Do you earn miles on partner airlines?

(1) Partner-marketed flights will earn miles based on a percentage of distance flown* as determined by the fare class paid. Unless otherwise noted, mileage credit is only applicable to SkyTeam-marketed flights operated by a SkyTeam member airline.



Yes, you can almost always earn miles when flying on a partner airline, provided they belong to the same global alliance (such as Star Alliance, SkyTeam, or Oneworld). For example, if you are a member of United's MileagePlus program, you can earn United miles by flying on Lufthansa or Air Canada. To ensure you receive credit, you must enter your frequent flyer number at the time of booking or check-in. However, the rate of earning can vary significantly. Some discounted "economy" tickets on partner airlines may only earn 25% or 50% of the actual miles flown, or in some cases, no miles at all if the fare class is ineligible. It is also important to note that while you earn "award miles" for booking flights, you might earn fewer "status miles" (the ones that help you reach Silver, Gold, or Platinum) compared to flying on the airline's own planes. Always check the specific "partner earning table" on your airline's website before booking to maximize your rewards.

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Members of the Star Alliance include: 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, Lot Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, ...

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Codeshares can be a useful way to book flights, earn miles, and get where you need to go. However, before purchasing, read the fine print. Always know which airline is truly operating your flight, and how their policies around earning miles, in-flight services, and other key factors might impact your trip.

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Codeshares allow us to sell seats on flights operated by other airlines. This means you can easily combine American and flights with other partner airlines to create a single itinerary to multiple destinations. Our codeshare agreements make booking, checking in, checking your bags and traveling more convenient.

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Many major U.S. airline loyalty programs let you retroactively claim miles for flights. Even better, some let you do this even if you weren't a loyalty member when you flew. That said, it can be difficult to claim these miles. Many airlines hide retroactive crediting deep within their websites.

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Sign up for an AIR MILES credit card If you're looking for the fastest ways to earn Miles, an AIR MILES credit card is the way to go. There's no faster way to get to your next reward than this. In fact, AIR MILES credit card holders are rewarded up to 7.8 times faster than those without one of these coveted cards.

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We sampled flight awards available with U.S. carriers and found that consumers need between about 8,000 and 57,000 miles to get a free one-way coach flight. Free flights in business or first class start at around 25,000 miles and climb to well over 150,000 miles one-way.

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Here's the catch. Air Miles themselves do not expire. But, if your account “expires” by being “dormant” (or inactive) for 24 consecutive months, then the points on it will disappear. An account is considered inactive if there are no points transactions within that period.

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