Aegean Miles+Bonus Program: Your Complete Guide

Most travelers ignore the Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus program. They assume it’s only relevant if you live in Greece or fly to Santorini every summer.

That is a massive strategic error.

For over a decade, Aegean Miles+Bonus has remained the undisputed “cheat code” for earning Star Alliance Gold status. While programs like United MileagePlus and Delta SkyMiles move toward revenue-based models requiring $10,000+ in spending, Aegean offers a mathematical backdoor.

You can secure top-tier status—granting you lounge access, extra baggage, and priority boarding worldwide—for a fraction of the cost required by legacy US carriers.

Beyond status, the program offers one of the few remaining fixed award charts in the industry. There is no dynamic pricing nightmare here. If a seat is open, the price is fixed.

This guide analyzes the math, the sweet spots, and the exact steps to hack your way to elite status in 2025.

What Is Aegean Miles+Bonus?

Aegean Airlines is the flag carrier of Greece and a member of the Star Alliance network. This means miles earned on Aegean can be used to book flights on partners like United, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and Turkish Airlines.

Conversely, flights taken on those partners can be credited to your Aegean account to earn status.

The program distinguishes strictly between two currency types. You must understand this difference to optimize your strategy.

Tier Miles vs. Award Miles

Tier Miles determine your status (Blue, Silver, Gold). They expire 12 months from the date they were earned on a rolling basis (not a calendar year). You generally cannot buy these; you must fly to earn them.

Award Miles are the currency you spend on free flights. These do not expire as long as you have some activity in your account every 24 months. You can earn these through flying, credit card transfers, or buying miles.

The “Cheat Code” to Star Alliance Gold

This is the primary reason savvy travel hackers hold an Aegean account. Star Alliance Gold provides access to Senator Lounges, United Clubs (even on domestic US itineraries when you have a non-United Gold card), and priority treatment globally.

Let’s look at the math compared to United Airlines.

United MileagePlus Gold Requirements (2025):
You need 8,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) + 24 segments, or 10,000 PQP alone. Since 1 PQP equals $1 USD spent, you are looking at spending roughly $10,000 USD annually to achieve this status.

Aegean Miles+Bonus Gold Requirements:
To reach Gold from scratch, you first hit Silver, then Gold. But the retention criteria—where the real value lies—are absurdly low.

To retain Gold, you need:

• 12,000 Tier Miles + 4 Aegean/Olympic Air flight segments.
• OR 24,000 Tier Miles (if you don’t fly Aegean).

If you take one vacation to Greece per year and fly 4 domestic hops (e.g., Athens to Mykonos to Santorini and back), those flights cost maybe €200 total.

That leaves you needing just 12,000 Tier Miles. You can earn 12,000 Tier Miles with a single round-trip business class ticket from New York to Europe on a partner like Lufthansa or SWISS.

The Math:
United Gold Cost: ~$10,000 spend.
Aegean Gold Retention Cost: ~$1,500 (one partner flight) + ~$200 (Greek flights).

You save over 80% while receiving nearly identical benefits across the alliance. For a deeper dive on alliance benefits, read our guide on Star Alliance Explained: Benefits, Members, and Status.

The “Together” Account: Family Pooling Done Right

Most airline programs force you to strand miles in separate accounts. If your spouse has 10,000 miles and you have 45,000, neither of you has enough for a business class ticket.

Aegean solves this with the “Together” account.

Once you reach Silver tier, you can activate this feature. You can invite up to 5 members to join your group. It doesn’t have to be family; it can be friends.

How it works:

• All Award Miles earned by any member are automatically transferred to the Head of the Account.
• Tier Miles remain with the individual (so each person earns their own status).
• The Head of the Account controls the redemption.

This allows a family of four to consolidate earnings from a summer vacation into a single pot, triggering an award redemption much faster than usual. It is arguably the most efficient pooling system in the airline industry.

Earning Miles: The Hard Truth

If you are based in the US, earning Aegean miles is harder than earning United or Delta miles. Aegean does not partner with major US credit card transferable currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards.

However, you still have options.

1. Marriott Bonvoy Transfers

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Aegean at a 3:1 ratio. If you transfer 60,000 Marriott points, you get 20,000 Aegean miles plus a 5,000-mile bonus.

The Math:
60,000 Marriott Points = 25,000 Aegean Miles.
This effectively values Marriott points at roughly 0.42 Aegean miles. This isn’t always the best value, but it is a reliable top-up method.

2. Flying Partners

You earn miles based on the distance flown and the booking class. You must check the earnings chart for each partner.

Pro Tip: Cheap economy tickets on partners like Lufthansa often earn 0% miles. Always check your booking class (e.g., K, L, T) on the Aegean website before flying. Never assume you will earn miles on a “Light” fare.

