Where to Credit Airline Miles for the Best Reward Flights

Wondering which Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) is best for earning airline miles? There is no universal answer, because the best program depends entirely on what you want to do with those miles later.

Some people chase elite status and perks like lounge access, upgrades, and priority boarding. This guide is not for them. This guide is for travelers, especially leisure travelers, who want to unlock cheap business and first-class reward flights.

Miles can be collected through flying, credit cards, hotels, car rentals, and shopping portals. But here we focus exclusively on crediting flight miles to the program that gives you the strongest redemption value later, not the one tied to the airline you fly.

If you need a full, up-to-date list of which airline belongs to which alliance, you can find it here:
Airline alliances explained: Star Alliance, Oneworld & SkyTeam

Redeeming Miles for Business and First-Class Flights

Finding premium award seats is one of the biggest challenges in the world of points and miles, especially if you’re traveling as a couple or a family. Airlines release limited business and first-class award seats, and availability varies by season and route.

To improve your chances:

• Subscribe to StraightToThePoints’ free award alerts (excellent for premium awards)
• Search early and remain flexible with dates and routings
• Focus on the alliance, not the airline you fly

You do not have to credit miles to the airline you fly. You credit to the program that gives the best redemption value later.

Star Alliance

Star Alliance is the world’s largest airline alliance and offers the strongest overall value for redeeming miles on business and first-class flights. Its size, partner diversity, and generally low surcharges make it especially attractive for travelers who want maximum flexibility and excellent premium cabin availability.

Two frequent flyer programs consistently stand out as the best all-around options in Star Alliance: Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus. Both programs offer highly competitive pricing, excellent partner coverage, one-way award flexibility, and very low or zero fuel surcharges on most airlines. They are exceptional choices regardless of where you live.

1. Air Canada Aeroplan – The Most Flexible and Feature-Rich Star Alliance Program

Aeroplan has become one of the most powerful award programs worldwide. Its features, partner network, and redemption rules make it ideal for booking premium cabin flights across the entire Star Alliance network.

Why Aeroplan is a top Star Alliance program:

• No or very low fuel surcharges on most partners
• Competitive award pricing with a fair, distance-based chart
• One-way awards are fully allowed
• Stopovers permitted for just 5,000 extra points (even on one-way itineraries)
• Highly reliable availability across multiple premium carriers
• Large and growing list of non–Star Alliance partners

Family pooling: Aeroplan supports family sharing, allowing up to 8 people to pool points under one balance.

Examples of strong Aeroplan redemptions:

• Europe → Middle East in business class: Excellent pricing on carriers like Lufthansa, SWISS, Turkish Airlines, and EgyptAir.
• North America → Asia with stopover: A one-way Aeroplan award allows a stopover in Tokyo, Singapore, or Seoul for only 5,000 extra points.
• Intra-Asia premium flights: Short- and medium-haul business class redemptions on ANA, EVA Air, and Asiana at very competitive rates.

Aeroplan offers an unbeatable mix of flexibility, value, and routing freedom, making it one of the best Star Alliance mileage programs in the world.

2. United MileagePlus – Zero Surcharges and Miles That Never Expire

United MileagePlus is one of the easiest programs for beginners and experts alike thanks to its simple rules, strong availability, and consistently surcharge-free award pricing.

Why MileagePlus is so valuable:

• No fuel surcharges on any partner awards
• Miles never expire — perfect for infrequent flyers
• One-way awards available on all partners
• Large partner network across Star Alliance
• Strong visibility into Air Canada, Lufthansa Group, All Nippon Airways (ANA), and United’s own premium space
• Most dynamic pricing is predictable and stable for Star Alliance routes

Family pooling: United now allows up to 5 people to pool miles, making it easier for couples and families to book together.

Examples of strong MileagePlus redemptions:

• Europe → Asia in business class: Solid pricing on LOT, Turkish Airlines, EVA Air, and ANA with no surcharges.
• North America → Europe on Star Alliance partners: Good award pricing on TAP, Lufthansa, Swiss, LOT, and United metal.
• Central America & Caribbean routes: MileagePlus often underprices shorter Star Alliance partner flights in these regions compared to other programs.

With no surcharges, non-expiring miles, and consistently strong award availability, MileagePlus remains one of the best Star Alliance programs for premium cabin redemptions.

3. Miles & More – Useful Only in Limited Situations (Best When Combined With Payback)

Miles & More (Lufthansa Group) is extremely widespread in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, largely because it is tied to the region’s dominant airlines. However, when evaluated purely for premium cabin redemption value, it often performs poorly due to high surcharges, strict expiration rules, and weaker partner pricing.

