Spirit Airways — essentially the most infamous ultra-low-cost U.S. service — revamped its elite standing program in early 2021. And regardless of what you may assume, it truly packs some highly effective options (assume: free luggage, free seat choice, waived obese checked bag charges, exit-row seat project and way more).
The way in which you quantify the worth of those perks is essential to contemplate whether or not you need to earn elite standing with Spirit in 2023.
On this article, we’ll take a look at how a lot Spirit elite standing is admittedly price by breaking down the advantages of every standing tier and assigning every a set money worth.
Methodology
Right here’s a fast reminder that our valuations symbolize one method to establish what elite standing is price to a possible traveler. You need to at all times regulate our assumptions of your journey habits to suit the way you truly journey. For instance, in the event you by no means test a bag, you received’t discover any worth in that profit.
Listed here are the underlying assumptions we’re making: We’ve assumed a set quantity of flying and a corresponding quantity of spending. Spirit awards elite standing in a different way than extra conventional carriers; as a substitute of incomes standing by miles flown, you’ll earn Standing Qualifying Factors. You earn them within the following methods:
The knowledge for the Free Spirit Journey Extra Mastercard has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
This evaluation ignores the bank card route. You might theoretically attain Spirit elite standing via spending alone, however in the event you’re not flying Spirit, you’re not prone to get worth from Spirit elite standing.
Associated: Why having the Spirit Airways bank card isn’t loopy
Our numbers are primarily based on 4 (considerably arbitrary) assumptions. Once more, tweak the numbers to match your life-style:
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- You earn 20% extra SQPs than the minimal required for the given degree.
- 80% of your SQPs are earned on Spirit flight purchases.
- 20% of your SQPs are earned with auxiliary purchases like Huge Entrance Seat choice and extra baggage.
- Every flight prices a median of $100 earlier than taxes, incomes 100 SQPs.
Two remaining items of data earlier than we begin: First, we’ll use our valuation of 1.1 cents every when valuing bonus factors earned for every standing tier. Second, we’ll spherical all profit values to the closest $5.
Spirit elite standing tiers
Spirit Airways affords two tiers of elite standing. Right here’s a fast rundown of what you’ll get for pledging loyalty to Spirit.
| Advantages | Silver elite standing | Gold elite standing |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | 2,000 SQPs on flights operated by Spirit Airways or by spending on the Free Spirit Journey Extra World Elite Mastercard. | 5,000 SQPs on flights operated by Spirit Airways or by spending on the Free Spirit Journey Extra World Elite Mastercard. |
| Mileage incomes on Spirit flights | 8 factors per greenback. | 10 factors per greenback. |
| Factors earned on À La Smarte choices (extras) | 16 factors per greenback. | 20 factors per greenback. |
| Host factors pool for group | ✓ | ✓ |
| Exit-row seat project | 180 minutes from departure. | Confirmed at reserving. |
| Seat choice | You possibly can select your seat at check-in. | You possibly can select your seat on the time of reserving, however you may’t select the Huge Entrance Seat (Spirit’s model of top quality). |
| Shortcut boarding | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shortcut safety | ✓ | ✓ |
| Devoted visitor care | ✓ | ✓ |
| Identical-day standby | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chubby checked bag charge waived | ✓ | ✓ |
| Redemption charge waived | ✓ | ✓ |
| Flight flex | ✓ | |
| Free nonalcoholic drink and snack on board | ✓ | |
| First checked bag | ✓ | |
| Carry-on bag
|
✓ |
So how a lot are these advantages price realistically for a frequent flyer?
Free Spirit Silver: $805
Spirit Silver is the airline’s entry-level standing tier. It features a handful of fascinating advantages that make the Spirit expertise simpler and extra seamless, and it requires 2,000 SQPs to earn. For this valuation, we’re assuming you’ll earn 2,400 SQPs. This implies you’d spend $2,400 with Spirit in a given yr to earn and preserve your standing degree:
- 80% on flights. You’d must take 19 flights primarily based on our assumption of 100 SQPs per flight (for 1,900 SQPs).
