At Points Advisor, we love using points to book travel whenever possible. However, there will be times when a paid fare is required, whether award seats are unavailable, the cash price is too good to ignore, or you are travelling for work and have the opportunity to credit your flights to a frequent flyer program.
The obvious move is to credit the flight to the frequent flyer program of the airline you are flying with, but that is not always the smartest strategy. If it is an airline you rarely use, you can easily end up with small balances scattered across multiple accounts, leaving you with orphan miles that are difficult to use for meaningful flight redemptions.
Thankfully, airlines do a tremendous job of forming partnerships, alliances, and earning arrangements that allow you to credit flights to another frequent flyer program. That means one paid flight could help grow the balance in your main program instead of creating another account you may never touch again.
Airlines Alliances
There are three major global airline alliances that help standardise many aspects of travel, making your journey far more seamless. From coordinated baggage policies that allow your luggage to travel from A to B even when flying multiple airlines, to shared lounge access, reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, and mileage earning and redemption agreements, these alliances make connecting between airlines significantly easier for travellers.
| Alliance | Airlines |
|---|---|
| oneworld | Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan Airlines |
| Star Alliance | Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, ITA Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines |
| SkyTeam | Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, SAS, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, XiamenAir |
Non-Alliances Airline Partnerships
Over the past decade, we’ve seen airlines increasingly expand partnerships beyond their formal alliance structures as we covered above. These agreements make it possible to earn points and, in some cases, status credits with frequent flyer programs outside an airline’s own alliance network.
You’ll be able to credit your flight to your preferred frequent flyer account, helping avoid points fragmentation across multiple programs. For example, when flying from Sydney to Dubai with Emirates on an EK flight number, you can choose to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points instead of crediting the flight to Emirates Skywards.
In some instances, these partnerships also extend to status earning. For example, a flight from New York to San Francisco with United Airlines on a UA flight number can earn both Velocity Points and Status Credits when credited to Velocity Frequent Flyer.
Below, we’ve compiled several frequent flyer programs where partner earning is possible to help ensure every paid flight you book is credited in the most optimal way based on the programs you use most frequently.
| Frequent Flyer Program / Airline | Alliance | Non-Alliances Airline Partnerships |
|---|---|---|
| AAdvantage / American Airlines | oneworld | Aer Lingus, China Southern, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, GOL, Hawaiian Airlines, JetSmart |
| Aeroplan / Air Canada | Star Alliance | Air Creebec, Air Dolomiti, Air Inuit, Air Mauritius, Azul, Bamboo Airways, Canadian North, Cathay Pacific, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, GOL, Gulf Air, Juneyao Airlines, Lufthansa City, Olympic Air, Oman Air, Provincial Airlines, Virgin Australia |
| Alfursan / Saudia | SkyTeam | China Southern, Etihad Airways, ITA Airways, Virgin Atlantic, XiamenAir |
| Asia Miles / Cathay Pacific | oneworld | Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Fiji Airways, LATAM Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Shenzhen Airlines |
| Asiana Club / Asiana Airlines | Star Alliance | Air Astana, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways |
| Atmos Rewards / Alaska Airlines | oneworld | Aer Lingus, Air Tahiti Nui, Condor, Fiji Airways, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, Korean Air, Porter Airlines, Singapore Airlines, STARLUX Airlines |
| British Airways Club / British Airways | oneworld | Aer Lingus, China Southern, Fiji Airways, Horizon Air, LATAM Airlines, LATAM Brasil, SkyWest Airlines |
| ConnectMiles / Copa Airlines | Star Alliance | Azul, Emirates, GOL, KLM |
| Dynasty Flyer / China Airlines | SkyTeam | Garuda Indonesia, Virgin Atlantic |
| Enrich / Malaysia Airlines | oneworld | Air France, Emirates, Etihad Airways, KLM |
| Etihad Guest / Etihad Airways | — | Air Canada, Air Europa, Air France, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Brussels Airlines, El Al, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Hainan Airlines, JetBlue Airways, KLM, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Royal Air Maroc, SAS, Saudia, SriLankan Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Vietnam Airlines |
| Finnair Plus / Finnair | oneworld | LATAM Airlines |
| FlyerBonus / Bangkok Airways | — | Bangkok Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways |
| Flying Blue / Air France | SkyTeam | Aeroflot, Air Corsica, Air Mauritius, Aircalin, Chalair Aviation, Copa Airlines, El Al, Etihad Airways, GOL, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Transavia, Transavia France, Twin Jet, WestJet |
| Flying Blue / KLM | SkyTeam | Aeroflot, Air Corsica, Air Mauritius, Aircalin, Chalair Aviation, Copa Airlines, El Al, Etihad Airways, GOL, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Transavia, Transavia France, Twin Jet, WestJet |
| Flying Club / Virgin Atlantic | SkyTeam | Air New Zealand, ANA, Garuda Indonesia, IndiGo, LATAM Airlines, South African Airways, Virgin Australia, XiamenAir |
| Fortune Wings Club / Hainan Airlines | — | Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways, TAP Air Portugal |
| GarudaMiles / Garuda Indonesia | SkyTeam | ANA, Etihad Airways, Virgin Atlantic |
| Iberia Plus / Iberia | oneworld | Avianca, Avianca El Salvador, Binter Canarias, LATAM Airlines, Vueling |
| Infinity MileageLands / EVA Air | Star Alliance | Juneyao Airlines, Uni Air |
| Koru / Air New Zealand | Star Alliance | Aircalin, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic |
| KrisFlyer / Scoot | — | Singapore Airlines |
| KrisFlyer / Singapore Airlines | Star Alliance | Alaska Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, JetBlue Airways, Malaysia Airlines, SAS, Scoot, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia |
| LATAM Pass / LATAM Airlines | — | Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, SWISS, Virgin Atlantic |
| LifeMiles / Avianca | Star Alliance | GOL, Iberia |
| Mabuhay Miles / Philippine Airlines | — | Qatar |
| Mileage Bank / Japan Airlines | oneworld | Air France, Bangkok Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Emirates, Hawaiian Airlines, Korean Air, LATAM Airlines, Vistara |
| Mileage Club / All Nippon Airways | Star Alliance | Air Dolomiti, Air Macau, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, Garuda Indonesia, Jet Airways, Juneyao Airlines, Olympic Air, Philippine Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic |
| MileagePlus / United Airlines | Star Alliance | Aer Lingus, Aeromar, Air Dolomiti, Azul, Boutique Air, Cape Air, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings, ITA Airways, JetBlue Airways, Juneyao Airlines, Lufthansa City, Olympic Air, Vistara |
| Miles&Bonus / Aegean Airlines | Star Alliance | Avianca Costa Rica, Avianca Ecuador, Aviateca, Emirates, Olympic Air, TACA Peru |
| Miles&Go / TAP Air Portugal | Star Alliance | Azores Airlines, Azul, Beijing Capital Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, GOL, SAS, SATA Air Açores |
| Miles&More / Austrian Airlines | Star Alliance | Air Astana, Air Dolomiti, Cathay Pacific, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings, ITA Airways, LATAM Airlines, Lufthansa City, Luxair, Olympic Air, Thai Smile, Vistara |
| Miles&More / Lufthansa | Star Alliance | Air Astana, Air Dolomiti, Cathay Pacific, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings, ITA Airways, LATAM Airlines, Lufthansa City, Luxair, Olympic Air, Thai Smile, Vistara |
| Miles&More / Swiss International Air Lines | Star Alliance | Air Astana, Air Dolomiti, Cathay Pacific, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings, ITA Airways, LATAM Airlines, Lufthansa City, Luxair, Olympic Air, Thai Smile, Vistara |
| Miles&Smiles / Turkish Airlines | Star Alliance | AJet, Azul, GOL, Lufthansa City, Oman Air |
| PhoenixMiles / Air China | Star Alliance | Air Macau, Cathay Pacific, Juneyao Airlines, Kunming Airlines, Lufthansa City, Shandong Airlines, Tibet Airlines, Uni Air |
| Privilege Club / Qatar Airways | oneworld | Bangkok Airways, Garuda Indonesia, JetBlue Airways, LATAM Airlines, RwandAir, S7 Airlines, Virgin Australia |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer / Qantas | oneworld | China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, EL AL, Emirates, Jetstar, LATAM Airlines, WestJet |
| Royal Orchid Plus / Thai Airways | Star Alliance | Avianca Costa Rica, Avianca Ecuador, Thai Smile |
| ShebaMiles / Ethiopian Airlines | Star Alliance | ASKY Airlines, Etihad Airways, GOL, Malawian Airlines |
| Sindbad / Oman Air | oneworld | Etihad Airways, Turkish Airlines |
| SkyMiles / Delta Air Lines | SkyTeam | El Al, Garuda Indonesia, Hawaiian Airlines, LATAM Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet, XiamenAir |
| SkyPass / Korean Air | SkyTeam | Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, China Southern, Emirates, GOL, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Virgin Atlantic |
| Skywards / Emirates | — | Aegean Airlines, Bangkok Airways, JetBlue Airways, TAP Air Portugal, United Airlines |
| TodoAzul / Azul Brazilian Airlines | — | Air Canada, Copa Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines |
| TrueBlue / JetBlue Airways | — | Condor, Etihad Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Icelandair, JetBlue Airways, Qatar Airways, Silver Airways, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, United Airlines |
| Velocity Frequent Flyer / Virgin Australia | — | Air Canada, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Capital Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Link Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Tianjin Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic |
| Vueling Club / Vueling | — | Iberia |
