How to Book Star Alliance Flights with Points
This guide covers the Star Alliance member airlines, which transfer programs reach them, the best programs to book by, the standout products, and how to find space. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed.
What Star Alliance is
Star Alliance is the largest global airline alliance, connecting carriers across every continent into a single network where members sell awards on each other. For award travelers, that means a flight operated by one member, say Lufthansa, can be booked using the miles of many other member programs, and each program sets its own price for that exact seat.
This is the core of Star Alliance strategy: the operating airline and the booking program are separate decisions. You find an available seat anywhere in the alliance, then choose the program that prices it cheapest with the fewest fees. See our transfer partners guide.
The member airlines
Star Alliance members include United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Aegean, and Croatia Airlines in the Americas and Europe; ANA, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, EVA Air, Asiana, Air China, Air India, and Shenzhen Airlines in Asia; Avianca and Copa in Latin America; Ethiopian and EgyptAir in Africa and the Middle East; and Air New Zealand in the South Pacific, among others.
That breadth means Star Alliance can get you almost anywhere, often on a world-class carrier. Many of these airlines have their own deep-dive guides, and we are adding more, but the booking approach is the same across all of them. Alliance memberships and partnerships shift over time, with airlines occasionally joining or leaving, so verify an airline current alliance and partner relationships before planning a booking around them.
Which programs book Star Alliance
The great strength of Star Alliance is how many booking programs reach it, and how accessible they are from flexible bank points. United MileagePlus transfers from Chase and Bilt. Air Canada Aeroplan transfers from Amex, Chase, Capital One, and Bilt. Avianca LifeMiles transfers from Amex, Citi, and Capital One. Turkish Miles and Smiles transfers from Citi and Capital One. ANA Mileage Club transfers from Amex, and Singapore KrisFlyer transfers from several banks.
Because these programs collectively transfer from every major bank, you can almost always reach a Star Alliance booking program from whatever flexible points you hold. See our deep dives on Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, Turkish, and ANA.
The best programs to book by
Different Star programs win for different trips. Avianca LifeMiles is excellent for business class with no fuel surcharges. Turkish is unbeatable for cheap United domestic flights and Star business to Europe, if you tolerate its website. Aeroplan offers distance-based pricing, generous stopovers, and an easy website. ANA delivers low round-trip premium pricing. United own program books the whole alliance with no fuel surcharges and a usable site.
The tactic is to find Star Alliance award space, then compare a couple of these programs and choose the cheapest, lowest-fee option for your route. See our business class and sweet spots guides.
Standout products and finding space
Star Alliance is rich in standout cabins: ANA The Room business and The Suite first to Japan, Singapore Suites and business, EVA Air business, Lufthansa and Swiss business and first, and Thai and Asiana premium cabins. For first class especially, Lufthansa and Singapore are bucket-list options. See our first class guide.
To find space, search on a program that displays Star partners well, such as United or Aeroplan, or use an award search tool, then book through the best-priced program. United and Aeroplan can book most of the alliance online, while some awards may require a call, especially through Turkish. See our finding award space and booking tactics guides.
- Star Alliance is the largest alliance, with the most carriers and programs.
- A single seat can be booked through many programs at very different prices.
- United, Aeroplan, Avianca, Turkish, ANA, and Singapore are key booking programs.
- All of these are reachable from flexible bank points.
- Find the seat first, then book through the program that prices it best.
Frequently asked questions
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