The Ultimate Guide to Frontier Elite Status: How It Works, How to Get It, and How to Maximize Every Perk

Frontier elite status is one of the most accessible — and most misunderstood — status programs in U.S. air travel. At first glance, it looks almost too simple: earn points, unlock perks, save money. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see why some travelers swear by it while others walk away disappointed.

If you regularly fly with Frontier Airlines, or you’re trying to decide whether it makes sense to effectively “buy Frontier elite status” through flying, credit card spend, or promotions, this guide walks you through what actually matters. We’ll break down the real benefits, the easiest ways to earn and maintain status, the common traps that trip people up, and — most importantly — how to turn elite status into meaningful savings instead of frustration.

What is Frontier Elite Status?

Frontier elite status sits on top of the free Frontier Miles program. Anyone can join Frontier Miles, but only travelers who hit specific Elite Status Points thresholds unlock elite tiers.

Frontier offers four elite levels, each of which unlocks increasingly valuable benefits: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. Next, we will look at the requirements for getting elite statuses, how long they are valid, and how to maintain them.

How to Get and Maintain Frontier Elite Status

Getting Frontier elite status isn’t too hard to understand, but how much you get out of it really depends on how you plan for it.

Status Tier	Points Needed (per calendar year)	What Changes in Real Life
Silver	10,000	Faster boarding, fewer fees, basic seat selection
Gold	20,000	Carry-on included, better seats, earlier boarding
Platinum	50,000	Checked bags, companion travel, premium seating
Diamond	100,000	Maximum bags, refundability, top-tier flexibility

Once you reach a certain level, you keep that status for the rest of the year and all of the next year. So, if you get Silver status in the middle of 2025, you’ll have it until the end of 2026. But if you don’t maintain the requirements, you go back to the basic level right away.

They don’t offer partial credit, and there’s no extra time to requalify.

All Ways to Earn Frontier Elite Status

There are several paths you can take, but they’re not all created equal! Some are perfect for frequent flyers, others for those who spend strategically, and a few depend on catching the right promotion at the right time. Knowing the ins and outs of each method — and where people often mess up — can be the key to reaching the tier you want.

1. Booking Directly with Frontier

Booking directly with Frontier is the most solid way to earn elite status if you fly with them often. For every dollar you spend on base fares and add-ons, you get Elite Status Points (usually 10 points per dollar). The great thing is that Frontier counts add-ons as real spending. Things like seat selection, carry-on bags, checked baggage, and bundled fare options all help you climb the elite ladder.

Basically, Frontier rewards your total trip cost, not just the ticket price. If you’re flying with your family and booking seats together and checking bags, you can rack up points way faster than someone flying solo with just a basic ticket. Throughout the year, these extras can really give your elite status a boost.

The catch? You have to book directly with Frontier through their website, app, or call center. Flights booked through online travel agencies (even if they look cheaper) usually don’t earn you Elite Status Points. Booking through third-party sites regularly may prevent you from earning status, even if you fly Frontier a lot.

So, if you’re serious about elite status, book directly, even if it costs a little more upfront. The savings you’ll get from free bags, seats, and flexibility can easily make up for the small ticket difference in the long run.

2. The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard

The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard is the easiest shortcut to elite status, especially if you only fly Frontier occasionally. Your first purchase (no matter how small) automatically gets you Silver status. This means you get priority boarding and basic seat selection without even stepping foot on a plane.

Plus, you earn Elite Status Points for every dollar you spend on the card, no matter what you’re buying. Groceries, utilities, insurance payments, and everyday purchases all help you earn status. This card is especially useful if you don’t fly Frontier enough to earn status normally but still want to avoid those pesky bag and seat fees when you do.

Don’t get me wrong, you need to be realistic. Silver status is pretty easy to maintain with some credit card spending. But Gold, Platinum, and Diamond status require a lot of spending each year if you’re not flying often. This card only makes sense if you actively use Frontier’s benefits, like free carry-ons, checked bags, and companion passes, to make up for the cost of qualifying.

