MIRAMAR, Fla., Jan. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is soaring into 2021 by giving loyal Guests More Go for their money—and offering new opportunities for earning reward travel between flights. On Thursday the airline launched the new Free Spirit® loyalty program—which offers the fastest way to earn rewards and status—alongside the new Spirit Saver$ Club®. Spirit also unveiled a pair of new credit cards with benefits that make every aspect of the new Free Spirit fly faster and further.
“Points are useless if you have to wait forever to use them,” said Bobby Schroeter, Spirit Airlines Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “We started with a clean sheet of paper so we could focus on what travelers and their families want, which is points that add up fast and generate rewards just as quickly. We know our Guests want to be able to earn and redeem their points without jumping through hoops.”
Earn Fast, Redeem Fast
The new Free Spirit is built around points because rewards will be based on dollars spent instead of miles flown. Members can earn points on every booking, every bag and every Big Front Seat®—plus all kinds of purchases on the new Free Spirit credit cards. Here is what makes those points so easy to earn and redeem:
- Free Spirit members earn points for fares and double the points for all the optional extras. That means they add up faster than ever.
- Points do not expire as long as members make one qualifying transaction to earn or redeem every 12 months. Free Spirit credit card holders’ points do not expire as long as their card account remains open.
- Eligible members can get More Go by using Points Pooling to combine points with up to eight friends and family members and earn reward flights faster.
- Members can use Points + Cash to book even faster and fly sooner by redeeming as few as 1,000 points and using dollars to cover the rest of the fare.**
Credit Cards that Supercharge Your Rewards
Spirit applied that same flexibility to the new Free Spirit® Travel Mastercard® and Free Spirit® Travel More Mastercard®. The airline worked with longtime partner Bank of America to develop eye-catching card designs inspired by the carrier’s signature yellow and black planes, accompanied by a list of benefits tailored to the new loyalty program.
The new Free Spirit credit cards reward Guests with extra points for spending on Spirit Airlines. Plus, the Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard comes with an introductory offer of 40,000 bonus points and a $100 companion flight voucher after qualifying purchases are made. It also offers a $100 companion flight voucher each year on the cardholder’s anniversary after making at least $5,000 in purchases within the prior year.
“People want options. They want to be able to choose how and when they earn points,” said Rana Ghosh, Spirit Airlines Vice President of Omnichannel Commerce and Loyalty. “That’s where the credit cards come in. Our cardholders can earn rewards fast even when they’re on the ground. That means they can relax knowing another trip is around the corner, rather than spending all their time chasing points. Plus, we’re adding in the kind of perks that make every trip even more enjoyable.”
| Free Spirit Credit Cards† | |||
| Feature | Free Spirit Travel Mastercard | Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard | |
| Card Product | World Mastercard | World Elite Mastercard | |
| Earn Free Spirit® Points | 2x (Spirit Purchases) 1 point per dollar on all other purchases | 3x (Spirit Purchases) 2x (Dining + Grocery Store) 1 point per dollar on all other purchases | |
| Anniversary: 5,000 Bonus Points (after qualifying purchases)1 | ✓ | — | |
| Anniversary: $100 companion voucher [new] (after qualifying purchases) 2 | — | ✓ | |
| Earn Status Qualifying Points [new]3 | — | ✓ | |
| Redemption Fee Waiver [new] | — | ✓ | |
| Create a Points Pool [new] | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Zone 2 Shortcut Boarding | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Yellow Glove Concierge Service [new] | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 25% Inflight Rebate [new] 4 | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Points Do Not Expire | ✓ | ✓ | |
1 Requires $10,000 spent on purchases the prior year. 2 Requires $5,000 spent on purchases the prior year. 3 $10 in purchases = 1 SQP. 4 Food and drink only.
All Free Spirit credit card holders enjoy points that do not expire as long as their account remains open along with the ability to start a Points Pool. Cardholders also enjoy Zone 2 shortcut boarding and a 25% rebate on food and drink purchases on every flight.
Earn Free Spirit Status Benefits Fast
Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard holders gain additional benefits like having every purchase count toward Free Spirit Silver or Gold status and the joy of never paying a redemption fee as long as their account remains open.
Spirit is also introducing its new Yellow Glove Concierge Service for Free Spirit credit card holders, Gold members, Silver members and Spirit Saver$ Club® members. Each group will have a dedicated phone number for reaching a Yellow Glove Concierge specially trained in maximizing the value of their loyalty and making every trip even more enjoyable.
Save Even More with Spirit Saver$ Club®
Spirit’s $9 Fare Club gets major enhancements alongside the new Free Spirit, and a new name to match. The Spirit Saver$ Club® expands on existing fare discounts by providing savings on seats and other Á La Smarte™ options designed to make it the best deal in the sky. It is a subscription-based membership that complements the no-cost Free Spirit program with additional savings and benefits available for a low, flat annual fee along with new 18 and 24-month memberships for even bigger savings.
Organized and On the Fast Track
Guests can keep track of their Free Spirit points and status—along with Spirit Saver$ Club savings—using new features rolled out in the “My Account” section of Spirit’s website and mobile app. The upgrades also provide information on earning and redeeming points throughout the booking process, along with the Saver$ Club savings available each step of the way. Free Spirit Members also receive convenient account summaries as part of an upgrade to the program-related emails they’re accustomed to receiving.
The new Free Spirit and Spirit Saver$ Club are the latest in a series of improvements made as part of Spirit’s commitment to invest in the Guest. The redesigned program follows on the heels of key initiatives like a new cabin interior featuring ergonomically-designed seats with more usable legroom, enhancements to on-time performance that consistently place Spirit among top U.S. airlines, and technology-driven upgrades like biometric photo matching that help reduce face-to-face contact during the airport check-in process.
Guest Safety
Spirit’s commitment to Safe Travels includes a multi-layered safety approach that requires all Guests and Team Members to wear face coverings. Each passenger agrees to that policy as part of a health and safety acknowledgement prior to boarding the aircraft. Every plane in our Fit Fleet® uses state-of-the-art, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that capture 99.97% of particles and filter the air for contaminants every 3 minutes.
Between each flight, enhanced cleaning procedures focus on high-touch areas such as tray tables and armrests. Spirit also uses two EPA-registered fogging treatments. The first applies a safe, high-grade disinfectant that’s effective against coronaviruses. The second uses an antimicrobial product that forms an invisible barrier on all surfaces that kills bacteria and viruses on contact for 30 days. Please visit Spirit’s COVID-19 Information Center for more information on safety enhancements.
*Based on points earned on published fares (excluding sale fares) and optional services using the Free Spirit Credit Card (the “Card”), and includes status qualifying points earned by spending on Spirit and everyday purchases using the Card.
**Coming in March 2021.
† The Free Spirit credit card programs are issued and administered by Bank of America, N.A. Mastercard, World Mastercard and World Elite Mastercard are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated and are used by the issuer pursuant to license.
About Spirit Airlines:
Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is committed to delivering the best value in the sky. We are the leader in providing customizable travel options starting with an unbundled fare. This allows our Guests to pay only for the options they choose — like bags, seat assignments and refreshments — something we call Á La Smarte. We make it possible for our Guests to venture further and discover more than ever before. Our Fit Fleet® is one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient in the U.S. We serve destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, and are dedicated to giving back and improving those communities. Come save with us at spirit.com.
Spirit Media Relations
954.364.0231
Media_Relations@spirit.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af3140c2-ec2a-4172-b772-9c9fb0e67bb6