Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue topped point.me’s 2026 ranking of airline rewards programmes, scoring 88.8 out of 100 for the third consecutive year. Five US-based programmes featured in the top 10, but United MileagePlus was the highest-ranked US airline scheme, placing second with 85.0. The comparison assessed 33 programmes for their usefulness to US travellers, including how readily members can earn and redeem miles and find award seats.
Air Canada Aeroplan ranked third with 82.2, up from seventh in the 2025 ranking. The rest of the top 10 comprised Atmos Rewards, American AAdvantage, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, JetBlue TrueBlue, the British Airways Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. The field narrowed from 59 programmes last year, making direct comparisons of year-on-year rank changes less straightforward.
Point.me’s evaluation used more than 250 million award fares and data current to 1 August 2026. It considered eight categories, including earning ease, redemption rates, partner opportunities, award availability, booking experience, award holds, customer service and change fees. Flying Blue ranked first for earning ease, partner opportunities and award availability. The ranking reflects a typical US traveller and excludes status benefits; point.me cautions that no single programme suits everyone.
In an August survey of 1,216 point.me members, 86% felt award prices had risen over the previous couple of years. When asked what mattered most at redemption, 39% prioritised finding an available seat and 38% the lowest price.