South African Airways is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. This will link more than 40 local and international locations across: Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania from their hub in Johannesburg.
Check out our list of the best credit card bonuses here.
With the Voyager frequent flyer program, it offers those who fly with SAA and their partners a variety of ways to earn reward miles. Plus, there are more ways to use them as well.
Read below for more information on South African Airways and SAA Voyager.
SAA Voyager Quick Facts
| Hubs | Johannesburg |
| Alliance | Star Alliance |
| Transfer Partners | Radisson Rewards |
| Cobranded Credit Cards | None for U.S. residents |
| Redemption Options | Flights, upgrades, rental cars, merchandise, vouchers, flight simulation, donations |
Voyager Elite Status
| Status tier | Tier Miles Required |
| Silver | 30,000 |
| Gold | 60,000 |
| Platinum | 120,000 |
After you unlock a tier, you’ll get that status for the remainder of the year until the end of the following year. Some of the perks for status are:
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | |
| Threshold bonus miles on achieving or retaining status | 3,000 | 6,000 | 12,000 |
| 2,000 bonus miles for every 15,000 Tier Miles flown on SAA | x | x | x |
| Status bonus miles on SAA flights | 25% | 50% | 75% |
| Waitlist priority | x | x | x |
| Free Economy Class preferential seating / first 2 seat rows on SAA flights | x | ||
| Preferential check-in | Member only |
Member + 1 |
Member + 2 |
| Priority baggage handling | x | x | x |
| Priority airport standby | x | x | x |
| Priority boarding | x | x | x |
| Free baggage allowance | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SAA lounge access | Member only |
Member + 1 |
Member + 2 |
| Arrivals lounge access at London Heathrow Airport | Member only |
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| Access to SAA contracted lounges | Member + 1 |
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| Change fee waived for upgrade awards | x | ||
| Chauffeur transfer services on qualifying flights | x |
Earning Voyager Miles
TravelOther Ways
Earn Voyager Miles for:
- Flying on SAA and SAA codeshare, Star Alliance and non-Star partner flights.
- Staying at participating Best Western, Hilton, Shangri-La and Intercontinental hotels.
- Booking cruises with Cruise International.
- Renting cars from Avis or Europcar.
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- ANA
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egyptair
- Emirates
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Air
- GOL
- JetBlue
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- SAS
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- SWISS
- TAP Portugal
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
You’ll also earn miles for:
- Filling up at Total SA.
- Loading money on a World Currency Card by Bidvest Bank.
- Purchasing from Voyager Wine Club.
- Relaxing at a spa from the Health Spas guide.
Earning Voyager Miles with Transfer Partners
The easiest way for Americans to earn Voyager Miles is to convert Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio (with a 5,000 mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred) or Radisson Rewards points at a 10:1 ratio.
| Loyalty Program | Co-Branded Credit Cards |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card |
| Radisson Rewards | Radisson Rewards Visa Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Signature |
Here’s more information on some of the credit cards mentioned above.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit CardMarriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit CardMarriott Bonvoy Brilliant Credit CardMarriott Bonvoy Business American Express Credit Card
 The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card offers 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 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! |
 The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers 3 Free Night Awards up to a 150,000 Total Point Value (each night valued up to 50,000 points) 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. |
 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. |
 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. |
Redeeming Voyager Miles
Remember, redemptions have been paused until further notice.
You can spend your Voyager Miles on:
- Flights with SAA and more than 35 airline partners, including Star Alliance carriers.
- Upgrades on SAA flights.
- Rental cars with Europcar.
- Merchandise with FlySAA Duty Free.
- Merchandise with Wine-of-the-Month.
- Vouchers with Uber, Cruises International, and Health Spas guide.
- Flight simulation with SAA Flight Simulator.
- Charitable donations.
Voyager Miles expire 36 months from the date they were earned. One year is calculated from April 1 to March 31. Keep your account active with any earn or burn activity at least every three years.
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.
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Conclusion
A Star Alliance member, South African Airways Voyager allows you to earn and burn miles with any partner airline. Additionally, this program comes with a high earning potential with point transfers from Marriott Bonvoy and Radisson Rewards.
However, if you want a Star Alliance frequent flyer program that has American Express Membership Rewards points transferred. Then, check out Air Canada Aeroplan, or Singapore Airlines.
