One way to make the business travel experience a little more enjoyable is to collect loyalty points and redeem miles from airlines.If you’re already a frequent flyer, it takes minimal effort to sign up for a loyalty program, earning you access to nicer lounges, better seats at no cost, and sometimes even a free flight that you can put towards an upcoming vacation. What’s not to love? Every company’s travel policy has different guidelines around collecting and using loyalty points, so make sure to check with your travel manager or office manager first. A common rule of thumb is that it’s okay to choose your preferred carrier, so long as the cost is not more than 10% greater than an alternative, but some companies request that you choose the lower-priced carrier every time – no matter what.TravelPerk allows travelers to save their loyalty program numbers so that they get used whenever possible. The more loyalty programs, the merrier!Below, you’ll find information on all of the best frequent flyer programs in Europe, including partner airlines, destinations, and rewards.But how do you choose the right one? The only way to get great benefits is to fly often, so choose the program whose airlines you’ll frequently fly with.Most airlines are part of alliances, and their loyalty program partners overlap. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you by selecting the best of the best programs.
Flying Blue
Flying Blue is the Air France and KLM frequent flyer program. A standout feature of Flying Blue is that they allow you to collect points when flying with one of their 18 different partner airlines. The program allows you to earn air miles for every euro spent – miles that can be used for class upgrades and new trips!Certain tiers of Flying Blue also give you access to airport lounges and offer steep discounts on seat options. If Paris and Amsterdam are business travel hotspots for you, then there’s no reason not to sign up. Another bonus—you can link your American Express credit card to Flying Blue, helping you rack up additional miles with normal household expenses.
Partner Airlines:
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- Aeromexico
- Air Corsica
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Air Mauritius
- airBaltic
- Aircalin
- Bangkok Airways
- Chalair Aviation
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- China Southern Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Etihad Airways
- Garuda Indonesia
- GOL
- Japan Airlines
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Qantas Airways
- Saudi Arabian Airlines
- TAROM
- Transavia
- Twin Jet
- Vietnam Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- WestJet
- Winair
- Xiamen Airlines
Tiers & Benefits
Check out the different levels of this program and how to move up the ladder of benefits.Experience (XP) can be earned in many ways. E.g. you can get 5 XP on an economy flight under 2,000 miles and 36 XP on a business class flight over 5,000 miles. View all the ways to collect XP here.
Tier Name
Explorer
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Qualification
Free
100 XP (Experience Points)
180 XP
300 XP
Earn and spend miles with all partners
Use miles to upgrade in advance or on board
Earn miles per € spent on flights and options
Earn 4 Miles per € spent
Earn 6 Miles per € spent
Earn 7 Miles per € spent
Earn 8 Miles per € spent
Extra baggage allowance
Up to €10 discount on 1st paid check-in baggage on AirFrance, KLM and HOP!
1 extra baggage allowance on AirFrance, KLM and HOP!
1 extra baggage allowance on AirFrance, KLM and HOP!
1 extra baggage allowance on AirFrance, KLM and HOP!
Lounge access
With air miles
With air miles
Free for you and a guest on international AirFrance and KLM flights
Free for you and a guest on international AirFrance and KLM flights
Priority check-in
Other awesome benefits from Flying Blue include free transfers for Gold and Platinum members from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. Discover the
full list of benefits here
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Flying Club
Brought to you by Virgin Atlantic, Flying Club also allows you to rack up flights for Delta Airlines, Air France or Hawaiian Airlines. Unfortunately, tea with Sir Richard Branson is not part of the perks, but there are plenty of other cool rewards, such as exit row seats and premium check-in. Always wanted to chillax in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse instead of your usual madhouse terminal at Heathrow? Now’s your chance. The swanky clubhouse isn’t just for first class flyers, it’s open to Gold Tier members of the Flying Club as well. So if British and Asian destinations are part of your regular routes with Virgin Atlantic, consider signing up. Even better, you’ll get free seat selection every time you fly.
Partner Airlines:
- Aerolíneas Argentinas
- AeroMexico
- AirEuropa
- AirFrance
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Delta
- Garuda Indonesia Airlines
- ITA Airways
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Korean Air
- MEA
- Saudia
- Tarom
- Vietnam Airlines
- XiamenAir
- Air New Zealand
- ANA
- Hawaiian Airlines
- IndiGo
- Latam Airlines
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Virgin Australia
Tiers & Benefits
Learn about the benefits of each tier and how to qualify.
