The Barclays Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® gives you two free checked bags per flight and family mile pooling, making it potentially valuable for frequent Frontier flyers. While the card offers nice rewards on Frontier purchases and restaurants, it's best used as a secondary card since its benefits are limited to just one airline.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let's dive right in.
- Earn 60,000 Travel Miles after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days of account opening, plus instant Elite Gold Status after your first purchase within the first 90 days.
- 5X Miles on Purchases at flyfrontier.com and 3X Miles on Dining
- $100 Flight Voucher After Spending $2,500
- Family Pooling to Share Frontier Miles
- Earn Toward Elite Status
- $89 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus of Frontier Mastercard
The Frontier Airlines Mastercard currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn 60,000 Travel Miles after spending $1,000 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days of account opening, plus instant Elite Gold Status after your first purchase within the first 90 days.
Before jumping on this offer, keep in mind that Frontier miles can only be redeemed for Frontier flights. You won’t be able to transfer these miles to other airlines or hotel programs.
Earning Miles with Frontier Mastercard
The Frontier Airlines Mastercard earns miles at the following rates:
- 5 miles per dollar at FlyFrontier.com;
- 3 miles per dollar at restaurants; and
- 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
- 1 Elite Qualifying Miles towards Frontier Airlines elite status on all purchases.
This card’s earning structure really only makes sense if you frequently fly Frontier, since the 5x multiplier on Frontier purchases is the standout feature. The 3x on dining is decent but misleading since Frontier miles are worth significantly less than other airline miles or transferable points – making the real earning value quite low.
The ability to earn elite status through credit card spending is a nice perk for Frontier loyalists who want to fast-track their way to status benefits. While 5x on Frontier flights sounds appealing on paper, most travelers would be better served by a card earning flexible points that can be used across multiple airlines and have higher redemption values.
Annual Fee of Frontier Mastercard
The Frontier Airlines card has a $99 annual fee. The annual fee can be easily offset through valuable benefits like two free checked bags (which can save you $49-98 per flight) and a $100 flight voucher each account anniversary when you spend $2,500 or more during your card membership year.
Card Benefits of Frontier Mastercard
Below are the card benefits and perks of the Frontier Airlines Mastercard:
Two Free Checked Bags: When you pay with your card, you’ll get two free checked bags on all Frontier Airlines-operated flights. This can lead to significant savings on baggage fees.
Flight Voucher: After spending $2,500 on purchases in a card membership year, you’ll receive a $100 flight voucher on your account anniversary. This helps offset the card’s annual fee.
Award Fee Waiver: Frontier Airlines normally charges a fee of up to $75 when you want to use your miles, but holding the Frontier Mastercard allows you to avoid this fee.
Priority Boarding: Cardmembers receive priority Zone 2 Boarding to help get on the plane in front of other passengers.
Family Mileage Pooling: This card also unlocks the ability to pool miles with up to 8 family and friends.
0% Intro APR: This card offers 0% introductory APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. After that, a variable APR will apply, 20.49% to 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Redeeming Frontier Airline Miles
Frontier Miles won't be winning any awards for flexibility. Frontier has no airline alliance and no partner carriers, so you're stuck redeeming solely on Frontier's own network. That's a real limitation if you're used to programs that let you fly partner airlines to far-flung destinations.
Where Frontier Miles shine is on international leisure routes that Frontier prices surprisingly high in cash. Spring Break flights to Cancún are the classic example. A one-way ticket can run over $500 during peak weeks, but you can book that same seat for as little as 15,000 miles plus roughly $34 in taxes at the Value award level.
That pattern repeats across several destinations. Flights to Jamaica, Punta Cana, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic all start at 15,000 miles one-way, and cash fares on these routes often spike into the hundreds of dollars. Domestic connections through Frontier's Denver hub can start even lower, at just 5,000 miles one-way.
The key is booking Value level awards rather than Standard or Last Seat tickets, since those cost significantly more miles for the same seat. You'll want to search well in advance, since Value awards are the least available and disappear quickly.
Frontier also charges redemption fees based on how close to departure you book, ranging from free (180+ days out) to $75 (within six days). Cardholders of the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard and elite members can avoid these fees entirely.
Pros and Cons of Frontier Mastercard
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Free Checked Bags: Two free checked bags on Frontier flights can save at least $100 per roundtrip, easily offsetting the annual fee with just one trip.
Strong Earning Rate on Flights: The 5x miles earned on Frontier purchases provides excellent rewards for those who frequently fly the airline.
Family Pooling Feature: The ability to pool miles with up to 8 other people offers great flexibility for maximizing rewards across multiple accounts.
Cons:
Limited Redemption Options: Miles can only be used on Frontier flights, with no airline partners or transfer options available.
Restricted Route Network: Frontier’s limited route network, particularly for international travel, restricts where you can use your rewards.
Reliability Concerns: The airline’s reputation for delays and cancellations, with potentially long waits for alternate flights, adds risk.
Better Alternatives Available: For most travelers, general travel cards or other airline cards offer more flexibility and better overall value.
Is the Frontier Mastercard Worth It?
The Frontier Airlines Mastercard is only worth considering if you already fly Frontier at least 3-4 times per year and regularly check bags.
While the card’s checked bag benefit can offset the $99 annual fee in just one round-trip flight, Frontier’s limited route network, restrictive award program, and basic rewards structure make it hard to justify for most travelers.
The reality is that this card works best as a supplementary card for existing Frontier customers rather than a primary travel rewards card, since you can only redeem miles for Frontier flights at relatively low value.
If you don’t regularly fly Frontier, you’ll get much better value from a flexible travel rewards card that lets you transfer points to multiple airlines and offers better earning rates on everyday purchases.
