For frequent flyers who travel across borders and carriers, Star Alliance programs are often the gateway to better seats, shorter lines and cheaper award flights.

Yet choosing the “best” program in the world’s largest airline alliance is more complex than ever, as 2025 and 2026 bring sweeping changes to how miles are earned and elite status is calculated.

From Air Canada’s Aeroplan moving to spend-based earning to United MileagePlus continuing to tilt toward high spenders, the calculus for travelers eyeing a single go to program is shifting in real time.

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Star Alliance Landscape In 2025: One Alliance, Many Strategies

Star Alliance brings together more than two dozen carriers, including United Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines and others. While the alliance coordinates schedules and reciprocal benefits, each airline runs its own frequent flyer program with its own rules. That means a flight from Newark to Frankfurt on Lufthansa can earn vastly different mileage and status credit depending on whether a traveler credits it to United MileagePlus, Aeroplan, Miles & More or another partner.

In recent years most large programs have shifted away from rewarding distance flown and toward rewarding money spent, especially on their own metal. This mirrors a broader industry trend in which loyalty has become a direct revenue tool rather than a simple thank you for miles flown. For Star Alliance members, the result is a patchwork: some programs are heavily spend based, some still largely distance based, and some blend the two through complex status point structures.

For U.S. based and transatlantic travelers, the main contenders for a primary Star Alliance account usually include United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, ANA Mileage Club, Singapore KrisFlyer and Lufthansa Miles & More. Each has separate sweet spots for redemptions, and each treats status qualification differently. The choice of “best” program hinges on how often a traveler flies, where they are based, and whether their priority is premium cabin awards, flexible partner bookings or the perks that come with elite cards.

Aeroplan’s 2026 Overhaul Puts It In The Spotlight

Air Canada’s Aeroplan has spent the last several years distinguishing itself as one of the most versatile Star Alliance programs, particularly for award redemptions. It offers stopovers on one way awards for a modest points surcharge, generous routing rules and access to a wide web of partners, including several non Star Alliance carriers. In 2025 it has also accumulated industry recognition, winning top honors at the Freddie Awards for overall airline program and elite offering.

On August 6, 2025 Air Canada announced that Aeroplan will adopt a spend based earning model for its own flights starting January 1, 2026. Members will earn at least one point per dollar on eligible Air Canada base fares and carrier surcharges, with multipliers for higher elite tiers. Simultaneously, the carrier will introduce Status Qualifying Credits, or SQC, as a unified metric for earning elite status. SQC will be collected not only through Air Canada flights, but also through Star Alliance partners, credit card spending and an extensive network of travel and everyday partners.

The new system effectively ties status more directly to overall engagement with Aeroplan rather than simply miles flown. Milestone Benefits will unlock every 10,000 SQC, consolidating what were previously select benefits, threshold upgrades and various bonus awards into a single ladder. Air Canada says the redesign is meant to “better recognize” high spending and highly engaged members, even as it keeps the traditional 2025 metrics of status qualifying miles, segments and dollars in place for one more year.

For many international travelers, particularly those in North America who fly a mix of Air Canada and other Star Alliance carriers, Aeroplan’s coming changes have a double edged quality. On one hand, the broadened ways to earn SQC through partner activity and cards make elite status more accessible to those who do not always fly premium cabins. On the other, the move to spend based earning on Air Canada flights tilts the playing field toward high revenue passengers in line with global trends.

United MileagePlus: Convenient For U.S. Flyers, Tougher For Status

United’s MileagePlus remains the default program for many U.S. based Star Alliance travelers. It offers straightforward online booking, no close in award booking fees and relatively simple elite tiers. Premier Silver, Gold, Platinum and 1K still unlock Star Alliance Silver and Gold recognition, priority services and upgrades on United’s domestic network. For travelers based at United hubs like Chicago, Newark, Denver or San Francisco, the program’s convenience and wide route map are compelling.

Yet United has been among the more aggressive carriers in tilting its loyalty economics toward high spenders. It uses Premier Qualifying Points, pegged largely to dollars spent on tickets and co branded credit card activity, rather than distance, to determine elite status. Premier 1K members once enjoyed a host of top tier benefits, but United has trimmed some of these perks, including eliminating free Clear Plus memberships for most 1K customers in 2025 and replacing them with discounts. The move aligns with a broader pattern across major airlines of gradually pruning elite extras that do not directly drive incremental revenue.

For award redemptions, MileagePlus is fully dynamic, with no published chart. That gives United flexibility to raise or lower prices on partner awards at will, and many observers have noted sizable increases on some long haul business class itineraries compared with pre pandemic levels. However, MileagePlus still offers solid value on certain routes, especially off peak economy flights and some intra region awards. The program also retains the ability to earn miles on basic economy tickets, a point of contrast with American Airlines, which stopped awarding miles and status credit on its cheapest economy fares in December 2025.

For Star Alliance status chasers, United remains attractive for those who can concentrate a significant portion of their flying on United itself, particularly through premium cabins or full fare economy. Frequent international flyers who rely heavily on partners may find that Premier status thresholds require more spending and fewer distance driven shortcuts than some competing programs.

Distance Based Holdouts: ANA, Turkish And Others

As North American programs move toward spend based earning models, several Star Alliance carriers in Europe and Asia still count distance flown heavily for elite status and mileage accrual. ANA Mileage Club in Japan remains a favorite among enthusiasts for its generous award chart sweet spots, particularly in business class between North America and Asia, although availability is increasingly competitive. Status is tied to points derived from distance and booking class rather than ticket cost, giving high frequency flyers on cheaper fares a way to climb the ladder.

