Which frequent flyer programmes give lounge access, and at what tier?
Every frequent flyer programme in the three global alliances gives lounge access, but at a different rung of its own ladder. Lounge access is granted by the alliance benefit tier — Oneworld Sapphire, SkyTeam Elite Plus or Star Alliance Gold — not by the programme's own tier name, so one programme's second rung may open more lounges than another's third. Across the 45 programmes compared here, the cheapest published routes to an alliance lounge tier are Egret Miles Egret Platinum (70 points), Enrich Elite Gold (70 Elite Points), Flying Blue Gold (280 XP). Those figures are each in that programme's own status currency and are not directly comparable with one another; the most expensive routes are measured in tens of thousands of miles. Figures are the credits needed from a standing start, in each programme’s own currency.
Alliance mappings checked 31 August 2026; the oldest mapping on this page was last verified 12 July 2026. Tier thresholds are captured per programme and carry their own dated provenance on each programme page, so no single page-level threshold date is claimed here. How the lounge tier and the threshold are chosen is set out in the methodology and in how the Lark Score works.
For what the alliance tier names mean, see oneworld status tiers explained. Cheap status is not always lounge status — the entry tier of every programme, and what it takes to reach it, is on the lowest elite status thresholds. To work out what a run would cost you, use the tier run planner; to skip the flying, check status matches and challenges.
Oneworld — Sapphire
Sapphire grants Business-class lounge access across Oneworld regardless of the cabin flown. Oneworld Sapphire is the middle of Oneworld's three alliance tiers — Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald. It is the rung that adds lounge access and priority boarding across every Oneworld member airline, whichever member programme you hold status with. No. Emerald is Oneworld's top tier and adds first-class lounge access; Sapphire is enough for Business-class lounge access across the alliance. The equivalent rungs are SkyTeam Elite Plus and Star Alliance Gold. Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald explained.
| Programme | Lounge-access tier | Credits from a standing start | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sindbad | Gold | 1,100 Tier Points | — |
| The British Airways Club (calculator) | Silver | 7,500 Tier Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Finnair Plus (calculator) | Gold | 45,000 Tier Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare |
| Enrich | Elite Gold | 70 Elite Points | — |
| Iberia Club | Oro | 7,500 Elite Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Cathay | Gold | 600 Status Points | — |
| Atmos Rewards | Gold | 40,000 Status Points | — |
| FlySmiLes | Gold | 40,000 Tier Miles | † |
| Royal Club | Gold Sparrow | 40,000 Tier Miles | † |
| Privilege Club (calculator) | Gold | 300 Qpoints | † |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer (calculator) | Gold | 700 Status Credits | † |
| Safar Flyer | Gold | 35,000 Status Miles | † |
| JAL Mileage Bank | Sapphire | 50,000 FLY ON Points | † |
| AAdvantage (calculator) | Platinum | 75,000 Loyalty Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
† Qualification caveats not shown in the table
- The British Airways Club: Alternative route: 50 eligible British Airways flights in the collection year.
- Iberia Club: Alternative route: 40 flights in the membership year. Non-air Elite Points are capped at 30% of the tier requirement.
- FlySmiLes: Minimum 20,000 Tier Miles must be earned on SriLankan-operated flights. Alternative route: 40 sectors (minimum 20 on SriLankan).
- Royal Club: Segment alternative: 30 segments in 12 months; retention is lower (30,000 tier miles or 26 segments).
- Privilege Club: At least 20% of Qpoints must come from Qatar Airways flights (or 4 QR sectors in 12 months). Rolling 12-month qualification window.
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: Minimum 4 eligible Qantas or Jetstar sectors in the membership year.
- Safar Flyer: Minimum 17,500 Status Miles (or 10 Status Flights) on Royal Air Maroc metal.
- JAL Mileage Bank: At least half the FLY ON Points must be earned on JAL Group flights. Flight-count alternative: 50 flights (minimum 25 on JAL Group) plus 15,000 FOP.
- AAdvantage: Loyalty Points also accrue from credit cards and non-flying partners — a flying-only score understates real-world attainability.
