Frontier ran a Super Bowl promo that actually sounded… kind of clever.
The pitch was basically: take miles you already have elsewhere and “turn them into” Frontier miles. In theory, this is the kind of chaotic-neutral airline marketing I can respect.
In practice? Well… It’s Frontier.
Frontier’s “turn old miles into flights” promo (and the vague rules)
The promo made the rounds because it sounded like a miles “swap” deal—send proof of miles in another program, get Frontier miles back.
But the details were… not exactly crystal clear. It was tough to tell if Frontier was:
- Actually exchanging miles from another program for Frontier miles, or
- Just giving you a Frontier credit based on proof that you had miles elsewhere.
Either way, there were two big caps:
- 7 million miles total across the entire promotion
- 5,000 miles max per member
Not a ton, but also not nothing — because yes, you can sometimes book Frontier awards at 5,000 miles… as long as you’re traveling like a monk.
Meaning: no bags except those that fit under your seat. Which my wife Sharon actually did once, using an absurdly small rolling “personal item” bag (this one). I’ve even done a weekend trip just bringing my Bento Bag, which also fits under the seat for free.
Sharon’s review: “And you’ll get miles on Frontier?? Pass.”
When I told Sharon about the promo, her response was immediate:
“And you’ll get miles on Frontier?? Pass.” (Note from Sharon: I actually said “Hard pass. because really…Frontier.”)
Which… fair. Frontier is not everyone’s love language.
But for the blog, I’ll try almost anything once — and I don’t mind Frontier if I can grab an exit-row seat, or book upfront, where the seats are basically like other airlines‘. It’s not luxury, but it’s also not suffering for sport. (Sharon: Sure. IF your flight isn’t cancelled. And if it is, no worries, you can hang out in whatever city until Thursday, right? Even though you had to be back at work on Monday. Again, hard pass.)
My test: use expiring Spirit miles and see what happens
I had miles in my Free Spirit account that were about to expire, so I used them as my “proof.” I took a screenshot, sent it in, and waited.
A few days later, Frontier emailed me the good news:
Congratulations! You’ve earned 5,000 miles. Great!
So I logged into my Frontier account to see the updated balance…
And my account balance still showed the same 702 miles
Which is when things got very on-brand.
Because, despite the “you earned 5,000 miles” message, my Frontier account still shows the same 702 miles I earned on a flight last year.
So yes, the miles were awarded. Just… apparently not yet in my account.
To be fair, this promo probably got slammed
The promotion is now over, which means Frontier presumably hit the cap and awarded over 7,000,000 miles total.
So I’m willing to believe one of two things is happening:
- There’s a delay between the “award” email and the miles actually posting, or
- Frontier’s systems are doing that thing where everything is technically working… except the part you can see.
Either way, I’m not panicking yet. (Give it time. Frontier needs to warm up first.) (Sharon: yeah, like how you have to warm up your house on the first cold day of the season, but the heater hasn’t been used in a while so it smells like something’s wrong with it)
So what now?
I don’t have immediate plans to fly Frontier (Sharon: oh, thank GODS!), so this isn’t a crisis. But if you also did this promo and your miles haven’t shown up yet, here’s what I’d do:
- Save the confirmation email showing the 5,000-mile award.
- Screenshot your current balance in case you need to show the before/after.
- Check again in a few days (because “instant” is not Frontier’s brand promise).
And if those miles never post? Well, then we’ve learned something valuable: that a “miles promotion” can be a concept, not a reality.
Final thought
I’ll give Frontier a little time — and I might actually use those miles if/when they post to my account.
But Sharon is absolutely going to enjoy this outcome if it stays stuck at 702. Because nothing says “you were right” like Frontier being Frontier. (Sharon: Damn straight)
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