Star Alliance Gold is an alliance-wide status that, instead of being earned directly, comes as a perk that top-tier frequent flyer status holders with Star Alliance member airlines get. Those with Star Alliance Gold status can enjoy a variety of benefits like lounge access and fast track security access when flying with any of the alliance’s members.
Continue reading to learn how you can get Star Alliance Gold membership, what the easiest way to do so is, and whether you can buy it outright or not.
How to Get Star Alliance Gold: A Complete List of Loyalty Programs
As mentioned in the introduction, to get Star Alliance Gold status, you need to earn a certain status with a Star Alliance airline of your choice. With each airline’s loyalty program, the program’s lowest tier status will typically come with Star Alliance Silver and statuses above that will come with Star Alliance Gold.
For example, EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Silver members are equivalent to Star Alliance Silver members on the alliance level while EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Gold and Diamond members are equivalent to Star Alliance Gold. Similarly, United Airlines MileagePlus Premier Silver status comes with Star Alliance Silver while the airline’s higher-tier Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and Premier 1K statuses come with Star Alliance Gold.
Speaking of United Airlines, you will be able to enjoy exactly the same benefits on the alliance lever regardless of which frequent flyer program you earn your Star Alliance Gold status with, the only exception being United Airlines MileagePlus. That’s because if you earn your Star Alliance Gold status through MileagePlus, you will not get free lounge access on domestic itineraries with United Airlines.
With that out of the way, below is a list of all Star Alliance member airline frequent flyer programs, their statuses equivalent to Star Alliance Gold, and criteria you will need to meet to get each of the statuses.
Mileage Program | Status | Qualification Criteria | Retention Criteria |
---|---|---|---|
Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus | Gold | Either 24,000 Tier Miles and four Aegean flights or 70,000 Tier Miles within 12 months of earning Silver status | Either 12,000 Tier Miles and four Aegean Airlines flights or 70,000 Tier Miles within 12 months of reaching or renewing the status |
Air Canada Aeroplan | 50K | Either 50,000 SQM or 50 SQS and 6,000 SQD within a calendar year | |
Air Canada Aeroplan | 75K | Either 75,000 SQM or 75 SQS and 20,000 SQD within a calendar year | |
Air Canada Aeroplan | Super Elite | Either 100,000 SQM or 100 SQS and 20,000 SQD within a calendar year | |
Air China Phoenix Miles | Gold | 80,000 qualifying km or 40 qualifying segments within a 12-month period | 70,000 qualifying km or 36 qualifying segments |
Air China Phoenix Miles | Platinum | 160,000 qualifying km or 90 qualifying segments within a 12-month period | 145,000 qualifying km or 80 qualifying segments |
Air China Phoenix Miles | Lifetime Platinum | 1 million or 2 million Lifetime Platinum mileage depending on conditions | |
Air China Phoenix Miles | Annual Premium Lifetime Platinum | Annual 300,000 Lifetime Platinum mileage | |
Air India Flying Returns | Golden Edge Club | 50,000 points in one year | |
Air India Flying Returns | The Maharaja Club | 75,000 points in one year | |
Air New Zealand AirPoints | Gold | 900 Status Points within a 12-month period with at least half on Air New Zealand, Star Alliance, and qualifying partner airline flights | 810 Status Points with the same condition as qualification |
Air New Zealand AirPoints | Elite | 1,500 Status Points within a 12-month period with at least 900 on Air New Zealand, Star Alliance, and qualifying partner airline flights | 1,350 Status Points with at least 810 on Air New Zealand, Star Alliance, and qualifying partner airline flights |
ANA Mileage Plan | Platinum | 50,000 Premium Points including 25,000 on ANA Group flights within a calendar year | |
ANA Mileage Plan | Diamond | 100,000 Premium Points including 50,000 on ANA Group flights within a calendar year | |
ANA Mileage Plan | Super Flyers | Hold an eligible ANA credit card | |
Asiana Club | Diamond | 40,000 status miles or 50 Asiana Airlines flights or 40,000 total miles accrued including at least 30,000 from flights within a 24-month period starting on the date of joining the program | 30,000 status miles or 30 Asiana Airlines flights or 30,000 total miles accrued including at least 20,000 from flights within a 24-month period starting on the date of reaching or reneweing the status |
Asiana Club | Diamond Plus | 100,000 status miles or 100 Asiana Airlines flights or 100,000 total miles accrued including at least 75,000 from flights within a 24-month period starting on the date of joining the program; or 500,000 miles or 500 Asiana Airlines flights for lifetime | 75,000 status miles or 60 Asiana Airlines flights or 75,000 total miles accrued including at least 50,000 from flights within a 24-month period starting on the date of reaching or reneweing the status |
