The Complete Guide to Star Alliance Partners and Awards (2026)
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Two years ago I would have told you Turkish metal at 45k was the obvious play. Today the best Star Alliance moves are somewhere else entirely, and I’ve changed what I recommend.
Star Alliance is still the world’s largest airline alliance, with 26 carriers covering basically every corner of the map. It’s my default answer for international award bookings, and consistently shows up in our lists of the best airlines to fly into Rome, Istanbul, Paris, and more.
The alliance operates a two-tier status program, Silver and Gold, with perks like priority boarding and lounge access. But the real prize is award redemption across the full network, where a few partner programs punch well above their weight. My current pick for booking Star Alliance awards is Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, which still prices business class to Europe at 85,000 miles each way on partner metal.
What Changed in Star Alliance Recently
Two big movements to know about if you haven’t been paying attention:
- SAS left on August 31, 2024, and joined SkyTeam the next day. A founding Star Alliance member, gone. If you’re routing through Copenhagen, Stockholm, or Oslo, the alliance math changed.
- ITA Airways joined Star Alliance on April 1, 2026, after Lufthansa Group took a stake in the carrier. ITA is now fully integrated into the alliance, which is a big deal if you’re flying into Italy.
Net effect: still 26 members, one swap.
The 26 Star Alliance Members
Here’s the current roster as of April 2026:
| Airline | Hub / Home |
|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | Athens |
| Air Canada | Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver |
| Air China | Beijing |
| Air India | Delhi, Mumbai |
| Air New Zealand | Auckland |
| ANA (All Nippon Airways) | Tokyo (HND, NRT) |
| Asiana Airlines | Seoul Incheon |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna |
| Avianca | Bogotá |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussels |
| Copa Airlines | Panama City |
| Croatia Airlines | Zagreb |
| EGYPTAIR | Cairo |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa |
| EVA Air | Taipei |
| ITA Airways (new, 2026) | Rome, Milan |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt, Munich |
| Shenzhen Airlines | Shenzhen |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| South African Airways | Johannesburg |
| SWISS | Zurich |
| TAP Air Portugal | Lisbon |
| THAI | Bangkok |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul |
| United Airlines | Chicago, Houston, Newark, SFO, Denver |
| No rows match these filters. | |
Not every member is equally useful to you as an award traveler. Some (United, Turkish, Singapore) have strong loyalty programs. Others (Air India, Shenzhen) matter more for the routes they cover than their miles currencies.
Status Tiers: Silver and Gold
Star Alliance recognizes two public status tiers across the alliance. Individual airlines have their own higher tiers (Lufthansa HON Circle, ANA Diamond, etc.), but alliance-wide benefits come in two flavors.
Star Alliance Silver
Silver is the entry tier, and honestly it doesn’t offer much:
- Priority airport standby, except on award tickets.
- Priority reservations waitlist, except on award tickets.
Nothing to strive for. If you’re chasing status within the alliance, Gold is where the value lives.
Star Alliance Gold
Gold is the tier that actually changes your airport experience. Benefits include:
- Priority airport check-in at any member airline, where offered.
- Priority baggage handling, so your bags hit the belt first.
- Lounge access at over 1,000 member lounges worldwide, regardless of cabin.
- Priority boarding alongside first and business class passengers.
- Extra baggage allowance: an extra 20 kg (44 lb) on weight-concept routes, or one extra piece where the piece concept applies.
- Gold Track priority security and immigration lanes at supported airports.
If you fly enough to hit Gold with any member airline, those benefits follow you across the whole alliance. That portability is what makes alliance status worth chasing in the first place.
The Best Star Alliance Mileage Programs
This is where alliance membership pays off the most. You can book any Star Alliance flight through any member’s loyalty program, but the price in miles varies wildly. These are the programs I reach for.
United MileagePlus
United is the easiest Star Alliance program to search, and its award calendar shows partner availability across essentially the entire alliance. You don’t need to be logged in to see prices, which is a small but real win when you’re flight-shopping. For a sense of what you’re actually paying for, here’s our United Polaris review.
Transfer partners: Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1) and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1.1). Bilt added United as a direct transfer partner too.
Caveat: United prices its own flights dynamically, which is usually a bad deal. When you’re booking partner metal, look specifically for saver space, which still follows a fixed chart.
ANA Mileage Club
ANA remains one of the best-value programs for partner awards, with a published award chart that’s held up better than most. Rates from the US to Europe in business can come in well under what United charges on the same flights, and ANA awards to Japan are still some of the best-value longhaul redemptions in the alliance.
Transfer partners: American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
One catch: ANA requires you to book a roundtrip (no one-ways) for most redemptions. If both legs aren’t open when you search, you’re stuck. Plan accordingly.