Tier Name
Red Tier
Silver Tier
Gold Tier
Qualification
No qualifications
400 Tier Points per year (approximately 4 economy round-trip flights in one year)
1000 Tier Points (approximately 10 economy round-trip flights in one year)
Earn miles on every flight
Additional bonus miles on every flight
30%
60%
Spend miles on Reward Flights
Pay for flights with Miles Plus Money
Free seat selection ahead of your flight in Economy Light
Anytime for member only
Anytime for member and party
Complimentary Exit row seats in Economy Classic
Extra hand and hold baggage
Upper-Class check-in flying in any cabin
Premium check-in flying in any cabin
Exclusive Clubhouse passes for you plus one guest
One complimentary Clubhouse spa treatment plus 10% off thereafter
Access to London Heathrow Revivals Lounge
Little extras
like bonus birthday miles and cabin upgrades (when you earn 2,000 Tier Points within a membership year) make this loyalty program particularly enticing. Another special feature is the Flying Club’s Points Booster, enabling you to score extra points for cheap using bonus promotions.Even better, Virgin Atlantic is now a member of the SkyTeam alliance, helping you reap even more rewards when you book with one of the sixteen member airlines. Learn more and get started by signing up for the Red Tier of the Flying Club
.Miles & More by Lufthansa
One of the largest frequent flyer programs in Europe, Lufthansa’s Miles and More is particularly attractive for those in the DACH area.In addition to airlines such as Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS, you can reap your rewards with Air China, Air New Zealand, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and South African Airways. With so many Star Alliance partners, it’d be almost silly not to sign up and start racking up points. The standout benefits of this program are the cabin upgrades and priority check-in. Better yet, you can redeem mileage points at over 300,000 hotels worldwide.In any airline rewards program comparison, this one will rank towards the top, simply because there are so many big airlines in this partnership—and hotels including the international Marriott chain.
Partner Airlines:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Astana
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air Dolomiti
- Air India
- Air Malta
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Discover Airlines
- EGYPTAIR
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Eurowings
- EVA Air
- LATAM
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Luxair
- Olympic Airlines
- SAS
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swiss International Air Lines
- TAP Portugal
- Thai Airways
- THAI Smile Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- United
- Vistara
Tiers & Benefits
Tier Name
Member
Frequent Traveler
Senator
HON Circle Member
Qualification
1 award mile
35,000 status miles or 30 scheduled
100,000 status miles in a calendar year
600,000 HON Circle miles in 2 consecutive calendar years
Miles don’t expire
Fly one class higher
2 vouchers for class upgrade upon status attainment and when status is extended
6 vouchers for class upgrade upon status attainment and when status is extended
Guaranteed booking
Up to 48 hours before departure in the highest booking class in Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy
Up to 24 hours before departure in the highest booking class in Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy
Waitlist priority
Third highest waitlist priority
Second highest waitlist priority
Highest waitlist priority
Preferential check-in
Business class check-in
First Class check-in or Premium check-in
First Class check-in or Premium check-in
Free baggage allowance
1 additional bag in Economy, 2 in Premium Economy, 3 in First Class
2 bags in Economy, 3 in Premium Economy, 4 in First Class
2 bags in Economy, 3 in Premium Economy, 4 in First Class
Lounge access
Business Lounge
Senator and Star Gold Lounges
Lufthansa First Class, SWISS First, and Austrian HON Circle Lounge, First Class Terminal in Frankfurt
Access to First Class
Only with First Class Ticket (Lufthansa, SWISS)
Only with First Class Ticket (Lufthansa, SWISS)
Only with First Class Ticket (Lufthansa, SWISS)
Regardless of service class (Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS)
Exclusive service hotline
Senator Tier card for spouse / partner
One last standout feature? The most unique reward of the Miles and More program is the Round the World ticket: in exchange for 180,000 miles, you can cross the Pacific or Atlantic oceans in up to ten flight segments. Learn more about the program and
sign up here
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Save money when booking flights for business travel today!
Executive Club by British Airways
With a recently-announced shakeup to its Executive Club loyalty scheme, British Airways is switching all Executive Club members over to a fixed membership from 2025. The update plans to remove the program’s complexities by aligning the collection year for tier points (gold, silver or bronze) into a universal status-earning year for its members. Here’s the system as it currently stands:
Partner Airlines:
- British Airways
- American Airlines
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Aer Lingus
- Japan Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- China Southern Airlines
Tiers & Benefits
Tier Name
Blue
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Qualification
Free
300 Tier Points
600 Tier Points
1500 Tier Points
Priority check-in
Priority boarding
First Class check-in and boarding
Access to business lounges
Access to First Class lounges
Bonus Avios on every flight
25% bonus Avios
50% bonus Avios
100% bonus Avios
Free seat selection
24 hours before departure
7 days before departure
At time of booking
At time of booking
Additional baggage allowance
Gold Upgrade vouchers
Given at 2500 and 3500 Tier Points in a year
Pool Avios with a household account (including up to 6 people)
Avios can be spent on holidays, hotels, car hire and more. The fact that you can pool Avios together with a household of six makes
this program
a no-brainer for anyone who regularly travels with kids, in addition to the usual business travel grind.TrueBlue
Want to get points for taking surveys? You can! Surveys aren’t very fun, but when you can earn points for them… they might be tolerable. The other way to earn points with TrueBlue is to fly JetBlue, so if that’s a regular carrier for you, then go ahead and sign up for free today. Get ready to rack up points quickly, and spend them on anything from flights to activities such as sightseeing, jet skis, you name it.