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is another notable option. It awards miles based partly on distance and offers comparatively low thresholds for Star Alliance Gold status, which unlocks lounge access, priority check in and extra baggage across the alliance. For travelers who frequently connect through Istanbul or fly Turkish’s broad network between Europe, Asia and Africa, it can be one of the more attainable pathways to alliance wide perks without the intense spending requirements seen in North America.

European carriers such as Aegean Airlines have also earned reputations for relatively accessible Gold status via distance based flying, although program tweaks in recent years have slowly tightened the criteria. These programs are especially popular with so called mileage runners, travelers who deliberately book extra flights to lock in status, as they can maximize qualifying credit on lower fares compared with spend driven schemes.

The trade off with some of these distance based programs often lies in currency usability and customer support. Redeeming ANA or Turkish miles can involve more complex booking processes, stricter routing rules or less intuitive online search tools. For an average traveler who values simplicity and English language customer service, that complexity can erode some of the headline attractiveness of their charts.

LifeMiles, KrisFlyer And Miles & More: Niche Strengths And Weaknesses

Avianca’s LifeMiles occupies a distinctive place in the Star Alliance ecosystem. The program frequently sells miles at a discount and has for years been favored by points collectors for relatively low cost business class awards on partners like Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. LifeMiles uses a region based award structure with no carrier imposed surcharges on most partners, which can make premium cabins more affordable in cash terms even when mileage prices are high.

However, LifeMiles is less compelling for elite status pursuers. Earning status requires substantial flying on Avianca itself, and the program’s benefits and reliability have drawn mixed reviews, in part due to the airline’s financial restructurings. For many international travelers, LifeMiles functions more as a pure redemption currency than a path to alliance status, one they might use alongside another primary program that offers stronger elite benefits.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer holds strong cachet as the key to Singapore’s own coveted premium cabins, including long haul business and suites. The program is tightly integrated with Singapore’s own operations, and it often requires KrisFlyer miles, rather than partner currencies, to access the most desirable award inventory. For travelers who frequently pass through Singapore or are based in Southeast Asia, KrisFlyer can be an appealing anchor program, but its miles are known to expire after a fixed time period absent activity, which complicates long term hoarding strategies.

Lufthansa’s Miles & More, meanwhile, dominates the German speaking markets and plays a key role on transatlantic routes. It offers its own co branded credit cards in Europe and a complex structure of status miles and points. While Miles & More can be rewarding for those who fly Lufthansa Group carriers extensively, especially in premium cabins, its surcharges on certain long haul awards and more restrictive upgrade options have prompted some frequent flyers to credit Lufthansa flights to other Star Alliance programs instead.

Comparing Value: Points Redemption Versus Elite Status

Determining the “best” Star Alliance program requires separating two overlapping but distinct questions: which program delivers the most valuable points for award flights, and which offers the most meaningful elite status for a given traveler’s pattern. In 2025 and 2026 those answers are increasingly divergent as airlines push their loyalty programs to serve slightly different functions.

On the redemption side, Aeroplan, LifeMiles and ANA stand out for travelers seeking aspirational long haul awards. Aeroplan’s flexible routing rules and partner network, LifeMiles’ no surcharge structure and ANA’s favorable business class chart all provide outsized value when used strategically. Yet none of these programs is clearly superior in every situation, and dynamic pricing trends mean that yesterday’s sweet spots can be quietly devalued overnight.

On the elite status side, United MileagePlus and Aeroplan dominate the conversation in North America, while Turkish, Aegean and ANA retain appeal for distance focused flyers across Europe and Asia. United’s Premier tiers plug seamlessly into its U.S. hub network, but demand significant annual spending. Aeroplan’s upcoming SQC regime promises more pathways to status through non flight activity, which could benefit members who earn heavily through credit cards and partners as well as those who fly frequently.

For a typical long haul traveler who takes several international trips per year in economy or premium economy and supplements those with regional flights, the optimal strategy may not be to chase the absolute top tier but to aim for attainable mid tier status where benefits like priority check in, earlier boarding and occasional upgrades can be realistically used. In that scenario, the value of a program’s mid tier thresholds and perks can matter more than the halo around its highest elite level.

Strategic Choices For Different Types Of Travelers

Business travelers based in the United States who regularly book premium cabins on United or its partners will often find that sticking with MileagePlus remains the pragmatic choice. The combination of hub coverage, domestic upgrade potential and integrated credit card ecosystem makes it easier to concentrate activity and reach or renew Premier Gold, Platinum or 1K, even if the program has steadily become more revenue driven and less generous on award pricing.

For North American travelers willing to build their plans around Air Canada and its partners, Aeroplan’s evolving structure is increasingly hard to ignore. The broad partner network, valuable award routing and ability to earn status credit from flights, credit cards and everyday purchases creates a multifaceted path to elite recognition. Travelers should, however, keep a close eye on how the new SQC thresholds and multipliers affect the actual effort needed to maintain a desired tier once the 2026 rules fully take hold.

Meanwhile, cost conscious flyers and aviation enthusiasts who are comfortable with more complex booking processes may find that pairing a distance based program such as Turkish Miles&Smiles or ANA Mileage Club for status with a redemption focused account like LifeMiles or Aeroplan delivers the best of both worlds. That approach involves more juggling and a deeper understanding of fare classes, but it can extract more value from the same set of flights than relying on a single, fully spend based scheme.

With airlines across the Star Alliance continually fine tuning their loyalty economics, no single program can hold the “best” title indefinitely. In the current environment, Aeroplan is emerging as a leading all rounder for both points and status, especially in light of its impending 2026 redesign, while United MileagePlus remains the workhorse option for many U.S. based flyers. The optimal choice for any given traveler, however, still depends less on alliance branding and more on a sober look at where they actually fly, how much they spend, and which benefits will genuinely improve their journeys.