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
Turkish used to be the Star Alliance sweet-spot leader for US flyers. After two devaluations (February 2024 and December 2025), the program isn’t the no-brainer it was. Turkish metal long-haul from the US is now roughly 135,000 miles one-way in business to Europe, and 275,000 to Asia. Not competitive.
However, partner rates are still one of the cheapest in the alliance: 85,000 miles one-way to Europe in business, 130,000 miles one-way to Asia. Full breakdown in our 2026 Turkish Miles & Smiles guide.
Transfer partners: Bilt, Capital One, Citi ThankYou, Marriott Bonvoy, and Choice Privileges.
Plan on fuel surcharges of $200 to $250 each way from the US, plus a flat $70 change or cancel fee.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Aeroplan has quietly become one of the best Star Alliance programs for US flyers since its 2020 relaunch. Award pricing is reasonable, no fuel surcharges on most partners (crucially, not even on Lufthansa), and stopover rules are generous enough to squeeze multi-city trips out of a single booking.
Transfer partners: Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards (added 2021), Bilt, and Marriott Bonvoy.
If you’re building a points stash and don’t know where to put it, Aeroplan is probably the safest bet across the alliance right now. Start with our best Aeroplan award flights for where the program actually shines, and this Aeroplan stopover walkthrough for squeezing two trips out of one booking.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Singapore’s KrisFlyer program is the one to use if you actually want to fly Singapore Airlines. Their own flights (including the A380 business and A350 New York nonstop) are available only to KrisFlyer members at the saver level. Rates run about 115,000 miles one-way from the US to Singapore in business.
Transfer partners: KrisFlyer is a transfer partner of every major US program: Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, Bilt, and Marriott Bonvoy. That makes miles easy to accumulate.
Bonus: Singapore’s lounge network is one of the best in the world if you transit through Changi.
Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca’s LifeMiles is the sleeper program of the group. Rates can be excellent, fuel surcharges are almost non-existent on most partners, and LifeMiles runs frequent promotional bonuses on purchased miles (you can sometimes buy miles outright for under 1.5 cents apiece).
Transfer partners: Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Bilt, and Marriott Bonvoy.
The one downside: award availability search can be glitchy, and phantom space (showing available but not actually bookable) is a thing. Don’t transfer miles until you’re sure the seat is there.
Earning Star Alliance Miles
The fastest way to build a Star Alliance balance is through credit card transfer points. Most US travel cards partner with at least two of the programs above, which means a single flexible currency (Amex, Chase, Capital One, Citi, or Bilt) can pivot to whichever program has the best rate on your trip.
The move is to earn points flexibly and transfer only when you’ve found specific availability. Once transferred, the miles lock into one airline program, so you want to be sure.
Questions I get asked a lot
Who left Star Alliance recently?
SAS. They jumped to SkyTeam on September 1, 2024, after years as a Star Alliance mainstay. If you’ve been hoarding miles for SAS business class, they’re now a SkyTeam award, book them with Delta SkyMiles, Flying Blue, or Virgin Atlantic.
Is ITA Airways part of Star Alliance now?
Yes, as of April 1, 2026. Lufthansa Group took a stake in ITA, and the carrier joined the alliance the same day. First new Star Alliance member since 2014. Practical impact: you can book ITA metal with any Star Alliance program, which is a real opening for Italy routes.
Which Star Alliance program gives you the best award value?
Depends on the route, but these are my defaults. Business to Europe: Turkish M&S at 85k, or ANA if you have time to chase availability. Business to Asia: ANA or Aeroplan. Within North America: Aeroplan, full stop. Singapore Airlines metal: KrisFlyer, they block most other programs from saver space.
Do credit cards transfer to Star Alliance airlines?
Yes, and the transferable points coverage on Star Alliance is better than any other alliance. Chase UR covers United, Aeroplan, and Singapore. Amex MR covers ANA, Aeroplan, Avianca, and Singapore. Capital One, Citi ThankYou, Bilt, and Marriott each cover several programs. No single card ecosystem covers every program, which is why most award travelers I know hold at least two. If you’re newer to this, how credit card points actually work is a good starting point.
What benefits come with Star Alliance Gold?
Priority check-in, priority baggage, lounge access at 1,000+ member lounges, priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, and priority security and immigration lanes (Gold Track) at supported airports. Works across every alliance member regardless of which airline’s program you actually earned status with. That portability is the whole point.
Summary & Takeaways
Star Alliance is still the biggest alliance by reach, the most useful for US-based award travelers, and the easiest to earn into via flexible credit card points. The SAS departure stings if you were targeting Scandinavia, and the ITA addition opens up Italy routing in a meaningful way.
If you’re building a stash right now, my default stack is Amex, Chase, and Bilt, which collectively reach Aeroplan, United, Singapore, ANA, Turkish, and Avianca. That covers the sweet spots in the alliance without having to manage a half-dozen loyalty accounts.
