Developments in wear mapping recently described frontiers between partial and gross slip and between the main damages i.e. cracking and particle detachment both from experiences and from theoretical analysis. These maps, known as running condition fretting maps (RCFM) and material response fretting maps (MRFM), are powerful tools to analyze the contact and to predict failures. Especially MRFM is a major contribution for designers and engineers. Mapping concept enables a new approach of fretting-fatigue as it considers crack nucleation for ranges of contact conditions. Effects of displacement and normal load on cracking are now well admitted under fretting wear conditions. The question is still related to the effect of the cyclic external loading that it is superimposed to the contact loading. Theoretical and experimental results related to homogeneous metallic contacts are discussed to attempt an objective analysis on the interest of fretting fatigue tests.