Overview of lifetime airline status tiers & requirements

[AFF Editor]

Many frequent flyers consider lifetime status to be the "holy grail" of airline loyalty.

Around 21 airlines that are part of Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam currently offer some form of lifetime status, and Virgin Australia will add its own "Forever Gold" tier later this year. In this article, we compare all the options:

Which Airlines Offer Lifetime Status?

We compare the lifetime status tiers offered by 22 airlines including Qantas, and explain how to earn it.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Do you have lifetime status with an airline, or are you working towards it? If so, which frequent flyer program did you choose, and how did you/will you get it?

 

[clifford]

I have lifetime UA Platinum status (*G), earned over 25 years of flying 2.5 million miles with United and Continental, mainly in the USA. It also comes with the same lifetime status for my wife, and lifetime membership of the United Club (lounge access).

So not too bad really, but I no longer fly UA or travel to the America's (by choice), so it's mainly useful for lounge access when flying other Star Alliance airlines (and VA). Not much use for avoiding paying for seat selection though (an issue with most Star airlines, unlike One World).

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

There is already a FlyerTalk thread with a fuller listing there: Lifetime status by airline -- attempted summary - FlyerTalk Forums

The above article misses:
Star
Air China
Egypt Air
Sky
Vietnam Airlines
Non Alliance
Philippine Airlines
El Al

 

[jeppetto367]

Come on VA, count all the status credits we've earned before the Forever Gold announcement as VA credits (so 9000 on VA or earned before October 2025, 3000 on non-VA after October 2025). Would help all of us longtime Platinum members.

 

[bPeteb]

Ths time next year I should have just 204SC to go for QFF LTG. If the world lasts that long!

 

[windycityf]

I have LTG on QF and should hit LTG on UA in the next or so. I will say since I am so close I am focusing on UA metal as it requires BIS. The nice part is I can gift my status for life.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Not a patch on most here on AFF but I will hit LTS in May.
Many goals had not been on my radar until I seriously followed AFF after years of lurking.

 

[paulmoore]

I have flown with QA as FF for 25+ years, 12 as Platinum up until COVID intervened! I have been LTG for 15 years and these days it is useful as I still travel extensively up the 'pointy end'
I would love to have life time platinum for my loyalty and over 25,000 status credits, BUT, 75,000 status credits is insane, 25 or 30,000 would be reasonable, but since I am not Alan Joyce or a politician it ain't going to happen.

 

[robert kennelly]

I will have humble silver FF life time status at the end of this month.
I am assuming I no longer need to collect 250 status points on qantas?
As I intend to fly virgin from now on. I am hopeful that virgin cant be as bad or as malicious as Qantas!!
Robert

 

[mviy]

I have QF LTS and am working towards LTG on QF. If QF drastically changes the earn rates I may consider bringing forward some travel to get closer or lock it in before the changes take effect. Starting to get close enough that this is a viable option for me.

Probably would not have switched to BA after that to chase BA LTG, but with the reduced earn rates on BA now, it’s definitely not worth considering for me.

Domestically if you are QF LTG and no longer fly a lot and upgrade to J you would get an experience pretty close to WP with access to the Domestic Business lounge before the flight. Internationally less so, as a successful upgrade to First (on a route where that is available) or Classic Reward First seat on QF would be needed to get an experience close to WP.

 

[mviy]

I will have humble silver FF life time status at the end of this month.
I am assuming I no longer need to collect 250 status points on qantas?

Correct. If you have LTS, status credits are only of value to get SG or higher status and also to progress towards LTG.

As I intend to fly virgin from now on. I am hopeful that virgin cant be as bad or as malicious as Qantas!!

Virgin has recently made status much harder to get. There are pros and cons with each airline.

 

[MG1]

Does anyone have any further knowledge on SAA Voyager LTP (equivalent to *A Gold)?
Can you earn Tier Miles for SA (and therefore contribute to lifetime status) on VA flights (as VA is a partner of SA (but a non-alliance partner))?
The website mentions about earning miles on non-*A partners but I'm not sure about status.

 

[CLKGoldlifetime]

I am QF LTG for many years Other than benefits of seat selections there doesn’t seem to be recognition for all the years of flying loyalty to get to LTG as compared to someone who just attained Gold for the year..

 

[SYD]

I am QF LTG for many years Other than benefits of seat selections there doesn’t seem to be recognition for all the years of flying loyalty to get to LTG as compared to someone who just attained Gold for the year..

There are subtle differences within a status level due to PCV.

If anything, a regular flyer recently turned Gold might have a higher PCV compared to someone who’s been LTG for years but only pays QF every now and then to fly. But those previous loyal years have been recognised by no longer requiring ongoing 4x “squiggles” (~) nor the 600 SCs.

I posted a recent example here with two of us both LTG, but both also several years of continuous WP. One of us has better seat selection and it’s not the one who’s been LTG the longest nor WP the longest. But the more recent bigger spender with QF.

 

[CLKGoldlifetime]

There are subtle differences within a status level due to PCV.

If anything, a regular flyer recently turned Gold might have a higher PCV compared to someone who’s been LTG for years but only pays QF every now and then to fly. But those previous loyal years have been recognised by no longer requiring ongoing 4x “squiggles” (~) nor the 600 SCs.

I posted a recent example here with two of us both LTG, but both also several years of continuous WP. One of us has better seat selection and it’s not the one who’s been LTG the longest nor WP the longest. But the more recent bigger spender with QF.

Good point you raised
Last year as LTG we flew 8 international trips with Qantas 3 business, 1 premium economy and 4 Flexisaver a total of 5/12 months outside Australia

 

[drron]

Well I am LTP on AA. They had a program called Eagle. If you continually complained to AA you didn't score well. compliments and not causing problems you scored well. I have previously posted about my experiences at MIA where mrsdrron and I got upgrades to F but a fellow with EXP-OWE - as against my OWS. He was first on the upgrade list and let the whole airport know of his displeasure.

I also have LQP - paid in the 90s - and Mrsdrron has QF LTG.

No more LT status possible now for us.

 

[mviy]

With the move to spend based status on a number of airlines, I think a lot with Lifetime status will feel Lifetime status is a lot better than having no status that they might have otherwise.

 

[Flyerwin]

Now that I've hit middle age, I feel like I've finally achieved Life Time Old status...

 

[PeterPanPan]

I'm on track for QF LTG in the next 2 years. I won't be trying for LTP. It seems that if I was to shift my flying to SQ there's no Star Alliance program that will ultimately reward that SQ flying with lifetime status. Have I missed something?

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

I'm on track for QF LTG in the next 2 years. I won't be trying for LTP. It seems that if I was to shift my flying to SQ there's no Star Alliance program that will ultimately reward that SQ flying with lifetime status. Have I missed something?

With Asiana about to depart Star, there are no other programs that count alliance partner flights towards LT status in Star, unlike OW or ST.