Pros
- No blackout dates on award flights
- No short-notice booking fee
- Points don't expire until 36 months of inactivity
- Respectable co-branded credit card
Cons
- No status perks
- Fewer destinations than top competitors
- No airline partners to earn or redeem
- Does not allow point transfers between accounts
Sun Country Rewards Review Summary
The Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Rewards program is the 10th best frequent flyer program for 2023, according to WalletHub’s review. Some of the best qualities of Sun Country Rewards are points worth an average of 1 cent apiece, no blackout dates on award flights, and no short-notice booking fee.
Below, you can see all the details of the Sun Country Rewards program, from how to earn and redeem points to how many destinations it services. You can also see how Sun Country Rewards stacks up against other popular frequent flyer programs.
Sun Country Rewards Review Scorecard
#8 for Earning Policies
#10 for Rewards Value
#6 for Redemption Policies
#8 for Destination Coverage
#8 for Other Features
Sun Country Rewards Points Needed for a Free Flight: | There is no minimum or maximum number of points needed for a free flight with Sun Country Airlines. |
Average Sun Country Rewards Point Value: | 1 mile= 1 cent 1,000 miles= $10 |
Sun Country Rewards Airline Partners: | 6: China Airlines, Condor, Hawaiian Airlines, Emirates, Eva Air and Icelandair |
How to Earn Sun Country Rewards Points
Category Rating: (68%) 10.18/15
Sun Country Rewards members earn points for purchases made through Sun Country Airlines and its partners. Below is a list of the different ways to earn points, as well as how many you can earn.
Transactions That Earn Sun Country Rewards Points
- 2 Sun Country Rewards points per $1 spent: Sun Country Airlines flights booked directly through Sun Country
- 1 Sun Country Rewards point per $1 spent: Sun Country Airlines flights booked through travel agents or travel websites
- 1- 3 Sun Country Rewards points per $1 spent: Purchases on a Sun Country Airlines credit card
- 5 Sun Country Rewards points per $1 spent: Purchases from Vinesse Wines (plus up to 2,500 points with your first shipment)
- 150 Sun Country Rewards points each way: Bookings made through Apple Vacations® or Funjet Vacations®
In addition, you may be able to find special deals on Sun Country Airlines flights on the airline’s website. These deals could let you spend fewer points than usual on a reward booking or earn more than usual on a regular booking.
Other Key Things to Know About Earning Sun Country Rewards Points
Earning limitations: Sun Country Airlines does not specify a maximum number of points you can earn per ticket.
Retroactive flight credit for members: Sun Country Rewards members can get credited for points from any Sun Country Airlines flight taken in the past 3 months if their frequent flyer number was not on the reservation (as long as they were a member at the time).
Retroactive flight credit for non-members: New Sun Country Rewards members can get points for flights taken up to 3 months before they became a member.
How Much Are Sun Country Rewards Points Worth?
Category Rating: (2%) 0.45/20
Sun Country Rewards points are worth 1 cent each, on average, according to WalletHub’s research. That means you need about 38,300 Sun Country miles to get a free flight, based on the average domestic fare of $383.
How to Redeem Sun Country Rewards Points
Category Rating: (97%) 19.37/20
Redemption Method | More Info |
---|---|
Flights | Book flights with Sun Country Airlines |
Vacation packages | Pay for vacation packages through Sun Country Airlines |
Donations | Give points to Make-a-Wish Minnesota |
Other Key Things to Know About Redeeming Sun Country Rewards Points
- There are no booking blackout dates.
- You can book a flight with points up to 400 days before departure.
- There is no short-notice booking fee.
- Sun Country Airlines allows stopovers on reward flights (no specified limit).
- There is a $0 - $100 award-ticket redeposit/cancellation fee.
Other Features of the Sun Country Rewards Program
Category Rating: (30%) 6.00/20
The Sun Country Rewards program does not offer any perks aside from the ability to earn and redeem points. It used to have an “Elite” level called Ufly Rewards Elite that offered benefits like priority boarding, free checked bags and complimentary upgrades, but that program was discontinued in 2018.
