12 Best Ways To Earn Lots of South African Airways Voyager Miles [2024]

South African Airways is an unexpectedly small airline when you consider its strategic position as the flag carrier of South Africa. Home to one of the economic powerhouses in Africa, South African Airways has been plagued by a continuous bout of mismanagement and corporate losses.

It is the state-owned, de-facto airline of South Africa, which means that its goal isn’t only to turn a profit like Southwest Airlines, for example. It plays a pivotal role in connecting the world to South Africa and creating jobs to prop up the country’s economy.

As a result, it’s done everything it can to save money besides reducing headcount, and this includes destroying much of the straightforward value of its frequent flyer program.

Nonetheless, there are always going to be numerous opportunities to maximize any frequent flyer program. Before you spend any miles, however, you’re going to have to earn them. Let’s learn about the best ways to earn lots of South African Airways Voyager miles.

Sign Up for a South African Airways Voyager Account

The first thing you’ll want to do is to register for a South African Airways Voyager frequent flyer account. After you create an account, you’ll be able to log in and view your account activity, along with upcoming reservations.

To register, simply visit the link above and fill out all the information. Remember to click the button that says Activate flysaa.com Reservation Profile and Do you agree with the terms and conditions? After clicking Submit, you’ll be able to confirm and access your Voyager account.

Earn Voyager Miles With Credit Cards

1. Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

The easiest way to earn South African Airways Voyager miles is to put your normal spending on the right credit cards. South African Airways only has 1 transfer partner — Marriott Bonvoy.

Marriott Bonvoy enjoys the largest list of airline transfer partners, and this covers more obscure airlines such as South African Airways, so you’re going to need to focus on earning Marriott Bonvoy points to accrue lots of South African Airways Voyager miles.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio, which means that 3 Marriott Bonvoy points equal 1 Voyager mile. You’ll also get a transfer bonus of 5,000 Voyager miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer to Voyager. In other words, transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points will result in a total of 25,000 Voyager miles.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card

A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 Bonus Points plus 1 Free Night Award after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Free Night valued at 50,000 points. Certain hotels have resort fees.

60,000 points + 1 Free Night Award

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$770

Annual Fee

$0

APR

20.99% - 27.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold^® Credit Card.

The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Up to 14x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
• 2x points at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services
• 5 Elite Night Credits each year

Cons

• Lower point earn rate than other Marriott Bonvoy cards
• Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is the lowest status tier

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Card Highlights

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card

Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.

Welcome Offer

Earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.

125,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$875

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.99% - 27.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Earn big when you use your card at thousands of participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• Earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
• Automatic Silver Elite Status

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• Marriott Silver Elite Status is the lowest status tier

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Card Highlights

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

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Marriott Bonvoy

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.

Welcome Offer

Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

85,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$595

Annual Fee

$250

APR

20.24%-29.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2x points)
• 2x points per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $250 annual fee (rates & fees)
• Free Night Award certificate is not an automatic benefit

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy^® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
• Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card.
• Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy^® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy^®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card^® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy^® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Plan It^® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
• $250 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card

A premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.

Welcome Offer

Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

95,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$665

Annual Fee

$650

APR

20.24%-29.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.

So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy program
• 3x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and restaurants worldwide
• 2x points per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• Steep annual fee of $650 (rates & fees)
• 6x points per $1 is the same earn rate offered with lower annual fee alternatives like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy^® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy^®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy^® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy^® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® 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.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton^® or St. Regis^® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• 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.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy^® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
• Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• $650 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Marriott Bonvoy

2. Refer a Friend for Bonus Miles

American Express has one of the most generous referral bonus structures in the world. As long as you have an Amex card, you can refer a friend to earn bonus points.

For example, if you have an Amex credit card, your referral bonus will be in Membership Rewards points, while if you have a Marriott Bonvoy card, your referral bonus will be in Marriott Bonvoypoints.

This means that if you want to earn more South African Airways Voyager miles, you’ll want to refer a friend using your Marriott Bonvoy card. Best of all, your friend doesn’t need to end up applying for the same card that you have to get a referral bonus!

They can use your referral link to apply for The Platinum Card^® from American Express or the American Express^® Gold Card, which are arguably 2 of the best cards on the market.

This means that as long as they use your referral link and are approved for any Amex card, you’ll get your referral bonus.

Chase also has a referral program, though it doesn’t offer referral bonuses for all of its credit cards. Remember that to refer a friend to a Chase card, you must also have the same card, which is an important distinction compared to American Express.

3. Non-U.S.-based Credit Cards

There are several options for non-U.S-based cardholders to earn South African Airways Voyager miles. Specifically, these cards are administered and offered by Nedbank, a South African financial services company.