So, think of the card as a way to jumpstart your status, not as a magical solution. It works best when you also fly with Frontier.

3. Family Pooling

Family pooling is an often-forgotten aspect of the Frontier elite program, especially if you travel with family. Once you hit Silver status, Frontier lets you combine points with family or other travel partners into a single pool. Everyone still earns points individually, but the combined total can help people reach elite status faster.

This is great for families who buy multiple tickets together. Instead of spreading points across individual accounts, pooling puts them all in one place and can turn several occasional flyers into a single elite traveler.

Keep in mind that pooling needs to be managed. You have to manually add members, and changes don’t always update right away. System updates or account changes can sometimes mess up the pool, so you might need to re-enroll or call customer service. You won’t lose your points, but your elite progress can get stuck if you don’t notice the issue.

4. Promotional Fast-Tracks & Buy Status

Frontier occasionally runs special status promotions and buy-your-way offers that temporarily lower the barriers to elite status. These can provide huge shortcuts compared with normal qualifications, but they also require careful planning — and sometimes spending — to actually deliver value. The key is knowing what each type of offer is and who it’s best for.

Fast-Track Promotions

Frontier’s fast-track offers let you earn elite status by completing a small set of travel requirements within a limited window, rather than hitting the normal annual Elite Status Points thresholds. These promotions often require registration and are time-sensitive, so missing the sign-up or booking deadlines means you get nothing — even if you fly a lot.

Here’s a look at how these promos work, using a recent Frontier deal from late 2025 as an example: They had a Travel Tuesday fast-track offer where you could get Elite Gold status just by booking and flying a few round trips, spending a set amount. You could even get higher status by flying a bit more. Here’s the breakdown:

• Book and fly two round-trip flights (spending at least around $300) by early December, and finish your travel by the next spring. This gets you Elite Gold status that lasts until the end of the year.
• Book and fly three more round-trip flights (spending about $450 more), and you can bump yourself up to Elite Platinum status, which lasts through the end of the following year.

To get the status, you have to sign up for the promo, enter your Frontier Miles number when you book, and finish your travel within the specific time frame.

Keep in mind that these flights have to be paid bookings made directly with Frontier. Usually, award travel or GoWild passes don’t count.

This type of promo really lowers the usual spending and points you need (Elite Gold usually calls for 20,000 Elite Status Points, and Platinum needs 50,000). This means you can get cool perks, like waived change/cancellation fees, free carry-ons, priority boarding, and unlimited companion travel, for way less than normal.

The catch? If you don’t book or travel by the deadlines, or if you mess up the registration, you won’t get the status, and you might end up just spending money on flights for nothing.

Buy-Status Offers

In addition to travel-based fast tracks, Frontier sometimes offers status challenges or buy-status offers that let you purchase a chance at status or jump straight to a tier.

One version involves paying a fee plus completing a lower spend requirement within a set period to earn a status tier. For example, certain Platinum challenges have been offered where you pay a modest registration fee (e.g., around $99) and then have 90 days to earn a defined number of Elite Status Points (like 12,500) to get Platinum for the following year. Successful completion can award Platinum status that would normally require far more spend and flights. 

Another variant targeted flyers from other airlines, letting them buy Frontier Elite Gold status for a fixed fee (as low as ~$69) simply by proving status in another loyalty program—even without flying Frontier first. This type of offer is rarely repeated and typically time-limited, but can make sense for travelers frustrated with their current airline and willing to switch loyalty. 

Frontier Elite Status Benefits

Frontier elite status delivers real, measurable value — but only if you understand the boundaries.

