Miles Calculator

Star Alliance Gold from India: the alternatives

Figures checked October 4, 2026

Most travelers in India who want Star Alliance Gold aim for Air India's Maharaja Club Gold. But your Air India flights can also be credited to Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, United or Air Canada's programs, and each of them gives Star Alliance Gold on its own terms. Here's how they compare, using our status calculator.

What we found

• A typical flyer is better off outside Maharaja Club. Someone with 12 Delhi–Mumbai and 3 Delhi–London round trips a year in standard economy reaches Gold with Turkish Miles&Smiles, but is 15 flights short of Maharaja Club's 45. See the example.
• Very frequent domestic flyers: Maharaja Club. Gold needs 45 flights in 365 days, including 8 on Air India or Air India Express, whatever you paid. That's 23 Delhi–Mumbai round trips, the same as Turkish Miles&Smiles needs in standard economy, and far fewer than any other program on cheap fares.
• Long-haul in economy: look at Turkish Miles&Smiles. It credits standard Air India economy fares (Y, B, M) at 125% of the distance, so 4 Delhi–London round trips reach its Elite tier, the same as in business.
• KrisFlyer matches it in business, with 4 Delhi–London round trips to Elite Gold, but needs 6 in standard economy.
• Cheap fares change everything. In class T, Turkish credits 50% of the distance on international flights and 25% within India, so Delhi–Mumbai would take 114 round trips.
• United and Aeroplan are the slowest. United also requires four flights operated by United, and Aeroplan gives 1 Status Qualifying Credit for every 5 points on partner flights.

Option 1: Maharaja Club Gold

Maharaja Club Gold and Platinum both give Star Alliance Gold. Gold needs either:

• 30,000 Tier Points in 365 days, at least 9,000 of them from Air India or Air India Express. Air India flights earn 6 Tier Points per ₹100 of base fare and fuel surcharge, so that's ₹5,00,000 of fares if you only fly Air India.
• Or 45 flights in 365 days, at least 8 of them on Air India or Air India Express. Flights on Star Alliance partners count toward the 45.

The 45-flight route is the one in the tables below: a round trip is 2 flights, so it takes 23. The Tier Points route depends on what you pay, so we can't count it for you without your fares.

Gold lasts a year, and you need the same again to keep it. See our Maharaja Club guide.

Option 2: credit Air India flights to another program

Air India is in Star Alliance, so you can put another member's frequent flyer number on your booking instead. Each program credits a share of the distance, set by your booking class. Every number below links to the calculation.

Delhi to London on Air India

8,381 miles for the round trip. Round trips needed to reach Star Alliance Gold. Maharaja Club's own count is by flights, so it doesn't change with the fare; the other rows credit your Air India flights to a partner's program:

Delhi to Mumbai on Air India

1,408 miles for the round trip. Round trips needed to reach Star Alliance Gold. Maharaja Club's own count is by flights, so it doesn't change with the fare; the other rows credit your Air India flights to a partner's program:

Option 3: mix in partner flights

Flights on Star Alliance partners credited to Maharaja Club earn 1 Tier Point for every 2 Maharaja Points, by distance and booking class. They help toward Gold, but at least 9,000 of the 30,000 Tier Points must come from Air India or Air India Express. Tier Points per round trip:

A typical flyer

Take someone who flies Air India a lot within India and a handful of times abroad: 12 Delhi–Mumbai round trips and 3 Delhi–London round trips a year, all in standard economy (class M). That's 30 flights.

• Maharaja Club Gold by flights: 30 of the 45 needed. Fifteen short.
• Maharaja Club Gold by Tier Points: 30,000 Tier Points means ₹5,00,000 of Air India base fares and fuel surcharge. Across these 15 round trips, that's about ₹33,000 per round trip on average. Check it against your own fares.

Credit the same flights to another program and the picture changes. Status earned in a year, by program (the links show one round trip in the calculator):

Turkish Miles&Smiles gets this flyer to Gold, with room to spare, because it credits 125% of the distance on standard Air India economy fares (Y, B, M). The three London trips alone give 31,431 of the 40,000 Status Miles; four London round trips would give 41,908.

It depends on the fare class. In discount economy (class T), Turkish credits only 50% of the distance abroad and 25% within India, so the same year earns 16,797 and falls short. Check your class before you switch: see how to find your fare class. Flights on IndiGo and other airlines that aren't in Star Alliance don't count for any of these programs.

Before you switch programs

• Qualifying periods differ. Maharaja Club counts the last 365 days, Miles&Smiles and KrisFlyer any 12 months in a row, and United and Aeroplan the calendar year.
• United: every Premier tier needs at least four paid flights operated by United or United Express, so Air India flights alone won't get you there.
• Perks at home differ. Maharaja Club Gold members get benefits on Air India that Star Alliance Gold members from other programs don't, such as Fly Prior and cabin upgrade vouchers.
• IndiGo isn't in an alliance, so its BluChip tiers don't give Star Alliance status.

How we worked it out

Each figure is the number of round trips, rounded up, needed to reach each program's Star Alliance Gold tier from scratch, using the status calculator on October 4, 2026, with each program's published chart for Air India flights and great-circle distances. Booking classes are Air India's: J is full business, M standard economy and T discount economy. Not included: status bonuses, credit cards, promotions and status matches.