Other Key Features
- Sun Country Rewards points expire after 36 months of inactivity (no earning or redemption).
- You cannot reactivate expired points.
- You cannot transfer points between accounts.
- You cannot purchase Sun Country Rewards points.
Where Can Sun Country Rewards Points Take You?
Category Rating: (14%) 3.57/25
Sun Country Airlines flies to 76 U.S. destinations and 17 international destinations. Sun Country Airlines also has 6 partner airlines which collectively fly to 68 U.S. destinations and 371 international destinations.
You can’t directly transfer rewards from the loyalty programs of these partners to Sun Country Rewards or vice versa. For example, you can’t turn Sun Country Rewards points into Hawaiian Airlines miles. You won’t be able to earn or redeem Sun Country Rewards points with these partners, either.
The only major perk the partners provide is the ability to book connecting flights with all the airlines on a single ticket, then have your bags sent to your final destination.
Summary: Sun Country Rewards Scores by Review Category
Category | Score |
---|---|
Earning Policies | 10.18/15 |
Rewards Value | 0.45/20 |
Redemption Policies | 19.37/20 |
Destination Coverage | 3.57/25 |
Other Features | 6.00/20 |
OVERALL | 39.57/100 |
Sun Country Airlines Credit Cards
Opinions and ratings are our own. This content is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Some offers are from WalletHub partners.
Applying for a Sun Country Airlines credit card is worth considering if you have good credit or better and fly with Sun Country Airlines several times each year. There is only one option, the Sun Country Airlines Credit Card. It has an annual fee of $69 and an initial bonus of 25,000 points after spending $1,500 in the first 3 billing cycles.
5 Tips for Sun Country Rewards Members
- The best way to redeem Sun Country Rewards points is for Sun Country Airlines flights. Points are worth 1 cent apiece that way.
- Consider applying for a Sun Country Airlines credit card. The Sun Country Airlines Credit Card could save the average person over $300 over the first two years of use, according to WalletHub’s calculations.
- Try the Island Approach with your credit cards. The Sun Country Airlines Credit Card offers competitive rewards on Spirit flights, but different credit cards may provide better terms on other types of transactions. Using a collection of cards for specialized purposes can enable you to get the best deal on everything you buy.
- Make sure to read Sun Country Airlines reviews & Sun Country Rewards FAQs. Learning from experts and fellow travelers will help you pick up some useful tips as well as avoid tricks and pitfalls.
- Compare your flight options if you’re not wedded to Sun Country Rewards. Sun Country Airlines is not the only airline with a rewarding loyalty program. You can see how Sun Country Rewards compares to a couple of popular alternatives below. You can also check out WalletHub’s rankings of the Best Frequent Flyer Programs to learn more.
Sun Country Rewards vs. Spirit Airlines Free Spirit vs. Delta SkyMiles
Category | Sun Country Rewards | Spirit Airlines Free Spirit | Delta SkyMiles |
---|---|---|---|
WalletHub Rank | 10th | 9th | 3rd |
Average Mile Value | 1 cent | 0.95 cents | 1.12 cents |
U.S. Destinations | 76 | 59 | 214 |
International Destinations | 17 | 33 | 88 |
Mile Expiration | After 36 months of inactivity | After 12 months of inactivity | Never |
Credit Card to Consider | Sun Country Airlines Credit Card | Free Spirit Airlines Credit Card | Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card |
Sun Country Rewards Review Methodology
Overall program rankings are based on the same methodology as WalletHub’s annual study on the Best Frequent Flyer Programs. Editor’s ratings reflect the sum of each rewards program’s scores across the study’s 6 major categories – airline coverage, partner coverage, rewards value, earning policies, redemption policies and additional features & policies – adjusted to a 5-point scale, to create a representative distribution of ratings.
WalletHub calculated Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Rewards point values by comparing flight rates between U.S. cities and popular travel destinations – both domestic and international – to the number of points needed to book a flight. We applied the process to round-trip flights from Friday to Monday for each destination’s high and shoulder tourist seasons.