Airpoints Elite Status
Kick back and relax in the Air New Zealand lounges! Image courtesy of airnewzealand.com
There are three elite tiers in the Airpoints frequent flyer program.
Members who move to higher elite tiers unlock additional benefits such as lounge access, higher mileage earn rates, and fast track security status.
When reviewing the benefits within each tier below, it’s important to note that higher elite tiers include all of the benefits of the preceding elite tier:
Silver: Airpoint’s lowest elite tier providing members with these benefits:
- 2 single-entry lounge passes each membership year
- 1 cabin upgrade each membership year
- OneUp offers will be upweighted by 10% of your offer
- Discounted long haul business class fares
Gold: The middle elite tier that comes with the following perks:
- Access to Air New Zealand, Star Alliance and partner airline lounges
- 1 Air New Zealand, Star Alliance, and partner airline lounge guest pass
- 2 (1) cabin upgrades each membership year
- OneUp offers will be upweighted by 30% of your offer
- Excess baggage allowance
- Priority check-in and boarding
- 1 room category hotel upgrade at a participating hotel in New Zealand and Australia
- 1 car rental car upgrade at participating locations in New Zealand and Australia
- Airpoints Dollars don’t expire
- Star Alliance Gold
Elite: Air New Zealand’s highest elite tier where members have these benefits:
- 5 guest passes for any Air New Zealand International or Domestic Lounge
- 1 guest pass for a Air New Zealand Regional Lounge, Partner Lounge or Star Alliance Lounge
- 2 long haul flight upgrades
- 1 short haul flight upgrade
- Fixed rate Airpoints Dollars cabin class upgrades
- Ability to gift upgrades or Airpoints Dollar upgrades to other members
- OneUp offers will be upweighted by 50% of your offer
Air New Zealand has an additional tier called Elite Partner. An Elite Airpoints member nominates this individual who then receives benefits like lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, and excess baggage.
For those wanting a deeper dive of the benefits, head to the frequent flyer tier benefits page.
Bottom Line: Aim for the Gold and Elite tiers to unlock the most valuable benefits in the Airpoints program.
Value of Air New Zealand Status
6 guest lounge passes and 3 flight upgrades are what you’ll find at the Airpoints Elite tier.
Earning Airpoints Gold provides Star Alliance Gold and your miles don’t expire, however, it’s best to consider if you value both of these benefits.
For those who find value in lounge access, upgrades, and Star Alliance elite status, aim for earning Elite status.
Bottom Line: The elite benefits of Air New Zealand are not as competitive as what you’ll find elsewhere on top of the fact that Airpoints are challenging to earn.
Earning Airpoints Elite Status
Air New Zealand takes care of its business class customers. Image courtesy of airnewzealand.com
Elite status is determined by the route that you fly and the cabin class that you book on Air New Zealand and partner airline flights.
The program uses an Airpoints calculator to estimate both the Status Points (elite status) and Airpoints Dollars (airline miles).
A member needs to earn the following number of Status Points for each tier: 450 Status for Silver, 900 for Gold, and 1,500 for Elite status. In the subsequent qualifying year, the Status Points required drops to 405 for Silver, 810 for Gold, and 1,350 for Elite.
For Elite members, 900 of the 1,500 year 1 points need to come from Air New Zealand operated flights or qualifying partner airline flights. In year 2, that 900 number drops to 810.
If you’re looking to add to your Status Points balance, Air New Zealand provides an avenue to earn these points through credit card spend.
Bottom Line: A combination of flying and credit card spend can earn you elite status in the New Zealand Airpoints program.