5 Best Frequent Flyer Programs

I've blogged before about 8 ways you can save money if you choose to use credit cards; one of my tips was to choose the credit card with the best rewards program for your spending style, including frequent flyer miles. Now Money.cnn.com has put out a list of the "Best Frequent Flyer Programs." Their list includes:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards. Southwest debuted a new and improved Rapid Rewards program on March 1, where points are earned according to the price of the ticket and its seat class (members earn 12 points for every $1 on business fares and 10 points for every $1 on anytime fares). Those points can be redeemed for Southwest flights as well as rental cars, hotels and gift cards for Amazon or iTunes. Earn 35,000 points or more and score an upgrade to A-list status, which means priority boarding and priority check-in and security lane access.

• JetBlue TrueBlue. About a year ago, TrueBlue got a makeover with some major improvements. Most importantly, the program did away with blackout dates and point expirations altogether.Now, members can redeem their points for any seat on any flight with at least 5,000 points for a one-way and 10,000 points for a round-trip ticket. Users get six points for every dollar spent on a flight at jetblue.com but can also accumulate points on purchases from a JetBlue partner. For example: join Netflix and earn an easy 1,500 TrueBlue points right there.

• Delta SkyMiles. Members earn SkyMiles according to how far they fly, rather than to how many dollars they spend. And because Delta is a larger carrier, earning miles is easier because there are so many more partner companies, from FedEx to Fidelity, that offer ways to get bonus miles with everyday purchases. Delta also recently implemented a new policy eliminating its mileage expiration, so members can use their miles at any time.

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Alaska Airlines has one of the best frequent flyer plans on the market, even for travelers that live far from its hub. Members from all 50 states earn miles every time they fly Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, or any one of its airline partners, which include Air France, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and British Airways. Like the larger carrier programs, users earn miles according to how many miles you fly (rather than how many dollars you spend). A domestic round-trip fare starts at 25,000 miles, but members get 500 bonus miles just for signing up and miles don't expire as long as your account is active within a two-year period. Members can also redeem their miles for trips on any of the many partner airlines as well.

• Virgin America Elevate. Users earn five points for every dollar spent on Virgin flights but can accumulate points in more fun ways as well. For example, join Gilt Groupe and get 500 points with your first purchase or earn 25 free points simply by "checking-in" using Facebook, Foursquare or Twitter at a Virgin America terminal, gate or baggage claim. With as few as 2,500 points, users start flying free. There are also no blackout dates or restrictions on reward flights and miles don't expire as long as your account is active within an 18 month period.