Methodology · loyalty programmes
IVCA v2.5The ranking of frequent flyer programmes (AAdvantage, Flying Blue, LifeMiles, Aeroplan…) is deliberately kept simple: it sets the recognition of each programme — international listings and industry awards — against the quality of the airline behind it. This page explains how it is calculated. edition.
The principle: awards against airline
A good loyalty programme needs two things: to be recognised for its value (how easy it is to earn and redeem miles, status, partners) and to be backed by a solid airline, which is the real network where you spend those miles. We cross-check both.
The programme’s recognition comes from a fixed formula applied to published facts — the same one used by the “frequent-flyer programme” indicator in the airline ranking: its placing in the world programme listing, the year’s industry awards and, for US programmes, the US national listing. They are used as an input; their lists are not republished and their organisers are not named.
The IVCA of the airline that owns the programme, taken from our own airline ranking (which already covers punctuality, fleet and network). It is the cross-check that avoids rewarding a programme sitting on a weak airline.
The indicators and their weight
externalThe programme’s recognition: placing in the world programme listing, the year’s industry awards and the US national listingInternational programme listings and industry awards (input)World listing: 1st→90, last→50 + industry awards (Programme of the Year +6, each other category +2, maximum +10) + US national listing (1st +5 … 5th +1); maximum 100. No current listing→50 (common baseline)65%
our ownIVCA of the airline that owns the programmeOur own · our airline rankingAlready 0-10035%
The awards weigh more (65%) because they measure the programme’s value directly; the airline (35%) ensures that programme rests on a real network of quality.
The calculation, step by step
We apply the same formula to the 59 programmes assessed: the placing in the world programme listing gives from 90 (the first) to 50 (the last); the year’s industry awards add up to 10 points (Programme of the Year +6, each other category +2) and the US national listing adds from 5 (the first) to 1 (the fifth); the maximum is 100. A programme with no current listing receives the common baseline of 50: it is neither rewarded nor penalised for not having been assessed.
We look up the airline that owns the programme in our airline ranking and take its IVCA. A programme on a punctual, well-rated airline with a good network is worth more.
We combine the two with their weight (awards 65% · airline 35%) and order the programmes, globally and by continent. Each comes with its breakdown and why it ended up where it did.
Sources and fair use
Vuelopedia is an independent, non-profit encyclopedia. Third-party listings are used only as one ingredient: we take a programme’s placing as a fact. We do not reproduce their tables and do not use their logos, and what we publish is solely Vuelopedia’s own score and ordering.
Coverage and limits
No assessment of this kind is entirely objective. IVCA results should be read as a methodological approximation for identifying the best performance of airlines, airports, alliances and frequent-flyer programmes, not as an absolute or unchangeable truth. They are also a snapshot in time: the index is recalculated every quarter and changes with events and with the data available.
An independent Vuelopedia index. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any airline or any organiser of frequent-flyer listings or awards; third-party recognitions are used only as an input and are not republished.