Rating: 4 Stars
Bottom Line:
Off-Peak Rewards for Spirit Travelers
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Card Details
| Regular APR: | 16.74 – 24.74 (Variable) |
| Intro APR (Purchases): | None |
| Intro APR (Balance transfers): | None |
| Rewards Rate: | Earn 2 Miles on your everyday purchases – that’s 2 miles for every $1 |
| Credit Needed: | (670 – 850) Good/Excellent |
| Annual Fee: | None for first year, then $59 |
| Card Brand: | Mastercard |
*See online credit card application for details on the terms and conditions.
Offer Highlights
- Click APPLY NOW to apply online
- 15,000 bonus miles after your first purchase + 15,000 bonus miles after making at least $500 in purchases within 90 days of your account opening
- Flight Redemptions start at only 2,500 miles for cardholders (with taxes and fees from $6 each)
- No blackout dates on award tickets
- 5,000 anniversary bonus Free Spirit miles when you spend at least $10,000 in purchases annually
- Enjoy an Introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year; a $59 fee will apply to World Mastercard accounts thereafter
- Cardholders get exclusive access to the lowest flight redemption levels at Spirit.com
- Cardholders receive Zone 2 priority boarding by either using their Spirit Airlines Mastercard to purchase tickets directly from Spirit Airlines or by showing their Spirit Airlines Mastercard to the gate agent upon boarding
Is Spirit Airlines World MasterCard worth it?
Spirit Airlines World MasterCard is a solid card for Spirit travelers. Cardholders earn two miles per dollar on every purchase. This is not a high rewards rate but great that it applies to all purchases, which is unusual for an airline card. Usually a 2X rewards rate for an airline card would only apply to purchases with the airline.
The challenge with the Spirit Airlines World MasterCard is the $59 annual fee after the first year. Other cards have no annual fee, like the Citi Double Cash, and give the exact same rewards rate, but allow you to get cash back. With this in mind, the only people who should look at Spirit Airlines World MasterCard seriously are people who fly Spirit and enjoy hunting for deals.
As an example, we evaluated the point value of a one-way trip from LAX to LGA and found the cost for a trip in early November, during an off-peak period, to be $200. If this flight were an off-peak flight, it would cost 7,500 points for a Spirit Airlines World MasterCard customer. The point value would then be: $200 / 7,500 = more than two cents per point.
This was just one flight we searched. As you might expect, two cents per point is very good for airfare redemption. Because Spirit is not in an airline alliance, nor does it have point transfer partners, the miles you earn must be used for Spirit flights. So if you fly Spirit Airlines a few times a year, you will save money with the Spirit Airlines World MasterCard by redeeming points on off-peak dates as noted above, even when you take into account Spirit Airlines’ fees on reward tickets requested less than 21 days from departure: $50 between 7 and 20 days prior to departure and $75 6 days or less prior to departure.
The signup bonus of 15,000 bonus miles after your first purchase + 15,000 bonus miles after making at least $500 in purchases within 90 days is valuable for these travelers as well. Even at a conservative one cent per point, the bonus is worth 30,000 x $0.01 = $300 in Spirit airfare, more than covering the $59 annual fee for several years. But keep in mind that using this card as your everyday spend card to earn miles comes at a cost.
You could get the exact same rewards value, 2% or 2 cents per $1, with the Citi Double Cash, but you would be getting cash instead of miles confined to one airline.
Pros
- 15,000 bonus miles after your first purchase + 15,000 bonus miles after making at least $500 in purchases within 90 days of your account opening
- Miles can be worth 2 cents or more when redeemed for off-peak bookings
- No foreign transaction fee
Cons
- $59 annual fee after first year
- Off-peak flights are limited: not all flights during off-peak dates are eligible
Why 4 Stars?
Regular APR
4 Stars
Intro APR
4 Stars
Fees
4 Stars
Perks
5 Stars
Overall
4 Stars
Fees
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None |
| Balance Transfer Fee | Either $10 or 3% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater |
| Cash Advance Fee | See Terms (has exception) |
| Penalty APR | Up to 29.99% |
Benefits
| $0 Fraud Liability |
| Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver |
| Baggage Delay Insurance |
| Concierge Service |
| Emergency Card Replacement and Cash Advance |
| Extended Warranty Program |
| Identity Fraud Expense Reimbursement |
| Identity Theft Resolution Services |
| Purchase Protection |
| Price Protection |
| Roadside Assistance |
| Travel Accident Insurance |
| Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance |
| Travel Assistance |
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by the issuer. Any opinion, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author?s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
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