Airline lounge access thresholds, every programme compared
Each alliance grants lounge access at a benefit tier — Oneworld Sapphire, SkyTeam Elite Plus, Star Alliance Gold — but every frequent flyer programme maps its own status ladder onto that tier at a different point. This table compiles, for 41 programmes, the exact tier that unlocks alliance-wide lounge access and the qualifying credits needed from a standing start. It is the reference data behind the Lark Score shown in our calculator.
Credits are in each programme’s own currency, so figures are not directly comparable across programmes — a Tier Point is not an XP. For spend-based programmes the currency tracks money spent; for the rest it tracks flying. Use the calculator to see what your own itinerary earns toward any of them.
Oneworld — Sapphire
Sapphire grants Business-class lounge access across Oneworld regardless of the cabin flown.
| Programme | Lounge-access tier | Credits from a standing start | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAdvantage | Platinum | 75,000 Loyalty Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Atmos Rewards | Gold | 40,000 Status Points | — |
| Cathay | Gold | 600 Status Points | — |
| Enrich | Elite Gold | 70 Elite Points | — |
| Finnair Plus | Gold | 45,000 Tier Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare |
| FlySmiLes | Gold | 40,000 Tier Miles | † |
| Iberia Club | Oro | 7,500 Elite Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| JAL Mileage Bank | Sapphire | 50,000 FLY ON Points | † |
| Privilege Club | Gold | 300 Qpoints | † |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Gold | 700 Status Credits | † |
| Royal Club | Gold Sparrow | 40,000 Tier Miles | Provisional |
| Safar Flyer | Gold | 35,000 Status Miles | † |
| Sindbad | Gold | 1,100 Tier Points | — |
| The British Airways Club | Silver | 7,500 Tier Points | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
† Qualification caveats not shown in the table
- AAdvantage: Loyalty Points also accrue from credit cards and non-flying partners — a flying-only score understates real-world attainability.
- FlySmiLes: Minimum 20,000 Tier Miles must be earned on SriLankan-operated flights. Alternative route: 40 sectors (minimum 20 on SriLankan).
- Iberia Club: Alternative route: 40 flights in the membership year. Non-air Elite Points are capped at 30% of the tier requirement.
- 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.
- 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.
- The British Airways Club: Alternative route: 50 eligible British Airways flights in the collection year.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeroméxico Rewards | Gold | 50,000 Points | Provisional |
| Alfursan | Gold | 50,000 Tier Credits | † |
| Asante Rewards | Platinum | 65,000 points | † |
| Dynasty Flyer | Emerald | 720 Status Points | Provisional · † |
| Egret Miles | Platinum | 100,000 points | Provisional · † |
| EuroBonus | Gold | 45,000 Level points | † |
| Flying Blue | Gold | 280 XP | † |
| Flying Club | Gold | 1,000 Tier Points | Provisional |
| GarudaMiles | Platinum | 60,000 miles | Provisional · † |
| Lotusmiles | Platinum | 50,000 qualifying miles | † |
| SkyMiles | Gold | 10,000 MQD | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
† Qualification caveats not shown in the table
- Alfursan: Alternative route: 40 international sectors.
- Asante Rewards: Segment alternative: 60 qualifying sectors.
- Dynasty Flyer: Half of all Status Points must come from China Airlines / Mandarin Airlines own-metal international flights.
- Egret Miles: Segment alternative: 60 segments.
- EuroBonus: Alternative route: 45 qualifying SAS/Widerøe one-way flights.
- 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.
- GarudaMiles: Tier miles count per 12-month period at each tier; flight-count alternatives exist per step.
- Lotusmiles: Segment alternative: 50 qualifying sectors (from July 2026).
- SkyMiles: Delta co-brand credit cards grant MQD headstarts (not modelled).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeroplan | 50K | 50,000 SQC | Provisional · Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Airpoints | Koru Gold | 900 Status Points | † |
| ANA Mileage Club | Platinum | 50,000 Premium Points | † |
| ConnectMiles | Gold | 45,000 miles | Provisional · † |
| EgyptAir Plus | Gold | 60,000 miles | † |
| Infinity MileageLands | Gold | 80,000 miles | Provisional · † |
| KrisFlyer | Elite Gold | 50,000 Elite miles | † |
| LifeMiles | Gold | 24,000 Elite miles | Provisional · † |
| Maharaja Club | Gold | 30,000 points | Provisional · † |
| MileagePlus | Premier Gold | 12,000 PQP | Spend-based — cost varies with fare · † |
| Miles & More | Senator | 2,000 Qualifying Points | † |
| Miles&Go | Navigator | 125,000 status miles | Provisional · † |
| Miles&Smiles | Elite | 40,000 Status Miles | — |
| Miles+Bonus | Gold | 36,000 Tier Miles | Provisional · † |
| Royal Orchid Plus | Gold | 50,000 miles | † |
| ShebaMiles | Gold | 50,000 miles | † |
† Qualification caveats not shown in the table
- Aeroplan: Credit-card SQC contributions are capped at 25,000 per year (not modelled).
- Airpoints: At least half the Status Points must come from qualifying flights.
- ANA Mileage Club: At least half the Premium Points must be earned on ANA Group flights.
- ConnectMiles: Minimum 4 Copa Airlines segments per year.
- 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: Flight-count alternative: 80 qualifying international flights.
- KrisFlyer: Rolling 12-consecutive-month qualification window.
- LifeMiles: Minimum 12,000 qualifying miles on Avianca-operated flights.
- Maharaja Club: Minimum Air India / Air India Express component: 9,000 of the 30,000 Tier Points. Rolling 365-day qualification window.
- MileagePlus: Minimum 4 paid United / United Express segments. Alternative route: 30 PQF + 10,000 PQP.
- 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).
- Miles&Go: Personal 12-month qualification cycle (anniversary-based). TAP segment alternative: 70 segments (10 on higher fare families).
- Miles+Bonus: Mandatory Aegean/Olympic Air flight minimums apply at each tier (rising from November 2026).
- 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.
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:
- SKYPASS — SKYPASS restructured its tiers in 2024 and the tier conferring SkyTeam Elite Plus is not yet confirmed — no score until verified.
- Eastern Miles — Eastern Miles measures qualification in kilometres flown plus a mandatory annual spend in yuan — this calculator computes statute miles, so a percentage would be systematically misleading.
- Cedar Miles — The Cedar Miles tier conferring SkyTeam Elite Plus is not yet confirmed — no score until verified.
- SUMA — The SUMA tier conferring SkyTeam Elite Plus is not yet confirmed — no score until verified.
- Aerolíneas Plus — The Aerolíneas Plus tier conferring SkyTeam Elite Plus is not yet confirmed — no score until verified.
- PhoenixMiles — PhoenixMiles measures qualification in kilometres flown — this calculator computes statute miles, so a percentage would be systematically understated.
- Voyager — Voyager's tier thresholds are not publicly confirmed — no score until verified.
- Asiana Club — Asiana Airlines ceases operations in December 2026 and leaves Star Alliance; elite tiers migrate to Korean Air SKYPASS.