Frontier Airlines World Mastercard: Fitting for only a slot canyon-sized slice of flyers 

The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® * The information for the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. comes with a few benefits for Frontier fans, but the airline’s route network is limited compared to bigger carriers and the card lacks a checked bag perk.

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard basics

• Annual fee: $89.
• Welcome bonus: Earn 40,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Plus, earn an additional 20,000 miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening.
• Rewards: Earn 5 miles per $1 on eligible purchases at flyfrontier.com, 3 miles per $1 on restaurant purchases and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• APR: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles for eligible transfers made within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% applies. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.
• Other perks and benefits: Earn a $100 flight voucher every account anniversary after spending $2,500 or more on purchases each year, priority boarding, family points pooling, 1 Qualifying Mile towards elite status for every dollar spent and no foreign transaction fees on purchases originating abroad.
• Does the issuer offer a preapproval tool? Yes.
• Recommended credit score: Good to excellent.

About the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard

In exchange for an $89 annual fee, the Barclays-issued Frontier Airlines World Mastercard earns 5 miles per $1 on eligible purchases at flyfrontier.com, 3 miles per $1 on restaurant purchases and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. Unfortunately, since Frontier is a low-cost carrier, the card doesn’t offer a free checked bag perk like many other airline cards that charge an annual fee. And, ownership of the card doesn’t unlock the lower fares offered to those who pay an annual fee for a Discount Den membership. Nor does it extend the life of your Frontier miles, which will expire after 12 months without any activity on your Frontier account, either through flight activity or card use.

What you will get for the price is priority boarding in Zone 2 and a $100 flight voucher for each account anniversary after spending $2,500 on purchases each year. The card also offers a decent welcome bonus, a low intro APR on balance transfers, no foreign transaction fees and an award redemption fee waiver when you book an award ticket with the airline and use the card to pay the related taxes and fees. But navigating how to get the best rates on the airline is as tricky as skiing down a mogul-laden black diamond run. In addition to the Discount Den upfront membership for lower fares, the airline also sells “bundles” where you can prepay for your luggage, seat assignment and carry-on bag. Ownership of the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard doesn’t reduce the speed at which you’ll have to pay for anything beyond a chance to sit on the plane.

Pros

• Earn bonus miles: Those who regularly fly the airline can accumulate miles towards future flights.
• Receive an introductory APR: New cardholders will receive a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles for eligible transfers made within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% applies. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.
• No foreign transaction fees: There are no foreign transaction fees, which is a big benefit to cardholders who travel internationally. 

Cons

• Comes with an annual fee: The card does come with an $89 annual fee, but the fee may be worth it if you fly regularly with Frontier Airlines and utilize the card’s benefits. 
• Miles expire after 12 months: Unlike other airline cards, you must make at least one purchase or have flight activity at least every 12 months or your miles will expire. 
• No checked bag perk. Unlike many other airline cards with an annual fee, it doesn’t offer a free checked bag perk so you’ll have to pay for anything beyond a small personal item in addition to the annual fee.

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard rewards

The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard has two bonus categories: You’ll earn 5 miles per $1 on eligible purchases at flyfrontier.com, 3 miles per $1 on restaurant purchases and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. 

New cardmembers can earn 40,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Plus, earn an additional 20,000 miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening. You can book a one-way domestic flight for as little as 10,000 miles and a round-trip flight for 20,000 miles. 

However, like all airlines, you will have to pay taxes and fees on your award booking starting at $5.60 each way when you redeem your miles, but card ownership means this fee will be waived after you charge it to the card. 

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard rewards potential

Using government data and other publicly available information, we estimate that a household in the U.S. that would be in the market for this card has an annual income of $84,352 and $25,087 in expenses they are likely to be able to charge to a credit card. Here’s a look at how many rewards.

SPENDING CATEGORY	SPENDING AMOUNT	MILES PER DOLLAR	POINTS EARNED
Airfare	$1,188	5 miles	5,940 miles
Restaurants	$3,526	3 miles	10,578 miles
Other	$20,373	1 mile	20,373 miles
TOTAL	$25,087		36,891 miles

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This adds up to a grand total of 36,891 in rewards annually. Since award flights start at 10,000 miles each way, you could earn up to three one-way flights a year through credit card spending alone.

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard APR

New cardholders will receive a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles for eligible transfers made within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% applies. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.

How the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard compares to other travel cards 

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard vs. Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® * The information for the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Spirit Airlines is a rival low-cost carrier in the U.S. and if its route network works for your travel plans, you may want to consider the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® * The information for the Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. instead. It carries a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year. After that, the fee will be $79. It earns 3 points per $1 on eligible Spirit purchases, 2 points per $1 on eligible dining and grocery stores and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Ownership of the card also means your miles won’t expire, unlike the Frontier Airlines card. However, the Free Spirit Travel More card’s $100 annual credit comes as a companion flight voucher and is only earned after spending $5,000 or more on purchases within your previous anniversary year.

It’s a toss-up between which one is a better choice and will come down to your preferred airline or travel destinations. Overall, neither of these cards are a good pick for top-of-wallet and would be best paired with another, more general purpose card for all other spending outside of the airline. 

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

If you want the ability to use your travel rewards on any airline you’d like, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a top pick. The card carries a $95 annual fee, but it comes with generous rewards. The card earns 5 points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® are flexible and can be taken as cash back at a value of a penny per point, to buy select gift cards and merchandise or transferred at a 1:1 ratio to any of the more than a dozen travel loyalty programs Chase partners with. You can also use the rewards to book travel through Chase Travel at a 25% increase in value. The card also offers robust travel perks including primary auto rental insurance, trip cancellation and interruption coverage, baggage and trip delay insurance and up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotels booked through Chase Travel. Overall, this card outshines the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard for its multiple benefits, including a more expansive use of the rewards.

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Another travel card option with easy-to-wrangle travel rewards is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. It carries an annual fee of $95 and earns an unlimited 5 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and purchases through Capital One Entertainment and 2 miles per $1 on other purchases. Rewards can be used to book a trip with miles through Capital One Travel, used to get reimbursed for past travel purchases made elsewhere within 90 days of the purchase or transferred to one of Capital One’s travel loyalty partners, typically at a 1:1 ratio.

The card also comes with an up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee reimbursement, travel accident insurance, extended warranty coverage and secondary auto rental coverage. One key detail with this card is that if you take your rewards as cash-back, they’ll be worth less than a penny a point*. But, this card still has more to offer in terms of perks and better earning and redemption than the Frontier Airlines card. 

Should you get the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard?

The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard is only a match for individuals who fly with Frontier Airlines at least once a year and can get enough of the card’s handful of perks and/or earning potential to make it worth the $89 annual fee. If you’re a frequent traveler and Frontier Airlines is your preferred airline, your best bet is to use this card just for purchases with the airline and get another, more rewarding card to use for everything else.  

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard summary

FRONTIER AIRLINES WORLD MASTERCARD DETAILS
Annual fee	$89
Welcome bonus	Earn 40,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. Plus, earn an additional 20,000 miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first six months of account opening
Rewards	Earn 5 miles per $1 on eligible purchases at flyfrontier.com, 3 miles per $1 on restaurant purchases and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases
APR	0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles for eligible transfers made within the first 45 days. After, a variable APR of 21.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% applies. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies
Foreign transaction fee	0% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Major perks/benefits	Earn a $100 flight voucher for each account anniversary after spending $2,500 on purchases each year, family pooling and cardmembers receive priority boarding

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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

^{*For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.}