The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Everything you should know before flying Frontier Airlines
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
February 22, 2020 • 16 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
Frontier Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier offering basic fares with numerous optional add-ons, such as checked and carry-on bags, seat selection and priority boarding, each for an additional charge.
Discount Den is a paid membership program that provides access to lower fares and special promotions, including Kids Fly Free on select flights for families.
Bundles like Perks and Works combine several extras, but travelers should compare the cost of bundles to individual add-ons to determine the best value for their needs.
Frontier Miles, the airline's loyalty program, allows members to earn and redeem miles, with elite status offering benefits such as free bags, priority boarding and seat upgrades.
What to consider
Most extras, including checked bags, carry-on bags and seat selection, are not included in the base fare and can significantly increase the total trip cost.
Change and cancellation fees vary based on timing and whether a bundle was purchased, with the most flexibility offered to those who buy the Works bundle or hold top-tier elite status.
Frontier miles are valued at 1.1 cents each as of June 2024 per TPG's valuations and expire if there is no qualifying activity within six months.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of Frontier's optional fees, elite status perks and practical tips for minimizing costs when booking and flying with this carrier.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Each airline has its own fees and regulations, which can be confusing even to frequent flyers. To improve your experience when flying on the lowest fares, we've published guides to Basic Economy on Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines. We've also published a guide on things to know before flying on low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines.
In this post, we turn our attention to another low-cost carrier: Frontier Airlines. If you've booked — or are considering booking — a trip on Frontier, you may be wondering what's included and how this trip might be different from previous trips you've taken with other airlines. This guide aims to answer all of your questions about flying Frontier.
Frontier offers standard fares and Discount Den fares. The services that come with these fares are the same, but Discount Den fares can only be bought once you've joined Frontier's Discount Den and paid the $59.99 annual fee.
Frontier's Discount Den provides access to discounted fares, which are usually $10-32 less than standard fares. As a Discount Den member, you can purchase Discount Den fares for up to six passengers on your booking. And, on valid Kids Fly Free flights, one kid under 15 can fly for free for every adult Discount Den fare purchased. So, if you fly Frontier frequently, especially as a family or group of friends traveling on the same reservation, it might make sense to pay the $59.99 annual fee to join Discount Den.
Yes, but it will cost you. Checked bags no larger than 62 linear inches and no heavier than 50 pounds can be checked for standard rates. Baggage that goes over these limits will be charged an additional $75 for exceeding weight and an additional $75 for exceeding linear inch limits.
Standard rates are charged each way and vary based on route and when you purchase. It's least expensive to purchase checked bags during booking using Frontier's website or mobile app. The next least expensive option is to purchase a checked bag before check-in using Frontier's website or mobile app, while the most expensive option is to purchase a checked bag at the boarding gate. You can check the baggage prices for your exact flight on Frontier's website.
Yes, but it will cost you. The only carry-on that is included in all fares is one personal item no larger than 14 inches by 18 inches by eight inches that must fit under the seat in front of you.
You can pay to bring a carry-on bag that is no larger than 24 inches by 16 inches by ten inches and no heavier than 35 pounds. Purchasing a full-size carry-on bag will get you Zone 1 boarding.
However, the cost to bring a full-size carry-on bag varies based on route and when you purchase. It's least expensive to purchase a full-sized carry-on during booking using Frontier's website or mobile app, while the most expensive option is to purchase a full-sized carry-on at the boarding gate. You can check the baggage prices for your exact flight on Frontier's website.
If you're traveling with kids, you may want to select seats to ensure you all sit together. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Yes, but it will cost you, and the cost is per flight segment.
There are two types of seats: standard with 28-31 inch pitch and stretch with 5-7 more inches of legroom. The cost to select a seat for a particular flight is based on (1) the type of seat and (2) when you purchase the seat selection.
Seat costs are as follows:
On Frontier's website either during booking or more than 24 hours before departure:
Standard: from $5
Stretch: from $15
During web check-in:
Standard: from $7
Stretch: from $18
Through Frontier's call center, at an airport ticket counter or at a self-service kiosk :
Standard: from $16
Stretch: from $56
If you don't pay to select a seat, you'll be randomly assigned a seat at check-in. Frontier's website says the airline will try to seat everyone on the same reservation together, but that sitting together isn't guaranteed unless you purchase seats together during booking.
Select a seat in the emergency exit row when you purchase a bundle. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
Frontier offers two bundles during booking that include some of the chargeable items discussed above. Prices for these bundles vary significantly. But, for an example, on a round-trip booking for one passenger from Atlanta to Denver with a direct flight leaving in about a month, the Perks bundle costs $130 round-trip and the Works bundle costs $166 round-trip.
The Perks bundle includes:
One carry-on bag no larger than 24 inches by 16 inches by 10 inches
One checked bag no larger than 62 linear inches
Seat reservation for any available seat, including stretch seating
Zone 1 boarding
The more expensive Works bundle includes:
Everything from the Perks bundle
Change your flight without change fees, but subject to the difference in ticket and option prices
Get your flight refunded with no cancellation fees
Decide which of the services included in the bundle you would purchase separately to determine whether to purchase the bundle. In most cases, it will be cheaper to forgo the bundle and simply purchase the services you need.
If you have elite status with Frontier, you've purchased a carry-on or you've purchased the WORKS bundle, you'll board in Zone 1. If you're traveling as a family with children under three, you'll board immediately after Zone 1. Otherwise, you'll board during the remainder of the boarding process.
