What is the best airline rewards program?

Airlines often have their branded credit cards, but you can still earn miles and points from frequenting an airline with the same rewards account.

• Alaska Airlines Mileages Plus is a popular airline for flyers along the west coast. All members of the airline’s rewards program earn tier-qualifying miles based on the miles physically flown, rather than what is spent for the flight.

• Delta Sky Miles is a great airline. If you need to travel internationally and can never go without checked bags, it might be worth looking into the Gold Delta SkyMiles Card.

• JetBlue True Blue offers additional bonuses for frequent flyers. For example, if you fly three round trips flights or six one way flights in a calendar year, you’ll receive 5,000 bonus points.

• United MileagePlus when you use your miles to book a trip with at least three one-way flights, you might be eligible to receive a free one-way flight between two of those cities.

• American Airlines Advantage if you’re looking for airport lounge access and VIP perks, American Airlines has an excellent airline club card. Their miles have the highest value for international travel.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards is another great domestic airline with routes all over the US. With points that have a higher value than its competitors for domestic travel.