Free Spirit® Travel More World Elite Mastercard® review

If you’re a loyal Spirit Airlines flyer planning to double-down on travel in 2023, the carrier’s recently-revamped rewards card may be worth a look – but only if you go in with open eyes.

Issued by Bank of America, the Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard can offer solid value for the right cardholder, holding its own against a number of airline rewards cards with its respectable rewards rate and generous annual and welcome bonuses.

However, Spirit Airlines is notorious for its excessive fees, the card doesn’t have the most impressive lineup of travel perks and the Free Spirit rewards program is burdened by a restrictive redemption scheme, with no option to book flights with partner airlines.

The best travel credit cards can offer more valuable rewards programs, travel perks and introductory bonuses, along with a great deal more flexibility – so just make sure Spirit Airlines is the best fit for you before you apply.

See related: Best credit cards for international travel

Earning points

The Free Spirit Travel More card offers a respectable rewards rate of 3 points per dollar on eligible Spirit purchases, 2 points per dollar on eligible dining and grocery store purchases and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

While this pales in comparison to the high rewards rates and category variety you can find on the top travel rewards cards, it beats out a number of airline rewards cards, which sometimes only offer bonus rewards on purchases made directly with the airline.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that groceries and dining make up a big chunk of the average person’s budget, so offering points on spending in these categories should give Free Spirit Travel More cardholders a leg up on their way to a free flight.

Based on the average person’s spending habits, we estimate that the Free Spirit Travel More card would carry an average rewards rate of around 1.45 points per dollar if you were to use it for all your purchases, placing it somewhere in the middle among rewards cards. Given the airline’s shift to a dynamic award pricing model, however, the jury’s out on the exact value of Free Spirit points.

Based on Bankrate’s latest airline point valuations, which give Spirit Airlines points a value of 1 cents each, the average person stands to earn around around 23,000 points worth around $150 in travel per year via card spend (assuming a $15,900 annual spend).

Of course, if you spend more than the average person on travel, you’ll gather points much faster. But since this is a co-branded airline rewards card (and since Spirit doesn’t partner with any other airlines), you’ll want to be sure that Spirit’s routes are the best fit for you.

Though limited, Spirit’s domestic routes include popular cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York City, Houston and more. The carrier also offers service to the Caribbean and Latin America, including destinations like the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba, Jamaica, Cancun, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama and Peru.

Redeeming points

One of the biggest downsides of the Free Spirit card is its redemption scheme. You can only redeem points for Spirit flights and a handful of other purchases with Spirit retail partners (such as magazine subscriptions).

One-way Spirit award flights start at 2,500 points, so if your spending habits matched those of the average person and you got lucky with your bookings, you could theoretically enjoy several free one-way flights per year by using the Free Spirit Travel More card as your go-to card for most spending.

Though the Free Spirit program offers rewards earning opportunities with a small roster of travel partners (including car rental companies and hotels, but no airlines), the program doesn’t give you the ability to transfer rewards or book flights with other carriers.

This could be a major shortcoming if redemption flexibility is a priority for you, as your rewards are essentially “locked-in” with the Free Spirit loyalty program. That said, none of the major credit card rewards programs include Spirit on their list of transfer options, so if you’re only interested in earning rewards to use with Spirit, the Free Spirit Travel More card will likely be one of your best options.

Solid sign-up and annual bonus

The Free Spirit Travel More card offers a limited time sign-up bonus of 60,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of account opening. On top of that, you’ll get a $100 Companion Flight Voucher for meeting the spending requirement.

This bonus is worth a combined total of $600 in Spirit travel based on Bankrate’s point value estimates. Since one-way award flights start at a couple thousand points, the bonus alone could theoretically take you quite far. That said, Spirit Airlines’ off-peak awards can be tough to come by.

You’ll also get a $100 travel companion voucher every year you spend at least $5,000 with the card. This is a great perk since it covers the card’s annual fee on its own. Given the card’s everyday bonus categories, the vouch should be fairly easy to earn as well.

Rates and fees

The Free Spirit Travel More card carries a $79 annual fee that’s waived in the first year. This is a notable plus, as it gives you a chance to try out the card and decide whether the ongoing fee makes sense for you when stacked against the card’s rewards and benefits.

Assuming you meet the spending requirement for the card’s annual and sign-up bonus, you should make out quite well in the first year. And even in year two, with no sign-up bonus at play and the annual fee now in the mix, you should land in the black if your spending matches that of the average consumer.

Here’s a quick look at how the math shakes out, assuming you secure the sign-up bonus (60,000 bonus points plus a $100 companion flight voucher after spending $1,000 within the first 90 days) and use a 1-cent point value and average spending.

The Free Spirit Travel More card carries a decent range of potential APRs, offering an APR of 19.74% – 27.74% (variable), depending on your credit profile. The low-end APR just about matches the average credit interest rate, while the high-end rivals the rate you’ll find on credit cards for people with bad credit.

As a reminder, Spirit markets itself as a “bare fare” airline. Essentially, that means it offers a low rate. But it also upcharges you in any way it can.

