South African Airways: The Complete Guide To Voyager Miles

South African Airways, also known as SAA, is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. This airline connects 40 local and international destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania from Johannesburg.

See our best credit card bonuses here.

If you’re a fan of this airline, check out their frequent flyer program Voyager. There are a variety of ways to earn reward miles, along with plenty of ways to use them. Keep reading for everything you need to know about SAA Voyager.

SAA Voyager Quick Facts

Voyager Elite Status

When you join Voyager, you’ll automatically become a Blue member. Move up status tiers when you collect enough Tier Miles – by flying with SAA and Star Alliance – or within a year.

Once you unlock a tier, you’ll have that status for the next 12 months. Status benefits include:

Earning Voyager Miles

Earning Voyager Miles With Transfer Partners

An easy method to earn Voyager Miles is to convert Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3 to 1 ratio (get a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred) or Radisson Rewards points at a 10 to 1 ratio.

Here is some more information on the credit cards mentioned above.

MARRIOTT BONVOY BOLD AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDMARRIOTT BONVOY BOUNDLESS CREDIT CARDMARRIOTT BONVOY BRILLIANT AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDMARRIOTT BONVOY BUSINESS AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD

The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card offers 60,000 bonus points plus 1 Free Night after spending $2,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 14X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 2X points for all other travel purchases • 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases This card comes with no annual fees or foreign transaction fees and you'll get 15 elite night credits each calendar year! Click here to learn how to apply

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers 100,000 bonus points plus $150 Statement Credit after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. • 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchase • 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend. You gain an automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. Path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year. You'll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year & an additional Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary. This card does carry a $95 fee; there are no foreign transaction fees. Click here to learn how to apply

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. With this card, you'll earn: • 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. • 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. • 2X points on all other eligible purchases. • $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide. A Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member will earn 50% more points on eligible purchases at participating hotels for each U.S. dollar or the currency equivalent that is incurred and paid for by the member. Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck. $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card. Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees. This card comes with a $650 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Furthermore, enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass Select membership. Terms Apply. (See Rates & Fees) Click here to learn how to apply

The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Receive a 7% discount on eligible bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate. You can enjoy a complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. You'll earn: • 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program. • 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. • 2x points on all other eligible purchases. You'll receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees. This card does carry a $125 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. Click here to learn how to apply

Voyager Tips & Tricks

• Best value awards are partner airline flights between the United States and South America. Economy seats are 50,000 miles roundtrip, and business class is a steal at 75,000 miles.
• We also recommend roundtrip intra-North and South Asia flights with 32,200 miles in business or 47,900 in first class.
• Stay away from upgrade awards, which are only available by sector, to the next highest level of service and are subject to high taxes, surcharges and fees.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for a Star Alliance member, South African Airways Voyager is a great option to look into. You can easily earn and burn miles with any partner airline, and high earning potential with point transfers from Marriott Bonvoy and Radisson Rewards.

We recommend that you consider frequent flyer programs from other Star Alliance members that allows American Express Membership Rewards® point transfers instead? You’ll want to check out Air Canada Aeroplan or Singapore Airlines.

While you’re here on HMB, you can check out out our Best Travel Credit cards and learn how to earn even more bonus points and miles that you can use towards your future travels!

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