- 20% on extras, for a complete of $500 in spending.
| Profit particulars | Worth | |
|---|---|---|
| Mileage incomes on Spirit flights | You’ll earn 8 factors per greenback to your precise Spirit Airways fare. That is 2 factors greater than you’ll earn as a daily member. With $1,920 in spending on flights, this equals 3,840 bonus factors. | $40. |
| Factors earned for extras | You’ll earn 16 factors per greenback for extras corresponding to checked or carry-on luggage, seat choice, shortcut boarding, and so on. That is 4 factors greater than you’ll earn as a daily member, for two,000 bonus factors. | $20. |
| Host factors pool for group | Free Spirit Silver elite members can host a factors pool that lets the elite member and their relations pool their factors collectively. It’s arduous to place a quantity on this, but it surely definitely is useful to mix factors for awards. As a member, you may solely pool factors with somebody who has elite standing. | $20. |
| Exit-row seat project | You possibly can select exit rows free of charge three hours earlier than departure. These seats are normally costlier than normal seats, however you could not at all times clear your seat upgrades on the final minute. Let’s assume a 30% success fee with a median worth of $20 per seat project. | $115. |
| Seat choice | You possibly can select your seats at check-in, however you received’t be capable to choose most popular seats. Nonetheless, that is large, as Spirit can cost as much as $200 per flight for this “luxurious,” although it is typically a lot much less. | $190. |
| Shortcut boarding | Free Spirit Silver elite members are eligible for precedence boarding on all flights, which prices a minimal of $5.99 per flight. | $50. |
| Shortcut safety | This perk allows you to skip the common Transportation Safety Administration line and enter an expedited safety screening. Not all airports take part on this, however it will probably save fairly a little bit of time if touring throughout a busy time. This perk in any other case prices as much as $15. | $75. |
| Devoted visitor care | A precedence telephone line is usually a lifesaver throughout large-scale climate occasions, but it surely’s not essentially the most worthwhile perk. | $25. |
| Identical-day standby | Free Spirit Silver members can standby free of charge on an earlier flight, which prices common members $99 per flight. Let’s assume you employ this as soon as per yr. | $100. |
| Chubby checked bag charge waived | In case your checked bag weighs greater than 40 kilos, you’ll be charged $69-plus on the check-in desk. This charge is waived for elite members, although be aware that Spirit received’t settle for luggage weighing greater than 100 kilos. Let’s assume you employ this profit as soon as per yr. | $70. |
| Redemption charge waived | Normal Free Spirit members pay a $50 redemption charge for award flights booked inside 28 days of departure. That is waived for elite members and cobranded bank card members. Let’s assume you employ this twice per yr. | $100. |
| Complete worth | $805. |
Free Spirit Gold: $4,485
Prime-tier Spirit Gold standing requires 5,000 SQPs to attain. Once more, we’ll assume you earned 6,000 SQPs for this valuation. This implies you’d spend $6,000 in a given yr to earn and preserve your standing degree break up as follows:
- 80% on flights. That’s 48 flights primarily based on our assumption of 100 SQPs per flight (for 4,800 SQPs).
- 20% on extras, equaling $1,200 in spending.
| Profit particulars | Worth | |
|---|---|---|
| Mileage incomes on Spirit flights | You’ll earn 10 factors per greenback to your precise Spirit Airways fare. That is 4 factors greater than you’ll earn as a daily member, for a complete of 19,200 bonus factors earned. | $210. |
| Factors earned for extras | You’ll earn 20 factors per greenback for extras corresponding to checked or carry-on luggage, seat choice, shortcut boarding, and so on. That is 8 factors greater than you’ll earn as a daily member, supplying you with 9,600 bonus miles. | $105. |
| Host factors pool for group | Identical profit, with extra frequent utilization. | $35. |
| Exit-row seat project | You possibly can go for an exit row on the time of reserving. This leaves little or no as much as probability, as with Silver members, you’re solely assured an exit row 180 minutes previous to departure. We’ll assume a 30% success fee with a median worth of $20 per seat project. | $290. |
| Seat choice | You possibly can choose a free seat at reserving. Sadly, you may’t choose Huge Entrance Seats. | $305. |
| Shortcut boarding | Identical profit, with extra frequent utilization. | $80. |
| Shortcut safety | Identical profit, with extra frequent utilization. | $120. |
| Devoted visitor care | Identical profit, with extra frequent utilization. | $40. |
| Identical-day standby | Identical profit however assuming you employ the profit twice per yr. | $200. |
| Chubby checked bag charge waived | Identical profit, with extra frequent utilization. | $140. |
| Redemption charge waiver | Identical profit however assuming you employ the profit thrice per yr. | $150. |
| Flight flex | This profit permits you to modify your itinerary as soon as on-line, as much as 24 hours earlier than departure, with no charges. This is usually a worthwhile perk if you wish to transfer to an earlier or later flight. This in any other case prices $35-plus per buyer. Let’s assume you employ this 10% of the time. | $170. |
| Free nonalcoholic drink and snack on board | You may get a free drink and snack on board. Typically, it will prevent $8 per flight, relying on what you select to snack on. Be aware that this isn’t essentially “financial savings” in the event you wouldn’t usually volunteer to pay for meals in your flight. | $385. |
| First checked bag | You’ll obtain your first checked bag free of charge on all flights. Baggage charges range, however let’s assume you’d in any other case pay $30 per flight for 50% of your flights. | $720. |
| Carry-on bag | You’ll obtain a free full-size carry-on bag on all Spirit flights. These luggage value roughly $40 per flight. Let’s assume you deliver a carry-on for 80% of your flights. | $1,535. |
| Complete worth | $4,485. |
What if I’m ranging from scratch?
