Loyalty benchmark

How it works

Tier translator

Each programme tier is mapped to the alliance status it carries: Star Alliance Silver or Gold, oneworld Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald, SkyTeam Elite or Elite Plus. The mappings for Star Alliance come from Star Alliance's own programme list; the others from the oneworld member pages and the programmes' own pages. The benefits shown are the alliance's published benefits on partner airlines, which is what a member can count on when flying an airline other than their own. A programme's extra deals with specific partners, and exceptions such as American's North America lounge rule, are listed as notes.

Earn comparator

Every programme credits a flight in one of two ways, and the page uses the rule the programme publishes for that operating airline:

• Revenue-based (a programme's own flights, and a few partners): Aeroplan on Air Canada, MileagePlus on United, Miles & More on the Lufthansa Group, Flying Blue on Air France and KLM, SkyMiles on Delta, AAdvantage on American and British Airways, The British Airways Club on British Airways and American. The fare is the base fare plus carrier surcharges, before taxes, converted at the ECB euro reference rates of 29 Sep 2026.
• Distance-based (partners): distance × the percentage for the booking class, with the programme's minimums. Status bonuses follow each programme's rule: a percentage of the miles (United's Premier bonus on selected partners, Miles & More's 25% Executive Bonus, Delta's Medallion bonus on Air France and KLM, AAdvantage on Qatar Airways), a percentage capped at 100% of distance (Flying Blue on Delta and SAS), a booster on the distance part only (SAS EuroBonus), or added percentage points (Qatar Privilege Club).
• Fixed tables: SAS, Etihad and Emirates publish points per route and fare on their own flights, not a percentage; Turkish Airlines does so within Türkiye. The page uses those tables. For Etihad and Emirates they come from each airline's public miles calculator, saved for every route in the airport list; for SAS from its published tables.
• Status: "Lower elite" is each programme's first tier with alliance status (Star Silver, Ruby, Elite), "Upper elite" the first with lounge-level status (Star Gold, Sapphire, Elite Plus), "Top tier" its highest published tier. The tier used for each programme is shown next to its bar.
• Point value: points × US cents per point. For Aeroplan, MileagePlus, Flying Blue and Etihad Guest, the median value from the award value comparator (Economy median for Economy and Premium Economy classes, Business median for Business and First). For the other nine programmes there is no median yet, so the page assumes 1.0¢ per point; edit any value under "Point values used".

Sources

Every rule was read on the official programme or alliance page on 29 or 30 September 2026. The breakdown table links each bar to its source.

Limitations

• The ticket is assumed to be issued by the operating airline. Many programmes earn differently when another airline issues the ticket: an Air Canada-issued ticket on a Star Alliance partner earns Aeroplan points on the fare, for example, and a United-issued ticket earns MileagePlus miles on the fare.
• Distances are great-circle miles from airport coordinates. Programmes use their own mileage tables, which can differ by a few percent. Nonstop flights only; connections and stopovers are not modelled.
• Booking classes are shown by their usual cabin. Some airlines use the same letter for different products on short and long haul, and a few published charts list a letter twice; the first listing is used and noted.
• Promotions, credit card earn rates and co-brand bonuses are left out. United's rates are those for members without a United card; United awards far fewer miles on Emirates than the chart suggests outside the routes it lists.
• Status qualification credits (SQC, PQP, XP, Tier Points, Qpoints) are not shown, only redeemable points.
• Where a chart gives a status bonus without saying whether it applies to the base or the total, the page applies it to the chart miles. SAS fare names on partner charts (Go Light, Go Smart, Plus) are matched to SAS's current names (Light, Standard, Flex, Premium, Business) by me, not by SAS.
• Rules change often: Aeroplan and United both changed how they earn in 2026. Check the linked pages before relying on a number.

This is a personal project and isn't affiliated with any airline. For how status tiers and earning are designed, read Loyalty 101: Status Tiers and Loyalty 101: Earning.