Tag Archives for star alliance gold.
SAS EuroBonus offers Gold status to those who hold 100,000 shares in the airline, and those shares are cheap while the carrier is in bankruptcy. But there are risks and hurdles that will keep most away from this lucrative offer.
Through February 2022 there’s a promotion where transferring points into 250,000 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles will earn Star Alliance Gold status for a year.
Singapore Airlines is extending all status that expires by March 2023 by a year. So gaining Star Alliance Gold through this promotion actually nets you 24 months of status. And Singapore is a transfer partner of Chase, American Express, Citibank, Capital One and Brex.
How about this for worst timing ever? Right at the start of the pandemic Star Alliance airline TAP Air Portugal launched a huge marketing campaign for its 75th anniversary, to make their frequent flyer program relevant for Americans. They offered miles for sale at less than a penny each and an elite status match program.
Members who took them up on the status match, fortunately, had that status extended. And it turns out that the status match offer is still available.
Star Alliance carrier Singapore Airlines is letting members earn status credits for things other than flying through February 2022. In addition current Singapore elites earn double status credits for qualifying spend through KrisShop, KrisFlyer Spree and at Kris+ partners.
Current non-status members can earn silver or gold status without ever flying.
Star Alliance member TAP Air Portugal sells monthly mileage packages. For Black Friday (until November 30, 2020 in Lisbon) they’re offering more miles than usual at signup, more miles per month, and elite status as a signup promotion. The offer lets you buy miles at just over half a cent apiece and have access to United Clubs when flying United domestically.
Star Alliance member Scandinavian Airlines has a shareholder program open to anyone who owns at least 4000 shares in the carrier. What’s most interesting is the benefit for those who own 100,000 shares, that those shares cost just 27 cents apiece, and that they’ve already received a government bailout which may protect downside.
United Airlines has limited Star Alliance Gold access to lounges across much of its network. This was against Star Alliance policy. Star Alliance policy has been changed to no longer require airlines to offer contract lounge access to Gold members.
Most people think the United club exclusion means United Gold elites don’t get lounge access on domestic trips (unless they’re a United Club member). But that’s wrong. I don’t believe I’ve written about this in two years so it seems worth sharing.
The trick – that the initiated know but most do not – is that any Star Gold member can access any Star Alliance lounge in the U.S. other than United’s clubs provided they are flying on Star Alliance airlines out of that airport that day and can physically access the terminal where the lounge is located.
United has been inviting its business class customers to contract lounges in about 30 cities, and they’ve extended this option to Star Alliance members are well even though they aren’t required to.
Now United has mostly eliminated the practice. Except at two airports United no longer invites Star Alliance Gold members (who aren’t flying business class) to use contract lounges. This move (naturally) follows one made a few years ago by Delta.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