Benefit	Silver (10K)	Gold (20K)	Platinum (50K)	Diamond (100K)
Priority Boarding	Zone 2 (member only)	Zone 1 (member), Zone 2 (companions)	Zone 1 (member + companions)	Zone 1 (member + companions)
Family Pooling	✔	✔	✔	✔
Customer Care Priority	✔	✔	✔	✔
Change / Cancellation Fee Waiver (7+ days before departure)	✔	✔	✔	✔
Free Standard Seat at Booking	✔	✔	✔	✔
Preferred Seat at Booking	—	✔	✔	✔
Stretch / Premium Seat	—	—	✔ (member + companions)	✔ (member + companions)
Free Carry-On Bag	—	✔ (member only)	✔ (member + companions)	✔ (member + companions)
Free Checked Bags	—	—	1 bag (member + companions)	2 bags (member + companions)
Companion Travel (taxes & fees only)	—	—	✔	✔
Pet-in-Cabin Fee Waiver	—	—	✔ (member + companions)	✔ (member + companions)
Discount Den Membership	—	—	50% off	Free
Bonus Miles on Frontier Spend	20%	40%	60%	100%
Status Gift	—	—	Gift Silver	Gift Gold
Refundable Tickets	—	—	—	✔ (up to 24h before departure)
First-Class Upgrade Eligibility (from late 2026)	—	✔	✔	✔

Important Notes:

• Companions = travelers on the same reservation as the elite member (up to 8).
• Benefits apply only to Frontier-operated flights and only when booked directly.
• Benefits are not retroactive — status must be active before booking.
• Award flights and GoWild Pass bookings are excluded from several perks (notably companion travel).
• First-class upgrades apply once Frontier’s new first-class cabin rolls out (expected late 2026).

Priority customer care can be a genuine stress reducer during delays or cancellations, especially when traveling with family. Support access extends to companions on the same reservation, which makes booking everyone together especially important.

Change and cancellation fee waivers add flexibility, but timing matters. Changes must be made more than seven days before departure to avoid fees. Within that window, standard rules apply.

Seat selection perks scale meaningfully by tier. Lower tiers remove the worst seats; higher tiers unlock premium and stretch seating for the whole group. The key detail: benefits only apply to bookings made after the status is earned.

Bag benefits are where most travelers see immediate savings. A single carry-on or checked bag can cost more than a base fare on Frontier. Gold status and above can eliminate those fees entirely for regular travelers.

Companion travel at Platinum and Diamond is one of Frontier’s most compelling perks. Paying only taxes for a second traveler can easily offset the entire cost of qualifying — but it only applies to paid tickets and requires both passengers to be on the same booking.

Refundability at Diamond is rare in ultra-low-cost carriers. Being able to cancel close to departure without losing the fare fundamentally changes how risky Frontier bookings feel.

What you don’t get is just as important: no lounges, no alliance perks, and no benefits on partner airlines. Frontier elite status is laser-focused on Frontier flights — and nowhere else.

How to Use Frontier Elite Status in Real Bookings

Elite status is only worth it if you use it right. Make sure to book after your status shows up, and always log in before you book anything. Double-check your perks before you pay. If free bags or seats aren’t showing up, don’t count on them getting fixed later — most of the time, they won’t be.

If you want your companions to get the same perks, they need to be on the same booking. If you split up bookings, even if it’s easier, you’ll probably lose most of the value of your elite status.

Strategic Advice: How to Maximize Value

Getting the timing right can score you the best deals. If you qualify early in the year, you get almost two years of perks. Promotions and sharing miles with family can help you hit those levels faster than going solo.

Using your credit card is best when you actually fly with Frontier. And if you make it to Platinum or Diamond status, gifting your status wisely keeps the value from going to waste.

Frontier is planning to add a first-class cabin and free upgrades for higher-status members, so the value of the program long-term — especially if you’re Gold or higher — is getting better.

Bottom Line

Frontier elite status isn’t fancy, and it demands commitment, but it’s useful. If you fly Frontier a lot, especially if you’re a family or watching your spending, you could save a good chunk of money on bags, seats, and bringing a friend. If you only fly now and then, it might not be worth the trouble.

Just know what you’re signing up for, book straight from Frontier, and think about how you’ll earn points during the year. If you do that, Frontier elite status could become one of the cheapest airline statuses you can get in the U.S.