Yes, but it might cost you. If you purchased the WORKS bundle or want to change your flight 60 days or more before departure, you can apply the value of your purchase to a new ticket without any penalty. You'll just need to pay the difference in fare and/or options.
Otherwise, if you want to change your flight 59 to 14 days before your departure, you'll need to pay a non-refundable change fee of $79 per passenger ($49 per passenger if your tickets were purchased before Sept. 13, 2019) plus any difference in fare and/or options. And, if you want to change your flight within 14 days of your departure -- including same-day flight changes -- you'll need to pay a non-refundable change fee of $119 per passenger plus any difference in fare and/or options.
In either case, if the new fare and/or options cost less than your original purchase, you won't get a refund or further opportunity to use this value.
If you purchased the Works bundle, you can choose to:
Retain the value of your purchase for use within one year of the transaction date or
Complete the Online Refund Form to have the full value returned to your purchasing card
If you cancel your flight within 24 hours of purchase, you can get a full refund with no cancellation fee as long as the ticket wasn't purchased within seven days of travel. If you cancel a ticket that was purchased within seven days of travel, the value will be held as a credit and you'll need to pay a $119 fee per passenger to use this value toward another ticket.
If you didn't purchase the Works bundle and didn't cancel within 24 hours of purchase, your booking will keep its value for 90 days as a travel credit. This travel credit can be used toward the purchase of future travel, but you'll need to pay a fee of $79 ($49 for tickets purchased before Sept. 13, 2019) per passenger if you cancel 59 to 14 days before departure or a fee of $119 per passenger if you cancel within 14 days of departure. There's no fee if you cancel 60 days or more before departure.
Tickets must be canceled before the flight's departure to retain any value.
Yes, you'll earn one Frontier Mile per mile flown. TPG's latest valuation pegs the value of Frontier miles at 1.1 cents each. Earned miles are subject to expiration if the account does not have accrual activity at least once every 180 days or six months.
Yes. The Frontier Miles program has three levels: Elite 20k, Elite 50k and Elite 100k. Each level is reached once a particular number of Status Qualifying Miles or Segments are accrued within a calendar year. Status Qualifying Miles can be earned via flying (one mile per mile flown) or spending on the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard (one mile per dollar spent). Note that Status Qualifying Miles aren't the same as redeemable miles.
The Elite 20k level, obtained with 20,000 Status Qualifying Miles or 25 Segments, provides the following benefits for the elite member that can make flying Frontier more affordable and more comfortable:
Free carry-on bag
Unlock family pooling where you can combine Frontier Miles with up to eight family members and friends to make using miles easy
Free advanced standard seat assignment
Upgrade to stretch seating for free if available during check-in, at the ticket counter or at the gate
Priority boarding
Award fees are waived when booking an award flight
Travel fees are waived including call center reservation fee, same-day confirmed fee and same-day standby fee
Use miles to redeem last seat available award tickets for any traveler on the elite member's booking
The Elite 50k level, obtained with 50,000 Status Qualifying Miles or 50 Segments, provides the following benefits for the elite member:
Free carry-on bag
Unlock family pooling where you can combine Frontier Miles with up to eight family members and friends to make using miles
Free advanced standard or stretch seat assignment for the member and up to eight companions traveling on the member's booking
Priority boarding
Award fees are waived when booking an award flight
Travel fees are waived including call center reservation fee, same-day confirmed fee and same-day standby fee
Use miles to redeem last seat available award tickets for any traveler on the elite member's booking
Receive 25% additional redeemable mileage bonus on all eligible Frontier flights
50% discount on Discount Den membership, meaning an annual membership would cost $29.99
The Elite 100k level, obtained with 100,000 Status Qualifying Miles or 100 Segments, provides the following benefits:
Complimentary the Works bundle for up to eight travel companions on the elite member's booking
Unlock family pooling where you can combine Frontier Miles with up to eight family members and friends to make using miles
Free advanced standard or stretch seat assignment for the member and up to eight companions traveling on the member's booking
Priority boarding
Award fees are waived when booking an award flight
Travel fees are waived including call center reservation fee, same-day confirmed fee and same-day standby fee
Use miles to redeem last seat available award tickets for any traveler on the elite member's booking
Receive 50% additional redeemable mileage bonus on all eligible Frontier flights
Does have a co-branded Frontier credit card help? (Photo by John Gribben/The Points Guy)
Not really, although the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard does get you Zone 2 boarding and the opportunity to earn elite status by spending on the card.
The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard has the following main benefits and a $79 annual fee:
Eligible for family mileage pooling
Five redeemable miles for every dollar spent on Frontier purchases, three miles for every dollar spent at restaurants and one mile for every dollar spent anywhere else
Spend toward elite status by earning one Qualifying Mile with every $1 spent on purchases or by flying Frontier
Earn a $100 flight voucher after every account anniversary with eligible purchases
Keep miles from expiring by making at least one purchase every six months
Some credit cards also offer annual statement credits for incidental airline fees, which can cover charges for seat selection, baggage fees and more. The following cards all offer annual statement credits for incidental airline fees:
The Platinum Card from American Express: Up to $200 annual credit for your selected airline (enrollment required)
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Up to $250 annual credit for your selected airline (enrollment required)
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Up to $200 annual credit for your selected airline (enrollment required)
Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card: Up to $100 annual airline incidental statement credit
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