SkyTeam — Elite Plus
Elite Plus grants SkyTeam lounge access when flying any SkyTeam carrier internationally.
| Programme | Lounge-access tier | Credits from a standing start | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egret Miles | Egret Platinum | 70 points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Asante Rewards | Gold | 40,000 points | † |
| Flying Blue (calculator) | Gold | 280 XP | † |
| Dynasty Flyer | Emerald | 720 Status Points | † |
| Flying Club (calculator) | Gold | 1,000 Tier Points | † |
| SkyMiles (calculator) | Gold | 10,000 MQD | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| GarudaMiles | Platinum | 30,000 miles | Provisional · † |
| SUMA | Gold | 32,000 Level miles | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| EuroBonus | Gold | 45,000 Level points | † |
| Lotusmiles | Platinum | 50,000 qualifying miles | † |
| Alfursan | Gold | 50,000 Tier Credits | † |
| Aeroméxico Rewards | Platinum | 80,000 Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| SKYPASS | Morning Calm Premium | 500,000 SKYPASS miles | † |
† Qualification caveats not shown in the table
- Egret Miles: Spend-based Qualifying Points (roughly 1 QP per ¥1,000 of fare and carrier charges — earning rate provisional). Status runs to 31 December of the following year; surplus Qualifying Points carry over.
- Asante Rewards: Gold requires 40,000 tier points or 30 sectors (verified at source 9 Aug 2026); KQ's T&Cs state only Kenya Airways flights earn qualifying points, despite the tier pages naming SkyTeam partners — the terms govern.
- Flying Blue: XP resets on each tier-up — 280 XP is the standing-start total (100 to Silver, a further 180 to Gold). Up to 300 XP rolls over annually.
- Dynasty Flyer: Half the threshold (360 of 720 Status Points) must come from China Airlines / Mandarin Airlines self-operated flights. Upgrades assess any rolling 12 months and apply immediately; renewal runs on the two-year validity at different thresholds.
- Flying Club: Fixed 12-month membership year; Tier Points reset if you fail to requalify. Reward Flights also earn Tier Points.
- SkyMiles: Four US-issued Delta American Express products grant an MQD Headstart — a credit against the single annual counter, so it counts toward every tier, granted per card type (not modelled).
- GarudaMiles: Tier Miles are counted within a 12-month activity period, from a standing start; 60 eligible flights is an alternative route.
- SUMA: Flight-count alternative: 26 flights (Silver 14, Platinum 50). A minimum of 4 flights on Air Europa metal is required within the 12-month qualification period. Level Miles is the base Suma Miles/Bonus Business Miles figure — the +50/75/100% Silver/Gold/Platinum tier bonus is redeemable-only and does not count towards status.
- EuroBonus: Alternative route: 45 qualifying SAS one-way flights.
- Lotusmiles: Segment alternative: 50 qualifying sectors (from July 2026).
- Alfursan: Alternative route: 40 sectors.
- Aeroméxico Rewards: The segment route is contested: Aeroméxico's terms (updated January 2026) abolish Qualifying Segments as a route to any level from 1 January 2026, while its per-tier pages still print an 80-segment alternative. The contract governs — plan on points. Basic Economy (class V) earns no eligible points.
- SKYPASS: Morning Calm Premium is a lifetime tier: 500,000 miles accumulated on Korean Air and SkyTeam flights over any period, valid for life. Mileage from non-SkyTeam partners, credit cards and promotions is excluded.
Star Alliance — Gold
Star Alliance Gold grants lounge access across the alliance's member carriers.
| Programme | Lounge-access tier | Credits from a standing start | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ConnectMiles | Gold | 40,000 miles | † |
| Voyager | Gold | 45,000 miles | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Royal Orchid Plus | Gold | 50,000 miles | † |
| ShebaMiles | Gold | 50,000 miles | † |
| EgyptAir Plus | Gold | 60,000 miles | † |
| Infinity MileageLands | Gold | 80,000 miles | † |
| LifeMiles | Gold | 24,000 Elite miles | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| KrisFlyer (calculator) | Elite Gold | 50,000 Elite miles | † |
| Maharaja Club | Gold | 30,000 points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| PhoenixMiles | Gold | 80,000 points | † |
| Airpoints | Koru Gold | 900 Status Points | † |
| Miles & More (calculator) | Senator | 2,000 Points | † |
| MileagePlus (calculator) | Premier Gold | 12,000 PQP | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Miles&Smiles | Elite | 40,000 Status Miles | — |
| ANA Mileage Club | Platinum | 50,000 Premium Points | † |
| Aeroplan (calculator) | 50K | 50,000 SQC | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Miles&Go | Gold | 70,000 status miles | † |
| Miles+Bonus | Gold | 70,000 Tier Miles | † |
† Qualification caveats not shown in the table
- ConnectMiles: Minimum 4 flown Copa Airlines segments per year at every tier. Segment alternative: 35 Rating Segments. Basic fares earn half the miles and segments.