While a fee for checked baggage may be expected, some fees can catch an unwitting traveler off guard. For instance, Spirit charges fees for both checked baggage and carry-on baggage larger than a “personal item” (18”x14”x8”), boarding passes printed at the airport, in-flight drinks and snacks and more. You’ll also have to pay for requesting a seat assignment (flyers are randomly assigned seats at check-in for free).

Take a look at some of Spirit’s fees as you consider whether the Free Spirit Travel More card and Spirit as an airline are worth it.

Benefits

Along with its annual $100 companion travel voucher when you spend $5,000, the Free Spirit Travel More card offers a few notable perks, though these aren’t particularly impressive given the card’s annual fee after the first year.

Some of the card benefits that stand out include:

• Zone 2 Shortcut Boarding on all flights. This gives you a slight leg up over Spirit’s general boarding zone, Zone 3. Zone 2 boarding comes after passengers who’ve purchased a carry-on bag for the flight.
• 25% rebate on in-flight food and beverage purchases made with the card.
• Pool points with up to eight other loyalty program members.
• No foreign transaction fees. Given the card’s Caribbean and Latin American routes, this is a big plus. Many cards charge a fee of 3% of the purchase price for every foreign transaction.
• Redemption fee waiver. Award travel booked fewer than 28 days in advance typically incurs a $50 fee.
• Other World Elite Mastercard benefits, including Lyft credits, a free ShopRunner membership and more.

While decent, this list falls short of the benefits you’ll find on some competing rewards cards, which can come with perks like credits for TSA Precheck or Global Entry, free checked bags, lounge passes and more.

How does the Free Spirit Travel More card compare to other travel rewards cards?

If you are set on earning rewards with Spirit, then the Free Spirit Travel More card will likely be one of your best options, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to offset the annual fee with rewards and perks earned via card spend.

If you are open to flying with other airlines, however, you may be better off with a general travel rewards credit card. These cards typically offer much more flexibility with how you can earn and redeem rewards. Here are a few of our top picks worth considering:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card	Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Rewards rate 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠. 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries. 2x on all other travel purchases. 1x on all other purchases.	Rewards rate Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.	Rewards rate 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
Sign-up bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.	Sign-up bonus 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.	Sign-up bonus 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Annual fee $95	Annual fee $0	Annual fee $95
Other things to know 25% higher point value when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠ Primary car rental insurance in U.S. and abroad 1 cent per point value when redeemed for a statement credit	Other things to know Redeem points for dining and travel purchases, including those on third-party booking sites Poor redemption value for cash back Higher rewards rate for Bank of America Preferred Rewards® account holders	Other things to know Includes up to $120 credit for Global Entry/TSA Precheck Over 15+ travel transfer partners, including Avianca, JetBlue and Aeromexico 1 cent per mile value for travel redemptions

Chase Sapphire Preferred

The most alluring feature of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is its sign-up bonus worth $750 when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠. That’s 60,000 points after you spend 4,000 in three months. You can enjoy a 25% higher point value when you book travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal, and the card also comes with a very flexible redemption scheme that allows you to transfer points to a number of partners, including United and JetBlue, sometimes for a higher point value.

Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card

A good fit if you’re looking for simplicity, the Bank of America Travel Rewards card carries a flat rewards rate of 1.5 points per dollar and charges no annual or foreign transaction fees. Plus, if you’re a Bank of America customer, you may be able to take advantage of the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program to enjoy a higher rewards rate based on the size of your bank balance.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture card offers a competitive 2 miles per dollar on every purchase and allows you to redeem miles at the same rate whether you book through the Capital One travel portal or with an outside provider. This means you could use your Venture miles to cover airfare booked with Spirit but also have the flexibility to use rewards with a plethora of other airlines.

Who should get the Free Spirit Travel More card?

• Frequent flyers of Spirit Airlines or travelers who frequent Spirit Airlines destinations in the U.S., Caribbean or Latin America
• Cardholders who live in a hub city served by Spirit Airlines.
• No-frills bargain hunters who don’t mind jumping through some hoops to get cheap airline travel.
• Cardholders who plan to take advantage of the first-year annual fee waiver to see if the card is right for them.

How to use the Free Spirit Travel More card:

• Use the card for all eligible dining and grocery expenses to take advantage of the 2-point-per-dollar earning rate.
• Spend at least $5,000 per year with the card to earn the $100 travel companion voucher and cover the card’s annual fee.
• Take a close look at the airline’s fees to be sure your hard-earned rewards aren’t canceled out by surprising charges at the check-in counter.

Is the Free Spirit Travel More card worth it?

The Free Spirit Travel More card could definitely be worth the price of admission – but it really depends on your Spirit Airlines loyalty.

The Free Spirit Travel More card and the Free Spirit frequent flyer program are so intertwined that it doesn’t make much sense to use one without the other, so while the card may be a good fit if you love Spirit Airlines and frequent its destinations, the majority of travelers will likely be better off with a more flexible travel rewards card.

That said, if you’re already a Spirit Airlines loyalist who’s found you can get good deals on domestic and international routes, the annual travel companion voucher and ongoing rewards should easily cover the annual fee, and the card’s inclusion of dining and grocery purchases in its bonus rewards categories should make it simple to earn a large number of Spirit points.

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