Should you’re ranging from scratch, these calculations develop into a bit extra sophisticated because you received’t take pleasure in any advantages till you earn 2,000 SQPs and earn Free Spirit Silver standing. So to assist, I’ve taken the above valuations and transformed them to a price per SQP, as follows:
- Free Spirit Silver: $805 / 2,400 = $0.33 per SQP.
- Free Spirit Gold: $4,485 / 6,000 = $0.75 per SQP.
For instance, in the event you’re capable of obtain 6,500 SQPs, you’d get no advantages from the primary 2,000 SQPs, then take pleasure in Silver elite advantages for the subsequent 3,000 SQPs (at a fee of 33 cents per SQP) after which take pleasure in Gold elite advantages whereas incomes the ultimate 1,500 factors (at a fee of 75 cents per SQP).
In different phrases, in the event you begin from scratch and estimate that you just’ll earn 6,500 SQPs in 2023, you’d get $2,115 price of advantages from the Free Spirit program.
As at all times, be at liberty to regulate the numbers above for every tier primarily based by yourself private valuation.
Associated: One of the best bank cards to succeed in elite standing
Is it price pursuing elite standing with Spirit Airways?
Like every evaluation we undertake right here at TPG, there isn’t a straightforward reply to this — it relies upon totally in your particular person scenario. Nevertheless, given the truth that Spirit fees for every little thing from carry-on luggage to seat choice, top-tier Gold elite standing could be fairly worthwhile, as you’ll be proof against many of those charges.
Listed here are just a few overarching questions that may show you how to arrive at a choice that’s best for you.
What’s the incremental worth of 1 tier over one other?
A lot of you could wind up inside putting distance of the subsequent tier, so take into account whether or not the advantages are price pushing for it. There’s no sense in going out of your method for perks that don’t matter to you.
How properly does Spirit’s route map match your typical journey patterns?
There’s actually no level in pursuing elite standing with an airline in the event you can’t feasibly fly it recurrently. Think about Spirit’s service from your private home airport(s) and the way straightforward it’s to get to your required vacation spot(s).
How delicate are you to cost and comfort?
There are a lot of trade-offs on this interest, and one of the widespread is deciding whether or not to make use of your most popular airline or resort chain when it’s not essentially the most handy or least expensive. Would you e-book a one-stop Spirit flight if one other airline had a less expensive nonstop choice? If the reply is not any, it might not be price going out of your method to earn Spirit elite standing.
Associated: Hear us out: Why Spirit provides Delta a run for its cash in our head-to-head comparability
Backside line
The Spirit Airways enterprise mannequin (and that of low-cost carriers generally) isn’t for everybody. The fares are low-cost, however you will need to pay for perks like seat assignments, luggage and drinks. Some don’t thoughts these trade-offs, however others would slightly hop on a Megabus earlier than reserving a Spirit ticket.
For many who love Spirit, Free Spirit elite standing is usually a method to make Spirit flights cheaper and extra snug. So, in the event you’re already planning on flying Spirit sufficient to earn elite standing, you’ll undoubtedly take pleasure in all of the perks it contains.
That mentioned, it’s nearly definitely not price it to exit of your method to earn it with bank card spending in the event you’re not flying sufficient to earn it organically. The perks don’t outweigh the price of transferring all of your flights to 1 airline (or flying greater than it’s a must to).
