?
Those fees are annoying, but partially avoidable. One of the card’s benefits is the avoidance of that redemption fee.
From the Barclaycard offer page:
AWARD REDEMPTION FEE WAIVED… when you book an award ticket and use your FRONTIER Airlines World Mastercard to pay the related taxes and fees, starting from $5.60 for one-way ticket.
Thanks Doc for reporting this. Frontier can’t even pay me to fly them, let alone charging me annual fee to get this card.
The AA Barclays card is much better because the first year of annual fee is waived.
Also, no spend requirement.
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/barclays-aviator-red-world-elite-mastercard-60000-miles-companion-certificate-last-day/
Frontier miles makes skypesos look like they have value. Seriously the best you’re gonna get out of this is maybe $250 worth of flights.
and then have to pay out far more than that if you want to bring along any luggage (including carry-ons) or worse, if you want oxygen.
I do remember once upon-a-Macomber TIF moment getting this card, with the 50K (or was it 40K? no difference, really )….. not for the Frontier miles, but becuz…. becuz back then, they had a great deal on where you could swap the even then essentially worthless Frontier miles to get two free nights at any US Club Carlson…. (this was sooooo long ago, there actually still were some nice aspirational Radisson’s left…. once upon a time)
“but becuz…. becuz back then”
I would think the more common abbreviation is BCUZ not BECUZ because of the length. You’re introducing an unnecessary letter. Lol.
Good uses for these miles are definitely niche but, if you’re a little opportunistic, getting a half-cent per mile is doable and a full cent is not unheard of.
I agree with DoC’s verdict, but would still challenge anyone looking at the offer to check pricing (cash and points) on a few routes they might like to fly since F9 is very blunt with their award pricing.
How?? Every single ticket above $75 goes into the next tier for award redemption in my experience. And it’s “$75” because after booking in person or some promo it’s not really $75 value.
Hi DWhite, can you give some examples of some good value flight redemptions?
Sure! As of this evening, CVG-DEN is $149 one way for a flight on Monday (4/15/2024). The mileage price is 5,000 miles.
If it feels like cherry-picking, that’s the point. Frontier’s points can sometimes go towards redemptions like that, but they’ve been more than happy to ask 20k for a $110 flight in the past too.