Here
at RewardsCanada.ca and FrequentFlyerBonuses.com, we cover the bonus and promotional offers
of more than 160 airline and hotel reward programs around the world.
We’re
often asked, which is the best airline or hotel program for value? And
while there are many variables to weigh and consider when answering
that question, one common theme has emerged as a key differentiator;
frequency of bonus offers.
Think about it. We all know
reward currencies differs from program to program and each market has
dominating players when it comes to price and choice, but all things
being equal, a travel reward program’s true or hidden value can be
determined by how frequently it dishes out bonus points.
Ask
any reward program optimizer and the difference between using reward
points for a conventional domestic flight versus an exotic international
destination in business class, comes down to bonus miles and points.
So
which airline is the most generous when it comes to frequency of bonus
offers? We crunched the numbers by looking at the total number of bonus
and promotional offers from each airline from August 1, 2013 – July 31,
2014. Congratulations to Air Canada!!
Here is the press release we have going out today announcing this ranking:
Air Canada Tops Global List of Most Generous Airlines
Airline leads industry in frequent flyer bonus offers
When
it comes to rewarding frequent flyers no one does it more often than
Air Canada. According to reward program expert Patrick Sojka, Air
Canada leads the pack in the highly competitive space of frequent flyer
reward programs by regularly issuing more bonus mile offers than any
other airline.Sojka, the founder of RewardsCanada.ca and FrequentFlyerBonuses.com
and best known for his annual ranking of credit card offerings in
Canada, regularly tracks and reports on the bonus miles and points
issued by all major airlines, hotels and credit card companies.By
definition, bonus points are an enticement tool offered by reward
programs in the form of limited or one-time deals. These offers allow
members to earn extra points by booking on a specific date or choosing a
particular flight. According to loyalty marketing research firm
Colloquy, bonus point are big business and account for approximately 40
percent of all points and miles issued each year by reward programs in
the U.S. In Canada the ratio is likely similar.Since
the value of reward program currencies vary across airlines, frequency
of offer is the strongest indicator of the generosity of an airline’s
reward program.“It would surprise people to learn how
significant bonus points are to achieving reward goals,” added Sojka.
“Frequency in this category matters and through the Aeroplan program,
Air Canada has done a great job staying top of mind with its members.”
The
following is the first ranking of its kind, based on tracking the bonus
offers of more than 125 global airline reward programs from August 1,
2013 to July 31, 2014.
| Rank |
Airline Program |
Number of Promotions |
| 1 | Air Canada Aeroplan | 122 |
| 2 | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 100 |
| 3 | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 92 |
| 4 | American AAdvantage | 87 |
| 5 | Air France KLM Flying Blue | 82 |
| 6 | Iberia Plus | 81 |
| 7 | United MileagePlus | 79 |
| 7 | Miles & More (Lufthansa Group) | 79 |
| 9 | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 77 |
| 10 | British Airways Executive Club | 66 |
| 11 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 64 |
| 12 | Emirates Skywards | 59 |
| 13 | Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 54 |
| 14 | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 47 |
| 15 | airBaltic PINS | 44 |
The Top 15 Airline Bonus Miles Issuers are based on bonuses posted to
FrequentFlyerBonuses.com during the time period of August 1, 2013 to
July 31, 2014
We’d love to hear your comments about
our new ranking of airline bonus miles issuers! Do you take advantage
of bonus mile promotions? Do you feel better connected with a program
after you have achieved a bonus? Leave us your comments below!