Which Star Alliance Status Match Is Best For SAS Eurobonus Members

Earlier today the

Star Alliance

announced a huge status match program across multiple member airlines after

SAS

ceased to be a member of the alliance

at the end of last month. Many SAS members will be unable to match to airlines following Lufthansa’s status match earlier this year.

For those who didn’t already match to Miles & More, there is a whole wealth of new status match options. Each airline offers slightly different status lengths and requalification requirements, so we decided to compare them in one place to help you decide which status is best to match.

Which statuses are on offer?

This status match is targeted solely at existing SAS Eurobonus members, following the airline’s departure from Star Alliance at the weekend. Eligible members with Silver, Gold, Diamond, or Pandion status at SAS are eligible to match to the participating Star Alliance schemes.

Photo: Miles & More

There are a few interesting quirks to be aware of already. Firstly, Eurobonus Silver members are not eligible to Status Match to Thai Airways’ Royal Orchid Plus program or the Turkish Airlines

Miles&Smiles

program.

The other interesting quirk could be particularly interesting for Diamond and Pandion Eurobonus members. Almost all airlines only offer their lowest tier of Star Alliance Gold status to Gold, Diamond, and Pandion members. South African Airways and

United Airlines

offer a higher internal status level.

Photo: statusmatch.com

As both already match Eurobonus Gold members to a Star Alliance Gold equivalent, the extra perks will only be useful if flying on the matched airline itself. Taking the example of United Airlines, both Premier Gold and Premier Platinum offer the same Star Alliance Gold benefits. However, Premier Platinum offers slightly additional perks when flying with United such as an extra piece of baggage.

The full mapping of which statuses can be matched is below,

How long does each status last?

The duration of matched status is a key consideration when choosing which program to match to, and the length of each match varies quite substantially. While many will extend status upon completion of a challenge, each has a set period where members will hold status regardless of activity. According to each program’s specs, each program offers the following matches as a minimum,

If you are unable to meet the minimum requirements to extend status (more on that in the next section), then it makes the most sense to go for the Thai Airways program, as this would guarantee you status until at least September 2026 depending on the approval date. For Silver members, it would likely make the most sense to match to

Air Canada

.

Photo: United Airlines

Which status is easiest to extend?

Of course, if you are likely to fly a lot with one of the airlines offering status as a part of the match, it may make more sense to match to one of those. The table below shows how easy it is to renew each status once you have matched to it, along with the length of the renewal.

Considering that a good portion of Eurobonus members are likely resident in Europe, the Turkish Airlines match would probably be the easiest to accomplish, though the TAP match seems to offer the best of both worlds with a longer status, but not so demanding qualification requirements.

Additional considerations

There are other things to consider as well, though these will really be on an airline-by-airline basis. While Star Alliance Silver and Gold benefits are standardized across the alliance, each airline offers their members specific perks not available to other alliance members.

Photo: United Airlines

In the case of Lufthansa, Senators get free seat selection which is not offered to status customers of other alliance members. Meanwhile, United Airlines offers lounge access for domestic passengers with Star Alliance Gold Status, but not for members of its frequent flyer scheme. Additionally, Air Canada offers a physical membership pack for 50K members in 2025, while many status matches specifically exclude physical cards as a benefit.

Which scheme is best?

As explored throughout the article, the best scheme to match to heavily depends on the individual circumstances of the prospective matcher. For Gold members looking for the longest guarantee of status, Thai Airways looks like the best bet, but for others who regularly fly with a specific airline, it may make sense to seek a specific program.

Personally, I would avoid Air China given the rather extensive and complicated terms and conditions, and Air India and Turkish Airlines given the short default status times.

The full terms and conditions of each status match can be found at the following links,