Fans of Spirit Airlines are likely to love a deal. And if you fly frequently, the discounts add up when you're a member of its frequent flyer program Free Spirit.

Free Spirit is free to join. When you do, you'll be able to accrue points that you can later spend on flights and other in-flight purchases. Once you fly often enough, you advance to higher membership levels, such as Free Spirit Silver or Gold. From there, the perks start piling on — you get more freebies and earn points faster.

Just remember that Free Spirit points expire if you don't maintain account activity (earning or redeeming points) within 12 months. Though, they don't expire if you maintain an open Free Spirit Credit Card account.​

Here’s a guide to Spirit Airlines’ elite status program, including how to earn it, what the top perks are and whether it's really that good of a deal.

Free Spirit levels at a glance

(Photo courtesy of Spirit)

Free Spirit elite status comes in three levels — Free Spirit, Free Spirit Silver and Free Spirit Gold — and each tier offers a slew of useful benefits.

Basic-level Free Spirit members earn 6 points per dollar spent on fares and 12 points per dollar on Á La Smarte options like seat selection and checked bags. Silver and Gold level elites earn more while enjoying some other attractive perks.

That's a massive list of benefits, and most of the best Spirit elite status benefits get you out of otherwise-aggravating fees.

One of the most standout benefits is the ability to get out of one of Spirit's most bizarre fees: a redemption fee. This Spirit policy is especially brutal to procrastinators or those who like to book travel last-minute. Award flights booked within 28 days of departure require a $50 redemption fee. However, with Silver or Gold elite status, that award redemption fee is waived.

Other standout benefits of Free Spirit Silver elite include faster security screenings and early boarding, available same-day standby, the ability to choose a free seat during check-in, exit row seat assignment 180 minutes before departure and access to a dedicated guest care line. The Points Pool feature allows the elite member to create a pool of points that can be shared with up to eight friends or family members.

Free Spirit Gold elite members benefit from all the perks of Silver as well as Free Flight Flex, which allows passengers to modify their booking once up to 24 hours before their flight. They also have perks like one free carry-on and one free checked bag, free seat selection during booking, free in-flight snacks and beverages and exit row seat assignment at booking.

How much is Spirit elite status worth?

In NerdWallet’s annual analysis of the best airline elite status programs, we sought to determine how much value the major U.S. airline loyalty programs deliver to flyers. Here's how Spirit's status program did.

These estimates make several assumptions about your travel choices, such as how often you fly with Spirit and how often you take advantage of its elite status benefits. Having status without flying, for example, isn't really "worth" anything at all.

How to become a Free Spirit elite flyer

You achieve elite status by spending money with Spirit Airlines. For every dollar you spend on fares and Á La Smarte options, you’ll earn 1 Status Qualifying Point (SQP). Accumulate 2,000 SQPs in a year and you’ll attain Free Spirit Silver status. Hit 5,000 SQPs in a year and you’ll achieve Free Spirit Gold. You have one calendar year to achieve status, then the whole process resets.

If you don’t think you can spend that much on Spirit’s budget fares, you can earn more SQPs with an eligible Free Spirit credit card at a rate of 1 SQP for every $10 you spend.