Partner Airlines:
- JetBlue
- JSX
- Qatar Airways
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Icelandair
- Silver Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
Tiers & Benefits
Collect 3 points for every dollar spent. You can spend points on JetBlue Vacation packages, magazine subscriptions, and flights to Hawaii with Hawaiian Airlines (a great carrier to a great destination, by the way). You can also get bonus points for special things, such as receiving 7,000 points when you’ve booked 7 round-trip flights in a year.
Tier Name
TrueBlue
TrueBlue Mosaic
Qualification
Free
15,000 flight points in one year
No blackout dates for spending points
Use points for any seat, any time
Points don’t expire
Pool points with your family
No change or cancellation fees
1st and 2nd bag are free
Expedited security line
Early boarding
Earn points on every flight
3 per dollar spent
6 per dollar spent
Dedicated customer service line
Complimentary alcoholic beverages onboard
Aeroflot Bonus
The Aeroflot Bonus program includes a range of great partner airlines including AirEuropa and Czech Airlines. You can also redeem your points with partners including banks, restaurants, hotels and car rental services:Aeroflot Bonus points can be used towards hotel bookings and shopping sprees. Get to the top tier of the program, and you’ll receive 3 class upgrade vouchers! You can also spend your miles on a donation to a charity of your choice.
Partner Airlines:
- Aeroflot
- AeroMexico
- AirEuropa
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- MEA
- Saudia
- Vietnam Airlines
- XiamenAir
Tiers & Benefits
Tier Name
Aeroflot Bonus
Silver
Gold
Platinum
Qualification
Free
20,000 miles
40,000 miles
100,000 miles
Lounge access
VIP lounge access
VIP lounge access
Priority check-in
Expedited security line
Priority boarding
Priority service at ticket/transfer desks
Dedicated check-in desks
Extra baggage allowance
One checked bag free
Priority baggage drop off
In advance seat reservation
Free
Economy class seats with more space
50% off the cost
Free
Free
Service class upgrades
3 upgrades allowed during Tier duration
Guaranteed paid booking on fully booked flights
Priority waitlist for paid bookings
Extra bonus miles for all flights
+25%
+50%
+75%
Learn more about
Aeroflot Bonus and sign up here
.AAdvantage by American Airlines
American Airlines’ AAdvantage offers frequent flyers elite status when traveling. It differs to mileage earning, which can be done through oneworld airlines when traveling with American, but allows you to build loyalty points based on flying, credit card spending or other activities. You’ll earn miles when you fly on American or one of the 1000 partner airlines. The largest airline membership program in the world, with over 100 million members—and it’s free to join! You can spend your points on a huge variety of perks, from discounted holidays to car rentals, hotel stays, and products from retail partners, mainly based in the US.
Partner Airlines:
- American Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Aer Lingus
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Cape Air
- China Southern Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- GOL Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- IndiGo
- JetBlue*
- JetSMART
- Silver Airways
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cape Air
- Cathay Pacific
- Etihad Airways
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- GOL Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- JetBlue**
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- Silver Airways
- SriLankan Airlines
Tiers & Benefits:
Tier Name
Gold
Platinum
Platinum Pro
Executive Platinum
Qualification
40,000 points
75,000 points
125,000 points
200,000 points
Lounge access
First class lounge access with other airlines
Priority check-in
Expedited security line
Priority boarding
Priority service at ticket/transfer desks
Extra baggage allowance
One free checked bag
Two free checked bags
Three free checked bags
Three free checked bags
Priority baggage drop off
In advance seat reservation
Free
Free
Economy class seats with more space
Service class upgrades
Complimentary upgrades on North American American Airlines flights (lowest priority)
Higher priority than Gold
Higher priority than Platinum
Highest priority
Guaranteed paid booking on fully booked flights
Priority waitlist for paid bookings
Extra bonus miles for all flights
40% status mileage bonus
60% status mileage bonus
80% status mileage bonus
120% status mileage bonus
Make the most out of flights with these airline loyalty programs in Europe!
Do you fly frequently for business travel to European cities? Do you wish you could book your own flights instead of dialing a travel agent or sending an email to your office manager? TravelPerk makes it easy for business travelers—flying in America, Asia, or anywhere in the world—to book their own flights within policy. And even better, we allow you to
save your loyalty program information
, so you can easily add it on to every booking and get those points sky-high too!?)
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