The Offer
- Bank of America is offering 35,000 points + $100 statement credit after $1,000 in spend within the first 90 days and $100 companion flight voucher
The Fine Print
- Annual fee of $79, waived first year
- Card earns at the following rates:
- 3 points per $1 spent on eligible Spirit purchases
- 2 points per $1 spent on eligible dining and grocery store purchases
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Anniversary bonus of $100 companion flight voucher if you spend at least $5,000 in purchases the prior year
- Zone 2 shortcut boarding on all flights
- 25% rebate on all inflight food and beverage purchases when you pay with your card
Our Verdict
The original bonus on this card is 40,000 points. This is 5,000 less points but comes with a $100 statement credit. I think this is a significantly better offer as Spirit points are obviously not worth 2¢ each. We will add this to our list of the best credit card bonuses.
Hat tip to reader TesticleBlisters
Now 50k points and $100 companion voucher
Not as good as the 65k offer
I was just on a spirit flight today, and they are offering 65,000 miles plus a $100 companion fare if you apply in flight
I got the points and statement credit but no voucher 🙁
Hope you got the voucher. Mine arrived right after i got the points. It goes to the email on your spirit account and the subject is “You Did It!” . Its comes from FreeSpirit @ fly.spirit-airlines.com
Yes, I got it!
perhaps the biggest advantage I can see to this card is that you can be a “pool pilot” and share the points with up to 8 friends and family…so even if you personally can’t use the points, it will let others use them without you. otherwise you have to have status to form a pool
I urge all DoC readers not to bank with BoA after they shared private customer data with the Feds, without a subpoena, for the purpose of identifying DC attendees. This is an egregious violation of their fiduciary responsibility to private citizens. This should concern all Americans regardless of your political affiliation.
It’s egregious!
They had it very well deserved. They deserve to be in Guantanamo for trying to orchestrate a coup d’etat
Probably not worth it for most, but one nice thing about Spirit’s card is that every $10 spent earns 1 elite qualifying point and combinable with earning points through flights and add-ons (which earn at 1 point per dollar).
Silver is 2000 points and comes with a couple nice bennies (free seats at check-in, priority boarding, earn more points when flying, etc.). Gold is 5000 points and has some nice items if someone flies Spirit a decent amount (free seat selection at booking of anything but the big seats, flexible flight changes, free carryon and checked bag, free drink/snack on each flight, etc).
Nothing groundbreaking and not something I’d ever use, but I could see someone who flies Spirit semi-regularly getting the card simply for the ability to get to the next elite tier.
Do you lose the 35,000 points if you close the card? Won’t be traveling this year, but would like to get the points.
edit: The answer is yes they will be lost when card closed
no… with the recent change, pts will stay alive with 1 activity in 1 yr, instead of the old term in 90 days
Why do you think it’s “Yes”? If you earn the 35,000 points and they get transferred to Spirit, and then you close the card after a year when the annual fee becomes due, why would you lose them? You’re closing the card with the bank, but the points by then have long been over at the airline. Why would the airline take away your points all of a sudden just because you closed the card over the bank? That doesn’t happen with any other airline/bank card combination, so why it should it happen with this one?
Now, if you close the card after you finish the spend but before the points have posted over to Spirit, of course you lose the points in that case.
That’s why too simple a question to ask “do I lose the 35,000 points if close the card?”. You have to be specific about WHEN you close the card, because the answer is only Yes if you close the card too soon, but the answer is No if you wait long enough to close the card.
Since this offer waives the annual fee for the first year, what’s the point in closing the card BEFORE the annual fee comes due ONE FULL YEAR after you open the card?
Can my Free Spirit® points expire?
Points won’t expire as long as you continue to earn or redeem with Spirit or with Free Spirit partners within 12 months.
https://customersupport.spirit.com/en-us/category/article/KA-01214
In the credit card terms under POINTS EXPIRATION AND FORFEITURE:
“Points that have been earned (on the credit card) and transferred to Spirit will remain in the Free Spirit account and will not expire AS LONG AS YOUR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT REMAINS OPEN.”
Interpret that as you want, probably like Pete below says.
i’m not aware of any situation where cancelling a credit card costs you the points, per se. Having a credit card can make it easier to keep the points.
You will want this card active whenever you redeem points, otherwise they will charge you redemption fees on your points (they charged me $50 redemption fee for a international round trip flight).
Points stay active as long as there is activity within a year. You can get the no annual fee version of the card to keep your points from expiring (says points don’t expire as long as account is open)
https://www.spirit.com/creditcards
Even if you don’t have the card, you will not pay a redemption fee if you book at least 29 days before departure.
As someone who actually has flown Spirit, it is truly bad.
When I said “You’d have to pay me to fly Spirit” I didn’t expect BoA to take it literally.
BoA needs to soften their Biz card requirements.
Would never ever ride Spirit airlines as long as I live.
Ive also never had a problem with them flying out of DFW. Honestly in super economy they are all the same. Well maybe with United as exception as last time I checked, you could not check in on mobile or web but had to do it at the airport kiosk.
it’s all good until it isn’t. My sister was going to fly spirit leaving from new orleans . they canceled the flight and the next flight was 3 days later. they would not rebook her on a different route or with another airline and would not pay for any hotel accomodation. you’re basically left stranded if your flight is ever cancelled.
Family of 5 including 2 toddlers and my MIL booked for important family gathering down in Florida. Went to the LaGuardia airport only to be told that the flight was cancelled and there was nothing they can do. Not even a simple apology. You know that indifferent face you just want to punch but you can’t? The exactly same counter lady in the Meet the Parents the movie was working there.
We had to book another flight just for my MIL with another airline and because it was a last min ticket during holiday, we had to pay premium. After that horrible experience, I said I don’t want to even see the word, Spirit anymore.
Spirit is fine and can save you money if you’re traveling light, don’t care where you sit, and don’t really need to get where you’re going on schedule. Writing from personal experience, I don’t recommend flying with them otherwise.
Sounds like a Guatemalan chicken bus. It’s known as the greatest public transportation in the world. As long as you don’t care where you’re going or when you get there.
“I have never flown Spirit Airlines in my life and probably never will, but based on my experience reading the internet I do not recommend.”
wonder if some ppl posted a comment(s) actually use or fly spirit, or simply had inaccurate perception / speculation? although spirit fare is considerably less expensive bc of xtra fees for bag, in-flight accommod & a bit cramped seat, my exp were almost as good as those on WN & UA