FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
Status points
Status points are the credits that count toward elite status (names vary: status miles, tier points, Status Miles and so on), kept separate from the award miles you can redeem.
Reviewed by: Content review · Last updated:
Key takeaways
- Award miles are for redeeming and status points for qualifying; our rules show them separately.
- In our verified rules, 7 programmes publish how status points are calculated.
- Many partner charts publish only award miles; status points are then shown as unknown, never as zero.
- Thresholds are measured in status points, so compare both numbers.
Why two ledgers
Award miles pour in from credit cards, shopping and promotions; if they counted toward status, status would no longer reflect frequent flying. In the rules we verified, award miles and status points are given separately; what counts toward status is set by each programme.
Are status points published?
Counted from our verified rules: a rule that gives the status-point formula counts as "published"; a partner chart that does not counts as "unknown".
| Frequent flyer programme | Rules: published | Rules: unknown |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Panda Club | Rules: published 3 | Rules: unknown 0 |
| Maharaja Club | Rules: published 0 | Rules: unknown 25 |
| PhoenixMiles | Rules: published 24 | Rules: unknown 7 |
| Sky Pearl Club | Rules: published 1 | Rules: unknown 0 |
| Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles | Rules: published 0 | Rules: unknown 21 |
| GOL Smiles | Rules: published 1 | Rules: unknown 0 |
| Fortune Wings Club | Rules: published 19 | Rules: unknown 0 |
| Eastern Miles | Rules: published 3 | Rules: unknown 0 |
| SAS EuroBonus | Rules: published 1 | Rules: unknown 0 |
| KrisFlyer / PPS Club | Rules: published 0 | Rules: unknown 1 |
| United MileagePlus | Rules: published 0 | Rules: unknown 38 |
Related news
Sources and review
Every number comes from verified, published rules on this site, with originals archived in our knowledge base; anything unverified or unstated shows as unknown.
Reviewed by: Content review.