Generally speaking, you need to be a South African resident or have a valid work permit to be eligible for this card, in addition to meeting income, age, and credit requirements. Here are some of the cards available for application:

• SAA Voyager Gold Mastercard Credit Card
• SAA Voyager Mastercard Credit Card

You might be wondering what a cheque card is. Simply put, a cheque card is just another term for a debit card. When you swipe your cheque card, you’re using funds directly from your bank account, so there’s no creditor-lender relationship.

Learn more about the credit card offerings and cheque card offerings.

There are other options that you can explore in other countries, such as the Ecobank SAA Voyager MasterCard in Ghana. To find out if there is a unique credit card option in your country, simply change the country of the South African Airways website to the desired country, and visit the Credit card section.

Earn Miles Through Travel

If you find yourself flying quite often, you’ll want to credit your airline miles to get the most out of your travel.

4. Airfare and Airline Purchases

When you fly South African Airways flights, you’ll earn at a rate of 1 mile per R1.60 spent on the base fare, plus carrier-imposed fees (fuel surcharges). Critically, this excludes the portion of your taxes and fees from earning Voyager miles. Miles may take up to 15 days to credit to your account.

5. Crediting Partner Airlines to Voyager

South African Airways has tons of airline partners. While many of them are Star Alliance airlines, some of them are non-alliance airline partners, such as Virgin Australia or Emirates.

If you provide your Voyager account number when booking any partner airline flight or checking into your flight at the airport, you can accrue miles according to the fare class of your ticket.

Airline partner flights take around 14 business days after travel is finished to credit. These particular flights earn miles based on distance traveled, as opposed to how much you spend on flights.

If you’re traveling on partner flights marketed by South African Airways (codeshare), then miles should be deposited 3 to 5 days after travel is finished. With all that being said, you’ll want to refer to the following accrual chart to figure out how many miles you’ll earn on your flight:

Let’s take an example. If you fly round-trip from New York City (JFK) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) on an ANA V class ticket, you’ll earn 50% of the total distance traveled. In this case, the flight distance is 13,490 miles each way. Therefore, you’ll earn a total of 6,745 miles on this round-trip ticket.

As always, please remember to double-check the mileage accrual rates directly with South African Airways Voyager’s earning miles policy.

6. Car Rental Partners

In addition to earning miles with airfare, you can earn Voyager miles with select car rental partners as follows:

7. Hotel Partners

South African Airways Voyager has numerous hotel partnerships. It’ll take around 7-45 business days for activity to be reflected in your Voyager summary.

Furthermore, mileage credits aren’t eligible for longer than 6 months after the activity.

8. Rocketmiles

If you’re looking to earn bonus miles for hotel bookings, one of the best ways to do it is to use Rocketmiles, an online travel agency specializing in hotel bookings. Although the rates are often higher than the cheapest available option, it could be worth it depending on how you value your miles.

To search for hotels that’ll earn Voyager miles, simply visit Rocketmiles.com, select South African Airways Voyager, and perform a search as normal. You’ll then earn bonus miles depending on which hotel you end up booking.

9. Miscellaneous Travel Partners

There are a couple of neat travel partners for miscellaneous travel that you can earn Voyager miles on. These are:

When you book Cruises International, you’ll earn 1 mile per $1 spent on Oceania Cruises, Crystal Cruises, and AmaWaterways. You’ll earn 1 mile per $2 spent on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Seadream, Azamara, and Seabourn cruises.

Earn Miles Through Shopping

One of the easiest ways to earn miles is by getting more out of your ordinary spending. In the case of South African Airways, there are a few ways you can leverage normal transactions and earn Voyager miles.

10. South African Airways Shopping Partners

South African Airways has a few partners you can earn miles with. The partners and earning structures can be summarized as follows:

When you are transacting with any of these partners, simply provide the company with your Voyager number at the time of purchase. It may take up to 45 days for your miles to be credited.

Specialty Earnings for South African Airways Voyager Miles

Now that we’ve covered the most mainstream ways of earning South African Airways Voyager miles, here are some of the uncommon ways you can earn Voyager miles.

11. Buy or Sell a House in South Africa

Seeff is a household name in Southern African real estate. Likened to RE/MAX and Sotheby’s, this established real estate company has operations in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Eswatini, and Mauritius.

It’s not immediately clear which transactions are eligible for miles accrual, but they can be credited to both sellers and buyers. Specifically, you’ll earn 1 mile per R100 through Sole Mandate sales and 1 mile per R200 on purchases. All you have to do is provide your South African Airways Voyager number when you are buying or selling through Seeff.

12. Other Financial Partners

The very last method to earn South African Airways Voyager miles is to use select financial partners.

Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it! South African Airways’ frequent flyer program is extremely dense and difficult to decipher, due in part to the lack of a user-friendly website.

You can either look at crediting partner airline flights to Voyager or use select travel partners in order to rack up miles. Lastly, there are some niche ways to earn miles, including buying or selling houses in South Africa or using the co-branded credit cards offered by various African banks.