In our opinion, Miles & More only makes real sense if you also collect points with the strong loyalty program Payback. Payback points can be transferred to Miles & More at a 1:1 ratio, and several times per year Payback even offers transfer bonuses of up to 25%. This dramatically improves the effective earning rate and can compensate for some of the program’s weaknesses.

If you are not familiar with Payback, or want to learn how it connects with Miles & More, you can read our full guide here:
Miles & More & Payback explained

Miles & More generally only makes sense if:

• You frequently fly Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, LOT, etc.)
• You hold the Miles & More credit card to stop mileage expiration
• You actively collect Payback points to boost your balance cheaply and effectively

Main drawbacks of Miles & More:

• Miles expire after 36 months unless you hold the Miles & More credit card or elite status
• Very high taxes and surcharges on Lufthansa Group award tickets (often €600–900+ in business class)
• Generally weaker long-haul award value compared with Aeroplan, MileagePlus, or LifeMiles

Family pooling: Available, but less flexible than Aeroplan or United’s pooling systems.

In summary, Miles & More is not a top-tier Star Alliance program for premium cabin redemptions. However, when paired with a strong Payback earning strategy, it can offer reasonable value for travelers who fly the Lufthansa Group frequently and want to keep all earnings within the ecosystem.

4. Other Star Alliance Programs: Niche Use Cases Only

While Aeroplan and MileagePlus are the strongest all-around programs, travelers may encounter niche scenarios where other programs can be useful:

• ANA Mileage Club: Exceptional round-trip pricing to North America or Asia but requires round-trip bookings.
• Avianca LifeMiles: Competitive premium cabin pricing with no surcharges, but IT issues and inconsistent availability.
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: Best for redeeming Singapore Airlines premium cabins, but Star Alliance partner rates are weaker.

These niche programs can offer excellent value for specific routes, but for general use, Aeroplan and MileagePlus remain the top choices for most travelers.

Oneworld

Oneworld does not have a single dominant program; value depends heavily on the route and operating carrier. Three of its strongest programs share the same currency—Avios:

• British Airways  Club (BA Club)
• Iberia Plus
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Because Avios transfer instantly 1:1 between these programs, the smartest strategy, especially for European travelers, is to keep accounts with all three and redeem through whichever offers the lowest taxes, best availability, or best mileage pricing.

North American travelers also benefit from Avios’ flexibility, though AAdvantage may sometimes be more practical for specific routings.

British Airways Executive Club (BA Club)

BA Club is the easiest platform to search and works well for short-haul European flights via Reward Flight Saver. It also shows strong availability on BA-operated flights. Taxes for long-haul BA flights are high regardless of which Avios program you use.

Family pooling: BA’s Household Account allows pooling among members at the same address.

Iberia Plus

Iberia Plus shines for Iberia-operated long-haul flights, especially Madrid–USA and Madrid–Latin America. Historically BA charged higher taxes for these flights, but in practice, taxes on Iberia metal are often similar whether you book via Iberia Plus or BA Club. Always compare both.

Family pooling: Available but stricter than BA’s.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Qatar Privilege Club is excellent for long-haul business-class redemptions via Doha, with strong partner access and excellent availability.

Family pooling: Allows up to 9 members.

Best Avios strategy overall: Check BA, Iberia, and Qatar for every award, then transfer Avios to whichever program gives the best deal.

SkyTeam

SkyTeam is generally weaker for premium award travel than Star Alliance or Oneworld, but good options exist depending on your region. Europeans often get better value from Delta SkyMiles than Flying Blue, while North American travelers usually rely on SkyMiles by default.

1. Delta SkyMiles – Simple, No Expiration

Strong points:

• Miles never expire
• No fuel surcharges on Delta-operated flights
• Often lower cash costs for Europe–USA awards

Weakness: Dynamic pricing can be unpredictable.

2. Flying Blue – Good Only for Promo Rewards

Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) provides:

• Monthly Promo Rewards
• Good coverage across Europe and Africa

However:

• Award prices fluctuate heavily
• Frequent devaluations

Best used tactically, not for long-term mileage storage.

Final Thoughts

If your goal is premium reward flights, not elite status, the strategy is straightforward:

• Pick one strong program per alliance
• Credit flights where redemption value is strongest
• Ignore airline branding and optimize for the airline you will redeem with

To earn miles efficiently, look for cheap business-class fares and flexible routings. Premium-Flights.com tracks the best daily business-class deals from airlines and OTAs worldwide.

Note: All deals are personally verified and bookable directly with airlines or reputable travel partners. Prices and availability can change quickly, we never sell flights ourselves.