Voyager status tiers and miles thresholds
Star Alliance · miles
Tier thresholds cited to the programme’s own pages as read on 26 September 2026. Calculate your miles ↓
Voyager at a glance
- Voyager has 3 elite tiers, from Silver at 20,000 miles to Platinum at 95,000 miles.
- Annual qualifying period — points accumulate across the full year.
- Gold (45,000 miles) 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 6,912 miles in booking class Y, the highest-earning economy class we hold for that flight. That is 3 returns to Silver from zero.
Elite tiers
| Tier | miles required from zero | To retain |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 20,000 | 19,000 |
| Gold Star Alliance Gold | 45,000 | 42,750 |
| Platinum | 95,000 | 90,250 |
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: Tier Miles are earned per calendar year on SAA and Star Alliance flights; Platinum and Lifetime Platinum also confer Star Alliance Gold; Silver confers Star Alliance Silver; SAA does not publish that base miles equal Tier Miles 1:1; this score assumes they do; Own-metal earning is spend-based (1 mile per ZAR 1.60 of base fare plus carrier-imposed fees), converted to sterling at the ECB reference rate refreshed each month, not a rate SAA publishes. Compare lounge access across programmes →
Keeping a tier is a different bar from reaching it. The last column is what Voyager 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.
Tier Miles are earned per calendar year on SAA and Star Alliance flights only: Voyager's five non-Star partners (Emirates, GOL, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia) earn Base — award — miles only. On Star partners the Business and First class bonus a partner chart prints is award-only, so partner Tier Miles are earned at the base rate, clamped at 100% of miles flown. Retention is published as a percentage, 95% of each tier's qualifying criteria, so the retention figures shown (19,000 / 42,750 / 90,250) are our arithmetic on that percentage rather than figures SAA prints; failing retention drops Gold to Silver and Platinum to Gold. Own-metal earning is spend-based, 1 mile per ZAR 1.60 of base fare plus carrier-imposed fees, converted at a dated reference rate; SAA does not publish that base miles equal Tier Miles 1:1, which this calculator assumes. Miles are valid three years and expire every 31 March.
How we checked this
Checked against voyager.flysaa.com, including the terms and conditions, August 2026.
Publisher pages read: voyager.flysaa.com.
Programmes change their rules without notice — confirm a figure with Voyager before you rely on it.
Part-way up this ladder? See how to reach your next tier in Voyager 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 6,912 miles 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.
| Tier | miles | Economy returns |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 20,000 | 3 |
| Gold | 45,000 | 7 |
| Platinum | 95,000 | 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.
Voyager: questions and answers
- How many miles do I need for Voyager status?
- From a standing start: Silver 20,000 miles, Gold 45,000 miles, Platinum 95,000 miles.
- Which Voyager tier gives lounge access?
- Gold, at 45,000 miles, is the lowest tier that confers Star Alliance Gold, with lounge access across the alliance. Conditions beyond the threshold: Tier Miles are earned per calendar year on SAA and Star Alliance flights; Platinum and Lifetime Platinum also confer Star Alliance Gold; Silver confers Star Alliance Silver; SAA does not publish that base miles equal Tier Miles 1:1; this score assumes they do; Own-metal earning is spend-based (1 mile per ZAR 1.60 of base fare plus carrier-imposed fees), converted to sterling at the ECB reference rate refreshed each month, not a rate SAA publishes.
- How many flights does it take to reach Voyager status?
- On the reference route LHR–NYC (JFK or EWR), flown by United Airlines, one economy return earns 6,912 miles 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 3, Gold 7, Platinum 14. Other cabins, classes and routes earn differently; the calculator on this page prices your own trip.
Calculate your miles
Add further segments and adjust detail in the full builder after calculating.
Earning reference
Booking classesEvery miles rate, by booking class
The full reference table for Voyager: 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 →Voyager 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 Virgin Atlantic — Flying Club
- Platinum or Gold → Gold (Status match)
- Silver → Silver (Status match)
Into KM Malta Airlines — KM Rewards
- Gold or Platinum → Pioneer (Status match)
- Silver → Explorer (Status match)