Asiana Club | Platinum | 1,000,000 miles or 1,000,000 Asiana Airlines flights for lifetime | |
Avianca LifeMiles | Gold | 24,000 qualifying miles including at least 12,000 on Avianca within a calendar year | |
Avianca LifeMiles | Diamond | 40,000 qualifying miles including at least 20,000 on Avianca within a calendar year | |
COPA Airlines ConnectMiles | Gold | 4 segments flown on Copa and either 45,000 qualifying miles or 40 qualifying segments within a calendar year | |
COPA Airlines ConnectMiles | Platinum | 4 segments flown on Copa and either 75,000 qualifying miles or 70 qualifying segments within a calendar year | |
COPA Airlines ConnectMiles | Presidential | 4 segments flown on Copa and either 95,000 qualifying miles or 90 qualifying segments within a calendar year | |
EgyptAir Plus | Gold | 30,000 Tier Miles within 2 years of acquiring Silver status | 40,000 Tier Miles or 36 sectors within 2 years of acquiring status |
EgyptAir Plus | Elite | 300,000 Tier Miles within 2 years of acquiring Gold status | 400,000 Tier Miles or 200 sectors within 3 years of acquiring status |
EgyptAir Plus | Platinum | 600,000 Tier Miles within 3 years of acquiring Elite status | 800,000 Tier Miles within 5 years of acquiring status |
Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles | Gold | 50,000 status miles or 50 qualifying segments in a calendar year | |
Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles | Platinum | 100,000 status miles or 80 qualifying segments in a calendar year | |
EVA Airways Inifinity MileageLands | Gold | Either 50,000 status miles or at least 50 qualifying EVA Air/UNI Air international flights within 12 months of acquiring Silver status | Either 80,000 miles on qualifying international flights or at least 80 qualifying EVA Air/UNI Air international flights during the two-year validity of the Gold status |
EVA Airways Inifinity MileageLands | Diamond | Either 120,000 status miles or at least 100 qualifying EVA Air/UNI Air international flights within 12 months of acquiring Gold status | Either 200,000 miles on qualifying international flights or at least 140 qualifying EVA Air/UNI Air international flights during the two-year validity of the Diamond status |
Miles & More | Senator | 100,000 status miles within a calendar year | |
Miles & More | HON Circle | 600,000 HON Circle miles in two consecutive calendar years | |
Scandinavian Airlines EuroBonus | Gold | 45 SAS and Wideroe flights or 45,000 Basic points on SAS, Wideroe, and Star Alliance flights during a 12-month period starting on the month of joining the program | |
Scandinavian Airlines EuroBonus | Diamond | 90 SAS and Wideroe flights or 90,000 Basic points on SAS, Wideroe, and Star Alliance flights during a 12-month period starting on the month of joining the program | |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Elite Gold | 50,000 Elite miles within 12 consecutive months | |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | The PPS Club | 25,000 PPS value within membership year | |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Solitaire PPS Club | 25,000 PPS value within membership year | |
South African Airways Voyager | Gold | 60,000 Tier miles in a calendar year | 95% of Tier miles required to qualify |
South African Airways Voyager | Platinum | 120,000 Tier miles in a calendar year or five consecutive years of Gold status | 95% of Tier miles required to qualify |
South African Airways Voyager | Lifetime Platinum | 720,000 Tier miles during four to six consecutive years or six consecutive years of Platinum status | |
TAP Miles&Go | Gold | 70,000 status miles or 50 TAP flights within a 12-month period starting on the date of joining the program | 50,000 status miles or 40 TAP flights |
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | Gold | 50,000 qualifying miles or 40 international flights on Thai during a 12-month period; or 80,000 qualifying miles during a 24-month period | |
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus | Platinum | 80,000 qualifying miles on Thai first and business class during a 24-month period | |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Elite | 40,000 status miles in one year | 30,000 status miles in one year or 45,000 status miles in two years |
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Elite Plus | 80,000 status miles in one year | 40,000 status miles in one year or 60,000 status miles in two years |
United Airlines MileagePlus | Premier Gold | Either 24 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) and 8,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) or 10,000 PQP | |
United Airlines MileagePlus | Premier Platinum | Either 36 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) and 12,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) or 15,000 PQP | |
United Airlines MileagePlus | Premier 1K | Either 54 Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) and 18,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) or 24,000 PQP |
What Is the Easiest Way to Get Star Alliance Gold?