For strategies on maximizing earnings from flights, check our guide on How to Earn 100k Points Fast (No Churning!).

3. Buying Miles (The Arbitrage Play)

Aegean frequently runs promotions selling miles with up to a 100% bonus. During these sales, the cost usually drops to around roughly 1.2 to 1.3 euro cents per mile.

If you can buy miles at 1.3 cents and redeem them for 5 cents of value (Business Class), you are winning. We will break down those specific redemptions below.

Redemption Sweet Spots: The Math

Aegean uses a region-based award chart. Prices are fixed regardless of the cash price of the ticket. You can view the full chart on the official Aegean Redemption page.

Here are the high-value redemptions that justify the program.

Europe to North America (Business Class)

Cost: 55,000 Miles (One-Way)

This is cheaper than United (usually 80k+), Aeroplan (60k-70k+), and Avianca LifeMiles (63k). You can fly Lufthansa, SWISS, United, or Austrian Airlines.

Value Calculation:
A one-way Business Class ticket from Frankfurt to New York often costs $3,500.
Taxes/Fees: ~$150 (depending on carrier).
Miles Required: 55,000.
CPM (Cents Per Mile): ($3,500 – $150) / 55,000 = 6.09 cents per mile.

This is an exceptional return. Even if you bought the miles during a promo for ~$700, you are flying a $3,500 seat for $700 plus taxes.

Europe to South Africa (Business Class)

Cost: 55,000 Miles (One-Way)

This is one of the best sweet spots in the entire Star Alliance network. A 10+ hour flight for only 55k miles is unheard of in 2025.

If you are planning a safari, combining this redemption with our guide on 18-Day Safari: Johannesburg to Cape Town via Namibia creates a luxury trip for economy pricing.

Intra-Asia Business Class

Cost: 21,000 Miles (Round-Trip) / 32,500 Miles (Far East)

Aegean divides Asia into “Near East/Central Asia” and “Far East”. Flights within the Far East (e.g., Singapore to Tokyo) are 32,500 miles one-way in Business. While slightly higher than some competitors, the availability on partners like EVA Air and ANA is often better accessible than through US programs.

For more details on finding these seats, refer to Which Airlines Still Have Real Sweet Spots in 2025.

Beware of Fuel Surcharges

There is a catch. Aegean Miles+Bonus passes on carrier-imposed surcharges (often called YQ). This is critical to understand.

If you book a United flight from the US to Europe, the fees are low (usually $5.60 + partner booking fee). United does not add fuel surcharges.

However, if you book a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to New York, Lufthansa adds massive surcharges. You might pay 55,000 miles + $400 USD.

How to avoid this?
Prioritize booking airlines that have low or no surcharges:
– United Airlines
– Air Canada
– Avianca
– SAS
– Singapore Airlines

Avoid Lufthansa and Swiss if you are cash-sensitive, or accept the fee as the price of luxury. For a full breakdown on dodging these fees, read Airline Fuel Surcharges: What They Are & How to Avoid Them.

Status Benefits: What Do You Actually Get?

Is the status chase worth it? Let’s look at the tangible benefits of Aegean Gold (Star Alliance Gold).

The upgrade coupons are a nice perk, but they only apply to Aegean metal. The real global value is the lounge access and baggage allowance on partners like United and Air Canada.

Step-by-Step: How to Book an Award

Booking with Aegean used to require a phone call to Greece. Thankfully, their online booking engine has improved significantly.

1. Log in to your Miles+Bonus account. You cannot search for awards without an account.
2. Select “Redeem Miles” from the menu.
3. Choose “Star Alliance Flight”.
4. Enter your route and dates. Note: The search tool can be finicky. It often helps to search for one-way segments rather than round-trips.
5. Check availability elsewhere first. If the Aegean site errors out, verify the seat exists on United.com or AirCanada.com. If it shows as “Saver” award there, it should be bookable by Aegean.
6. Call if necessary. If the online tool fails but you see Saver availability elsewhere, call the Aegean call center (+30 210 6261000). The agents are generally competent and English-speaking.

Is It Worth It in 2025?

For the average US-based traveler who flies domestic economy twice a year? No. Stick to cashback or a generic travel card.

However, for the “optimizer” or international traveler, Aegean Miles+Bonus remains a powerhouse. The math is undeniable.

If you can position yourself to Europe once a year, the cost of maintaining top-tier status is 80% lower than with US carriers. The award chart offers incredible stability in an era of dynamic pricing devaluation.

The “Together” account alone makes it the best program for families who want to pool resources for dream trips. Just remember to watch out for fuel surcharges on specific partners.