African airlines ranked poorly among some of the world’s best loyalty programmes, according to the World’s Best Airline Rewards Programmes2025 report by point.me.
SAA Voyager tied at 39th place with Royal Air Maroc’s Safar Flyer. Ethiopian Airlines’ Sheba Miles ranked 25, while EgyptAir tied at 58.
Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue programme was named the world’s best airline loyalty programme for the second year in a row.
The study evaluated 59 global airline loyalty programmes, which were judged by their ease of earning miles, redemption rates, partner opportunities, redemption experience, award availability, customer service quality, change and cancellation fees/policies and award holds.
The regional rankings were:
Europe
- Air France Flying Blue (ranked first globally)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (ranked fourth globally)
- British Airways Executive Club (ranked sixth globally)
Middle East and Africa
- Emirates Skywards (ranked ninth globally)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (ranked 10th globally)
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (ranked 14th globally)
Asia and Oceania
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (ranked 11th globally)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (ranked 11th globally)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (ranked 17th globally)
North America
- American Airlines AAdvantage (ranked second globally)
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (ranked third globally)
- United MileagePlus (ranked fifth globally)
Latin America
- Avianca LifeMiles (ranked 14th globally)
- Copa Airlines ConnectMiles (ranked 24th globally)
- LATAM Pass (ranked 43rd globally)
Which airline loyalty programmes work best for your clients and why? Let us know in the comments below or email us at editor@travelnews.co.za.
