How many points do I need for PhoenixMiles status?

From a standing start: Silver 40,000 points, Gold 80,000 points, Platinum 160,000 points.

How many flights does it take to reach PhoenixMiles status?

On the reference route LHR–NYC (JFK or EWR), flown by United Airlines, one economy return earns 12,236 points in booking class Y, the highest-earning economy class we hold for that flight. On that basis, the economy returns needed from zero are: Silver 4, Gold 7, Platinum 14. Other cabins, classes and routes earn differently; the calculator on this page prices your own trip.

PhoenixMiles Status Tiers & points Thresholds

PhoenixMiles at a glance

PhoenixMiles has 3 elite tiers, from Silver at 40,000 points to Platinum at 160,000 points.
Rolling 12-month window — only points earned in the past year count.
Gold (80,000 points) is the lowest tier with Star Alliance Gold lounge access.
On the reference route LHR–NYC (JFK or EWR), flown by United Airlines, one economy return earns 12,236 points in booking class Y, the highest-earning economy class we hold for that flight. That is 4 returns to Silver from zero.

Elite tiers

PhoenixMiles tier ladder
Tier	points required from zero	To retain
Silver	40,000	35,000
Gold Star Alliance Gold	80,000	70,000
Platinum	160,000	145,000

Gold confers Star Alliance Gold — the lowest tier in this programme with alliance-wide lounge access. Alliance mapping last verified 7 August 2026. Conditions beyond the threshold: Thresholds and earning are in qualifying kilometres, assessed over the previous 12 consecutive months; Segment alternative: 40 qualifying segments; Tiers upgrade level by level — Silver must be held before Gold; an upgrade is valid 24 months, a renewal only 12 (renewal at 70,000 km). Compare lounge access across programmes →

Keeping a tier is a different bar from reaching it. The last column is what PhoenixMiles publishes for a member who already holds the tier, over the same qualification window as the reaching figure. A dash means no retention figure comparable with the reaching one is shown for that rung, not that renewal is automatic; where the programme publishes one over a different window, its note gives it.

Qualifying kilometres, not miles: the calculator's earning figures are in kilometres to match. Upgrade thresholds are shown, assessed over the previous 12 months; an upgrade is valid for 24 months, but renewal (at the lower 35k / 70k / 145k km) buys only 12. The segment alternative is Silver 25, Gold 40, Platinum 90 to upgrade and 23 / 36 / 80 to renew, and tiers upgrade level by level. The 25 / 30 / 50% elite accrual bonus is spendable mileage only and never adds qualifying kilometres, so holding status does not speed up the next tier.

How we checked this

Publisher pages read: ffp.airchina.com.cn.

Programmes change their rules without notice — confirm a figure with PhoenixMiles before you rely on it.

Part-way up this ladder? See how to reach your next tier in PhoenixMiles to see how far you are from your next tier and ways to close the gap.

What a return earns

On the reference route LHR–NYC (JFK or EWR), flown by United Airlines, one economy return earns 12,236 points in booking class Y, the highest-earning economy class we hold for that flight.
LHR–CDG: no figure — no rule captured. No published rate captured for this carrier pair in any of the cabin's booking classes — not a statement that it earns nothing.

Economy returns on LHR–NYC (JFK or EWR) to reach each tier from zero
Tier	points	Economy returns
Silver	40,000	4
Gold	80,000	7
Platinum	160,000	14

Computed by the same engine as the calculator, on the reference routes behind the lowest status thresholds. Your own fare, class and route will differ: the calculator below prices them.

PhoenixMiles: questions and answers

How many points do I need for PhoenixMiles status?: From a standing start: Silver 40,000 points, Gold 80,000 points, Platinum 160,000 points.
Which PhoenixMiles tier gives lounge access?: Gold, at 80,000 points, is the lowest tier that confers Star Alliance Gold, with lounge access across the alliance. Conditions beyond the threshold: Thresholds and earning are in qualifying kilometres, assessed over the previous 12 consecutive months; Segment alternative: 40 qualifying segments; Tiers upgrade level by level — Silver must be held before Gold; an upgrade is valid 24 months, a renewal only 12 (renewal at 70,000 km).
How many flights does it take to reach PhoenixMiles status?: On the reference route LHR–NYC (JFK or EWR), flown by United Airlines, one economy return earns 12,236 points in booking class Y, the highest-earning economy class we hold for that flight. On that basis, the economy returns needed from zero are: Silver 4, Gold 7, Platinum 14. Other cabins, classes and routes earn differently; the calculator on this page prices your own trip.

Calculate your points

Credit to programme

How was the ticket paid for?

Origin

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Destination

Enter the origin and destination airports to calculate.

Add further segments and adjust detail in the full builder after calculating.

Open the full multi-segment builder →

Earning reference

Booking classes

Every points rate, by booking class

The full reference table for PhoenixMiles: each operating carrier crossed with each booking class, the rate we hold, and the earning model behind it. Only classes with a rate we have captured from the programme are listed — nothing is filled in with a guess.

Open the booking-class table →

PhoenixMiles status matches out

Into Kenya Airways — Asante Rewards

Gold → Gold Elite Plus (Status match)
Platinum → Platinum Elite Plus (Status match)
Silver → Silver Elite (Status match)

Into Air France / KLM — Flying Blue

Gold → Gold (Status match)
Platinum → Platinum (Status match)
Silver → Silver (Status match)

Into KM Malta Airlines — KM Rewards

Gold or Platinum → Pioneer (Status match)
Silver → Explorer (Status match)

Into Air Astana — Nomad Club

Gold or Platinum → Gold (Status match)
Silver → Silver (Status match)

→ See all status matches