What do SAA flights on other airlines earn?

SAA-marketed flights (4-digit flight numbers) on Star Alliance airlines earn by the class of travel and distance flown under the operating airline's rules. On non-Star airlines Voyager lists 100% in Economy Y, B, M, K, 100% to 150% in Business classes Z, D, P, C and J, 50% in H, S, Q, T, V, 25% in L, W, G and nothing in I, X, E, U, N, R.

How many tier miles do I need for Voyager Silver, Gold and Platinum?

Tier miles earned in a calendar year on SAA or Star Alliance flights: Silver 20,000, Gold 45,000 and Platinum 95,000. Silver, Gold and Platinum add a bonus of 25%, 50% and 75% of tier miles on SAA operating and marketing flights.

Which tickets do not earn Voyager miles?

Travel industry reduced rates including tour operator tickets, unpublished fares, charter tickets, Voyager award tickets, and compensation and sponsorship tickets earn no miles.

South African Airways Fare Classes: Voyager Miles Earning

Type the booking class letter from your SAA ticket to see the fare family it belongs to and how Voyager pays miles, as published by Voyager, South African Airways' frequent flyer program.

South African Airways fare classes

Voyager's terms name these SAA booking classes. SAA does not publish a full letter-by-letter chart in Voyager's pages, so classes not shown here are not listed. On flights operated by SAA, Voyager pays by the money spent, not by the letter: see below.

Fare	Cabin and fare family	Voyager miles on SAA-operated flights
Economy
Y	EconomySelect fare family.	1 mile per R1.60
B	EconomySelect fare family.	1 mile per R1.60
M	EconomySelect fare family.	1 mile per R1.60
K	EconomySelect fare family.	1 mile per R1.60
X	EconomyJourneyBlitz Economy.	Not stated separately
Business
I	BusinessJourneyBlitz Business.	Not stated separately

Select fare family: Voyager's terms define it as a fare type on South African Airways in Y, B, M and K class. Upgrade awards are available only on Select Economy tickets.
JourneyBlitz: the booking class for JourneyBlitz Economy is X and for JourneyBlitz Business is I. Voyager's pages do not give these a separate earning rate.
Other fare names: SAA's economy and business fare names (Saver, Plus, Classic) were not on Voyager's pages, so no letters are shown for them.

Calculate what this flight earns

Voyager miles on SAA-operated flights

Flights operated by SAA, flight numbers SA001 to SA999, earn one Voyager mile for every R1.60 spent on the published base fare and carrier-imposed fees on SAA revenue tickets. Voyager pro-rates the miles per flown sector over the total base fare and carrier-imposed fees paid for the ticket, and credits them up to 15 days after the flight.

Not eligible: travel industry reduced rates (including tour operator tickets), unpublished fares, charter tickets, Voyager award tickets, and compensation and sponsorship tickets. Upgrades earn on the fare purchased.
Bonus miles do not count as tier miles. Voyager lists an Enrolment Bonus (2,500 miles), a Class of Service Bonus for Business and First, an Appreciation Bonus (2,000 miles for every 15,000 SAA tier miles, Silver to Platinum) and a Threshold Bonus when you reach or retain a tier (Silver 3,000, Gold 6,000, Platinum 12,000). The Class of Service Bonus rates are not published as page text.
Expiry: miles are valid for 3 years after the year earned and expire on 31 March; the year runs 1 April to 31 March. They do not expire if you flew 6,000 tier miles on SAA-operated flights in the preceding January to December.
Voyager's terms say the earning schedule can change without notice.

SAA-marketed flights on other airlines

Tickets sold under an SA code (4-digit flight numbers) on a Star Alliance airline earn miles by the class of travel and distance flown under the operating airline's rules, credited 3 to 5 days after travel. On airlines outside Star Alliance, Voyager lists this table. The percentage applies to the distance flown, with a minimum mileage of 125 to 500 per flight.

Cabin	Booking classes	Miles
Economy	Y, B, M, K	100%
Business (domestic)	D	100%
Business	Z, D, P	100% plus a 25% class bonus
Business	C, J	100% plus a 50% class bonus
Other classes	H, S, Q, T, V	50%
Other classes	L, W, G	25%
No miles	I, X, E, U, N, R	0

As printed by Voyager for SAA-marketed flights on non-Star airlines. The table for each Star Alliance airline is on Voyager's partner page.

Voyager tiers

Tier	Tier miles in a calendar year	Bonus on SAA flights	Star Alliance status
Blue	Card after any 3 base-mile transactions
Silver	20,000	+25%	Silver
Gold	45,000	+50%	Gold
Platinum	95,000	+75%	Gold

Tier miles are earned in a calendar year (1 January to 31 December) on SAA or Star Alliance partner flights. Bonus miles do not count. The bonus is a percentage of the tier miles awarded on SAA operating and marketing flights.
Keeping a tier: 95% of the tier's criteria in the next calendar year. If you fall short you drop one tier (Silver to Blue, Gold to Silver, Platinum to Gold).
Lifetime Platinum: six consecutive years of Platinum status based on SAA miles, or 720,000 SAA miles in a minimum of four and maximum of six consecutive years. Star Alliance and SAA-marketed flights do not count toward it.
Star Alliance: Voyager Gold, Platinum and Lifetime Platinum qualify for Star Gold benefits.
Benefits: Silver adds an extra 23 kg bag; Gold one extra piece and lounge access with 1 guest; Platinum an extra 32 kg bag and lounge access with 2 guests.

Lounges

SAA's own lounges are in South Africa: Johannesburg OR Tambo, Cape Town, Durban King Shaka and Gqeberha. SAA's lounge page names no partner lounges abroad.
At the OR Tambo Premium Lounge, Star Alliance Gold members travelling on a Star Alliance carrier may bring 1 guest. Voyager Gold members may bring 1 guest and Platinum members 2; Silver members enter on SAA operating flights without a guest. SAA Business class travellers also have access.

Source: SAA lounges.

Good to know

How many Voyager miles do I earn on a South African Airways flight?: On flights operated by SAA (flight numbers SA001 to SA999) Voyager pays one mile for every R1.60 spent on the published base fare and carrier-imposed fees on SAA revenue tickets, pro-rated per flown sector. The booking class letter does not change the rate.
What do SAA flights on other airlines earn?: SAA-marketed flights (4-digit flight numbers) on Star Alliance airlines earn by the class of travel and distance flown under the operating airline's rules. On non-Star airlines Voyager lists 100% in Economy Y, B, M, K, 100% to 150% in Business classes Z, D, P, C and J, 50% in H, S, Q, T, V, 25% in L, W, G and nothing in I, X, E, U, N, R.
How many tier miles do I need for Voyager Silver, Gold and Platinum?: Tier miles earned in a calendar year on SAA or Star Alliance flights: Silver 20,000, Gold 45,000 and Platinum 95,000. Silver, Gold and Platinum add a bonus of 25%, 50% and 75% of tier miles on SAA operating and marketing flights.
Which tickets do not earn Voyager miles?: Travel industry reduced rates including tour operator tickets, unpublished fares, charter tickets, Voyager award tickets, and compensation and sponsorship tickets earn no miles.

Source: South African Airways Voyager. Earning miles | Earn with airline partners | Tier status and benefits | Terms and conditions | Voyager and Star Alliance

South African Airways and Voyager are trademarks of South African Airways SOC Ltd. This page is unofficial and not affiliated with or endorsed by South African Airways. Information is provided for reference only and may not reflect the most current program terms.

Earning on South African Airways with other programmes? Aeroplan, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or United MileagePlus

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