Last year I looked at the frequent flyer and travel sites getting the most traffic. I also looked at this same data the year before. I noted that ‘most frequently visited’ isn’t the same as best, and many of you had strong opinions on that!
In fact, I agree with you: the order of this list isn’t close to my own list of favorite or best sites, but for those curious about a best estimate of who sees the most traffic here’s a list that ranks 14 popular websites.
Some caveats:
- Data is from SimilarWeb, which I think does a good job with estimates overall but is going to be wrong in some cases, perhaps even wildly at times, but is still useful for order-of-magnitude.
- This is looking just at March 2025 data – the most recent month available. I compare it to March 2024 data, which I posted last year, and left in March 2023 as well for comparison. March may have been a good or bad month for any given site this year, just as it may have been last year – these are limited data points.
- I picked a handful of sites, if you feel others should be on here or compared you can look them up yourselves without a Similarweb account.
With those limitations out of the way, here are 14 sites I checked, and SimilarWeb’s March site visit estimates:
| Website | YoY % | Mar-25 | Mar-24 | Mar-23 | ||||
| The Points Guy | -21% | 9,387,000 | 11,900,000 | 13,100,000 | ||||
| View From The Wing | 47% | 7,521,000 | 5,100,000 | 6,500,000 | ||||
| Doctor of Credit | 17% | 5,827,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,200,000 | ||||
| Dan’s Deals | -31% | 3,531,000 | 5,100,000 | 5,500,000 | ||||
| FlyerTalk | -25% | 3,314,000 | 4,400,000 | 2,800,000 | ||||
| Upgraded Points | 18% | 3,308,000 | 2,800,000 | 5,600,000 | ||||
| One Mile at a Time | -29% | 2,913,000 | 4,100,000 | 5,200,000 | ||||
| Frequent Miler | 36% | 2,317,000 | 1,700,000 | 853,000 | ||||
| Head For Points | 3% | 1,645,000 | 1,600,000 | 1,100,000 | ||||
| Loyalty Lobby | -7% | 817,923 | 884,200 | 1,200,000 | ||||
| Live and Let’s Fly | -45% | 710,507 | 1,300,000 | 1,200,000 | ||||
| Paddle Your Own Kanoo | -53% | 612,192 | 1,300,000 | 2,100,000 | ||||
| Nomadic Matt | -48% | 567,427 | 1,100,000 | 1,500,000 | ||||
| Thrifty Traveler | -74% | 547,260 | 2,100,000 | 2,600,000 |
It was shocking last year how many sites lost traffic – sometimes substantially less! Google made major changes in late August 2023, and then again in September 2023. They began privileging the biggest brands and Reddit far more in results.
Some sites have somewhat recovered from the traffic drop. For instance, the SEO experts at Upgraded Points have brought that site part of the way back. Others have continued to suffer. This isn’t a judgment on quality. It’s de-prioritization by Google.
I’d say anyone on this list, writing for themselves or as a group of 3 or 4 people, is just really impressive. My must-reads are One Mile at Time, Frequent Miler, and Live and Let’s Fly though I scan the headlines of just about every site reporting anything related to miles, points and travel and I’ll click through anything that seems like it’s something I should know or be aware of.
If these numbers are accurate, the continued strong performance by Frequent Miler is a real feather in the hat to that great team. And it’s great that Doctor of Credit’s traffic hasn’t declined, either.
Of course, if anyone knows better publicly-available data than SimilarWeb, I’d certainly be curious!
Flyertalk. It used to be, whenever I had some issue with a frequent flyer program, I could find a current discussion of it on Flyertalk. Now, I cannot find anything like that. In my humble opinion, I think it has gone down hill.
roberto,
I am super direct and factually accurate -and I do own that.
The real reason why Ben can’t stand having me around is because I highlighted this article – and the fact that Ben’s choices and no one else caused him to lose 1 million readers per month.
I hardly send postcards with smiley faces to Gary every day but he has proven with lots of people that he can take criticism – that other people including Ben cannot do.
Using excuses about violating terms of service when Ben allowed his site to become a free for all which has been permitted on no other site demonstrates how incapable Ben is to own HIS mistakes.
