For the millions of Americans currently repaying their education, it has been a turbulent year to say the least.
While the Biden administration put out a plan to officially cancel nearly $40 billion in student loan debt for low- and mid-level earners last August, the Supreme Court later blocked the proposal and payments are set to resume this fall after a three-year pause amid the pandemic.
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To help borrowers navigate the stress around the "end of a U.S. moratorium on student loan payments," Frontier Airlines (FRON) -) has launched a promotion called the Student Loan Mile Match. You enter your existing student loan balance and the airline matches it in Frontier Airlines Miles for 100 people.
'The larger the debt, the bigger the promotional mile payout'
"Amid the end of a U.S. moratorium on student loan payments, Frontier is launching a promotion that will award 100 lucky winners with a sum of promotional miles equal to their current student loan balance," the Denver-based airline says in a statement on the contest. "The larger the debt, the bigger the promotional mile payout, which can be used for free flights!"
The prize is not quite as sweeping as it sounds because a one-way domestic flight with the airline starts at 10,000 Frontier Airline Miles. Someone with $50,000 in loans would be able to claim roughly two round-trip flights within the U.S. or one international one.
To participate, anyone entering the contest needs to enroll in the airline's loyalty program and submit their response by Aug. 27. It is not limited to citizens but open to all residents of the U.S. who have a student loan balance and are the age of majority in their state. One can also win extra entries by following Frontier Airlines on Meta (META) -)'s Instagram and Facebook as well as the airline's Twitter and TikTok accounts.
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"We're thrilled to spread a little joy among education borrowers and offer an opportunity to win free flights through this special mileage giveaway," Frontier's VP of Marketing Tyri Squyres said in a statement. "With flights available for as little as 10,000 miles, Frontier Miles are a great way to take advantage of Frontier's expansive network and enjoy a getaway to explore someplace new or visit family and friends."
Over the last year, Frontier has leaned into launching different types of offers and promotions. One of the most popular is the GoWild! all-you-can-fly pass letting travelers book an "unlimited number of flights" to domestic and international destinations on the 300 days outside of the year's busiest travel periods.
Now costing $1,999, the promotion proved extremely popular and Frontier started experimenting with more options. It launched a $799 all-you-can-fly pass for children and teens in November and $999 seasonal passes for the summer and winter periods.
The biggest criticisms of the program are that the flights are not truly "free" (one still has to pay for airport taxes and baggage) and that the airline tends to fly into smaller airports outside the main city. Depending on one's circumstances and how much one travels to specific locations, the pass can either be a great deal or not add up to much savings when the extra fees and Uber (UBER) -) bills are factored in.