As you can see in the table above, each of the loyalty programs has different criteria to earn a status equivalent to Star Alliance Gold. For example, with Turkish Airlines’ program it’s 40,000 status miles to earn Elite status while with Miles & More it’s 100,000 status miles in a year.
Because of this, it’s important to choose the right program to credit your flights to; this program might not always be the program of the airline you fly the most with. To stick with the examples above, if you fly with Lufthansa, you might still want to credit your flights to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles which has considerably lower requirements to earn a status than Lufthansa’s Miles & More program.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some programs make it easier to requalify for a status than to earn it in the beginning. These programs are great if you plan to maintain Star Alliance Gold over a longer stretch of time.
With those things in mind, Asiana Airlines is, arguably, the easiest way to get and maintain Star Alliance Gold status. You will first need to earn 40,000 status miles in 24 months to earn Diamond status which is equivalent to Star Alliance Gold and then earn just 30,000 status miles in 24 months to maintain your status.
Turkish Airlines offers another relatively easy way to earn and maintain Star Alliance Gold status. You will first need to earn 40,000 status miles in a year but then to maintain the status you will only need to earn 45,000 status miles in two years.
Lastly, Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus has a similar system where the requalification criteria are about half of the initial status qualification criteria. The caveat is, however, that one has to either fly on Aegean Airlines four times or collect considerably more status miles. Asiana Airlines and Turkish Airlines have no such restrictions.
Can You Buy Star Alliance Gold? (& Membership Cost)
Unfortunately, there is no direct way to buy a Star Alliance Gold membership.
Possibly the closest thing to doing so is available to those living in Japan. There, one can earn ANA Mileage Club Platinum status “the normal way” and then apply for a Super Flyers credit card which comes with status equivalent to Star Alliance Gold. To maintain the status, one does not need to maintain ANA Mileage Club Platinum status. Instead, paying the credit card’s annual fee, which starts at less than $100 a year, is enough.
In my case, I did a mileage run that cost me about $1,400 to earn ANA Mileage Club Platinum and now I have the Super Flyers credit card.
How Long Does Star Alliance Gold Status Last?
The validity of Star Alliance Gold status is tied to the validity of your airline’s frequent flyer status. In other words, as long as you have an airline frequent flyer status that comes with Star Alliance Gold as a perk, you will be a Star Alliance Gold member.
Because of this, typically, a Star Alliance Gold status will last for the remainder of the calendar or membership year in which you earned it and another year. In some cases – like with Asiana Airlines – it will last two years full years after the year in which you earned it rather than just one year.
In some rare instances, the Star Alliance Gold status will not expire at all. Airlines like Asiana and South African Airways have lifetime statuses equivalent to Star Alliance Gold. As mentioned earlier in this article, ANA also has a semi-lifetime status – Super Flyer – which remains valid as long as you keep paying the modest credit card annual fee.
Summary
To get Star Alliance Gold status you will need to earn an equivalent status with one of the Star Alliance airlines in one way or another. While there are some ways to do so without/with limited flying (mostly status matches and other promotions), in general, to get become Star Alliance Gold, you will need to fly a decent amount.
Because the Star Alliance Gold status is the same regardless of which airline you get it through (with the exception being United), you should choose a program that makes it easy to earn compared to other programs.
Some of the programs with lowest requirements to earn the status and even lower requirements to renew it include Asiana Airlines’ and Turkish Airlines’ mileage programs.