1990,
all kinds of people can and should speak out on policies but when you jump on manipulated data or make political statements where it simply isn’t necessary to do so, no one should be surprised at the consequences.
and let’s be clear here… you and me don’t get anything from participating – or not – in aviation social media. The poor decisions and poor strategies of some of these web sites that Gary notes has cost them and will cost them.
You violated the rules. Don’t make excuses for your pathetic self. I’d say getting a 30 day ban from a travel blog would be a new low for me, but you wear it like a badge of honor and somehow feel vindicated.
I’m sure Gary LOVES having Tim Dunn’s full and undivided attention. (That’s sarcasm if you couldn’t tell)
Tim,
Thanks for Forcing Ben to say that you used MULTIPLE Fake usernames, Tim Dunn.
You fooled no one, whatsoever. And got called out on it for the pathetically lame attempts to create fakes usernames to agree with you.
You’re just an idiot that thinks he’s clever. But an idiot.
IB/FlyerTalk has done it to itself, even beyond just its aging demographics, tech challenges and some other things.
The shift to a “more WIKI” mentality and an increased hostility to so-called “signal-to-noise ratio” made for crackdown mentality and led to collateral damage. The double standard with generosity toward rules violations from employees of companies in the travel industry, government apologists and those in the meet-and-greet clique of moderators/administrators also has had consequences.
roberto and jane,
YOU two and many others violated plenty of rules – but Ben decided to act because I dared quote Gary’s article and note how badly Ben’s traffic has fallen off.
Ben shot himself in the foot; I can’t take 1 million page views away from him.
and you two just like Ben prove you are fixated with me and unable to focus on the discussion without trying to trash me.
You are the losers and everyone can see it.
When I am cited on sites that I don’t even participate in – such as a.net – I am still very much a part of the aviation social media scene.
and again, Gary’s site is growing. Ben’s is shrinking. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where to invest their time.
I think part of the broad decline in travel blog readership (in addition to the Google SEO changes) can be attributed to worsening business class points fares/availability. The whole sector has shifted more and more to a quasi-revenue model with dynamic pricing and partner award blocking. Even the famous ANA round-the-world ticket deal is going away in June. With fewer arbitrage opportunities left there is simply less of importance to write about for casual readers, leaving mostly the avgeeks, politically engaged, economists, and airline cheerleaders as readers.
one other thing you two twins,
A.net’s traffic is falling off as well and they don’t allow political discussions.
It is a tribute to Gary that he has managed to grow VFTW in an aviation social media industry that is shrinking.
It is clear that AI is reshaping how people get information and internet fatigue is growing.
Gary has always demonstrated more industry analysis than any other site with the possible exception of Cranky Flier – which doesn’t generate enough volume to compete with larger sites.
Steven nailed it.
As airlines managed to get around to very quickly shutting down airfare deals or even cancelling such deals without any real costs, the forums that were active because of deals ended up withering. Same as the frequent flyer programs become less generous.
exactly, GU.
and focusing on aviation discussions is not a growth market. in fact, just the opposite. When you inject politics into the discussion and bias even in things like product or service reviews, you alienate a portion of readers.
and, again, Gary has established himself as a speaker in the points and miles industry which still attracts clients because there is big money in them.
Most of the other travel sites have their web operations as the majority if not all of their “outreach”
Thriftytraveler on a steep decline. What a shame! This used to be a go to website in the past but I guess folks got tired of the annoying pop up when you visit and constant appeals to buy a subscription to their “deals”.
Oh Tim,
Only you would own bans as some badge of honor.
If it was such a good thing for you to get banned on omaat, why did your ban get extended due to you trying to post under other numerous usernames? 😉
Your weird mind never disappoints.
Also…
“When I am cited on sites that I don’t even participate in – such as a.net”
No. banned from. not “don’t even participate in”. 😉
BANNED from.
And who even mentions you there anyway? I’ve never seen it once. You’re a banned entity for years now after DESPERATELY trying to get back in under MANY usernames.
Try again, loser. 😉
I haven’t participated in a.net for years. It doesn’t matter why I don’t participate in a.net.
You are fixated on me – just as other people are. THAT is why I remain as visible in aviation social media even on sites where I don’t participate.
You, like a whole lot of people, were never capable of discussing the topics over there – and proving precisely all I said over there, you run over here to do the same thing.