- Voyager: 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 here at an assumed 23.50 ZAR/£.
- Royal Orchid Plus: Alternative routes: 80,000 QM in 24 months, or 40 international Thai sectors in 12 months.
- ShebaMiles: Segment alternative: 50 qualifying sectors.
- EgyptAir Plus: Tier Miles are counted in 24-month windows from each tier-upgrade date — 60,000 is the standing-start total (30,000 to Silver, a further 30,000 to Gold).
- Infinity MileageLands: 80,000 Status Miles from a standing start, and it cannot be done in one year: 30,000 to reach Silver, then a further 50,000 inside a second 12-month window while that Silver card is valid. Silver's 4 EVA Air / UNI Air international sectors gate the whole climb, so there is no partner-only route to Star Alliance Gold — though the second half may be flown wholly on partner metal. Flight-count alternative: 50 qualifying international flights (Star Alliance sectors excluded from the count route). Renewal is 80,000 over the 2-year card validity, so Gold is easier to keep than to get.
- LifeMiles: Minimum 12,000 of the 24,000 qualifying miles must be flown on Avianca. Calendar-year qualification window (1 January – 31 December).
- KrisFlyer: Rolling 12-consecutive-month qualification window.
- Maharaja Club: Minimum Air India / Air India Express component: 9,000 of the 30,000 Tier Points. Rolling 365-day qualification window.
- PhoenixMiles: 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).
- Airpoints: At least half the Status Points must come from qualifying flights.
- Miles & More: At least 1,000 of the 2,000 Points must be Qualifying Points earned on fully integrated Miles & More carriers (Lufthansa Group, LOT, Croatia, Luxair, Air Dolomiti, ITA).
- MileagePlus: Minimum 4 paid United / United Express segments. Alternative route: 30 PQF + 10,000 PQP.
- ANA Mileage Club: At least half the Premium Points must be earned on ANA Group flights.
- Aeroplan: Partner/Star Alliance SQC (1 per 5 base points) is capped at 25,000 per year — partner flying alone cannot reach 50K. Credit-card SQC contributions are also capped at 25,000 per year (not modelled).
- Miles&Go: TAP flight alternative: 50 TAP flights; retention is lower (50,000 or 40 flights). Navigator also carries Star Gold, but Gold is the entry Star Gold tier.
- Miles+Bonus: Cheaper own-metal route exists (24,000 tier miles after Silver with 4+ Aegean/Olympic flights). Miles expire on a rolling basis one year after each flight rather than resetting. Restructure 5 Nov 2026: Gold total rises to 72,000, a 32-flight route is added, and a new Platinum tier launches.
Programmes we don’t score
Where a programme’s path to the lounge tier can’t be stated as a single defensible number, we say so rather than guess:
- Eastern Miles — Every Eastern Miles tier requires a mandatory annual spend in yuan as well as the kilometres flown, so a percentage of the distance requirement alone would overstate how close a member is.
- Cedar Miles — The Cedar Miles tier conferring SkyTeam Elite Plus is not yet confirmed — no score until verified.
- Aerolíneas Plus — Aerolíneas Argentinas does not publish which Aerolíneas Plus tier carries SkyTeam Elite Plus — only that Platinum and Diamond members share SkyPriority with Elite Plus passengers — so there is no confirmed tier to score against.
- Asiana Club — Asiana Airlines leaves Star Alliance on 16 December 2026 and Asiana Club is consolidated into Korean Air SKYPASS on 17 December 2026; elite tiers are matched to SKYPASS equivalents.