YOU ARE MENTALLY INCAPABLE OF HAVING AN INTELLIGENT DISCUSSION AND CAN’T STAND THAT SOMEONE ELSE CAN, ESP. WHEN THEY HIGHLIGHT FACTS THAT YOU DON’T LIKE.
but let’s be clear here. a half dozen sites lost large amounts of traffic, including OMAAT. It is as clear as day that Ben decided to ban me for highlighting Gary’s article showing how poorly OMAAT is doing.
and you know what, I did the same thing when Gary posted the online stats before.
OMAAT is one of several sites that has been in decline. His swinging from specifically mentioning me in articles not many months ago to banning me because I tell him that his strategies aren’t working proves he, too, is incapable of figuring out the problem, let alone admitting that HE and HE ALONE is the primary reason for the decline.
You are clueless and always will be. Stop running around the web to prove that you are nothing more than vindictive and clueless.
and for the final time. Ben and others are taking a financial hit. I am not.
“I haven’t participated in a.net for years. It doesn’t matter why I don’t participate in a.net.”
Again. It does matter. because you don’t choose to not “participate”. You are BANNED. lol. It actually does matter why you aren’t there for “years”. it’s literally because you are not allowed to be, IP address and all after desperately trying to get back in there with new emails and usernames and then at OMAAT this morning with numerous fake usernames and email addresses. 😉
After LYING to everyone about your fake usernames even Ben called you out for your fake usernames.
Let’s be honest, huh Tim?
“You, like a whole lot of people, were never capable of discussing the topics over there – and proving precisely all I said over there, you run over here to do the same thing.”
well, you’re banned there. And I’ve always been here. You ran to this website because you are BANNED elsewhere. Where are you not banned now? The list is narrowing.
I have participated in aviation social media for 25 years and have pissed off a whole lot of people including incessantly predicting that AA would file for chapter 11 – which it did. There are a whole lot of people that don’t like what I have to say and it is largely AA and UA fans.
UA fans don’t like that I point out that UA regularly underperforms DL in financial metrics because they are more focused on touting expansive route systems than generating bottom line results. 65K UA employees will be working with amendable contracts by the summer which means that UA has a $1 billion labor cost advantage per year over DL AT LEAST. Even when DL suffered through the CRWD meltdown last summer, it STILL beat UA in financials which proves how badly UA’s international network does.
DL made 33% more in profits on its international system – which is about 25% smaller than UA’s.
So, I get that some people get upset when I post those FACTS.
But you aren’t interested in even participating in the discussion.
You are fixated on ME. I have met some nutcases in my 25 years – but you take the cake.
You can’t stand that anyone can think and fixate on me and what I do on social media – because you are mentally deficient and incapable of discussing the topic.
Any halfway logical or rational person would celebrate that I am not posting on OMAAT right now – but you come running over here – where I have also been – because you can’t stand that I speak the truth ANYWHERE.
and all you do is highlight that Ben allowed you and a bunch of other nutcases to run loose and he has paid the prize for failing to realize that his content is the problem and blaming it on other people
You are truly insane.
And crazy.
And banned because people see it.
And have been for 25 years.
Fired by the very company you obsess about, delta.
Go see a shrink.
#peace
Try to be less crazy
You lost, Timmy. You’re banned 😉
Please keep the OMAAT argument out of the comments here.
fatty’s site?
Ben himself said that comments don’t really matter in the number of pageviews – and on that he is right. No commenter can chase 1 million pageviews away in a month.
let me remind you and the pathologically deranged woman that Gary does ban people too – but it isn’t for highlighting broken strategies – it is for no value attacks on other people.
He has done it before and he is fully capable of doing it again.
And it is beyond laughable that Jane touts being banned from a.net while there isn’t a post she has made on any site in months that would survive the moderator’s axe on a.net.
You both qualify for getting the boot.
@gary
Got it
Yeah, this leafy kid is fat, and you are obviously on the spectrum. It is ok, many of my patients put their kids in front of screens to babysit. It makes sense.
Señor Leff,
What kind of VFTW articles this year get the most views?
And for the comparable period last year, what kind of topics on VFTW got the most views?
Darn Gary, does that apply to The Point Guy losing 2 million viewers too? Well deserved in my opinion. It would appear that I am not the only one who didn’t care for his website when it became way too much about him and his life rather than the hobby and travel.