EuroBonus


EuroBonus is the frequent flyer program of Scandinavian Airlines and Widerøe. It was launched by SAS in 1992.

Airline partners

SAS Group

EuroBonus has five membership levels.
All statuses are obtained for one year, plus for the remainder of the qualifying year in which the member qualifies for the specific level. Unlike many other programs, the EuroBonus qualification year is individual and not aligned with calendar years. A qualifying year is determined by the data a member joined Eurobonus, instead. So if someone joins in April, the qualifying year for that member will be from April to March the next year.
Before 2010, qualification for a next level was only possible with meeting point thresholds. Since 2010 it is also possible to achieve Silver and Gold status by taking a certain number of SAS and Widerøe flights: 10/45/90 individual flights for Silver/Gold/Diamond. Gold/Diamond benefits include all Silver benefits, plus priority security at certain airports, access to SAS and Star Alliance lounges and a 25% bonus on points on SAS Group flights.

Membership level changes in 2014

SAS changed the program's membership levels in April 2014. Notable changes included access to most SAS lounges for Silver members during the summer and Christmas season, the ability for Gold members to give away Silver card and lower requirements to reach Silver level. Additionally, a new level was introduced - Diamond. Diamond members will be able to give away Gold card and their points will not expire. Diamond level will be awarded by flying 90 one-way trips or collecting 90,000 points during one year.

Membership level changes in 2015

On 1 January 2015, SAS again made some significant changes to the EuroBonus program. These changes affect both the thresholds for reaching elite status and earning tables.

Changes in thresholds

The requirements for reaching both Gold and Diamond level were lowered by 10%. This means:
SAS carried out some major restructuring of its point earning tables. The most significant changes are:
Frequent flyer mile accrual was banned on Norwegian domestic flights between August 2002 and May 2013. In 2002, SAS bought up the rival airline Braathens, giving the company a near monopoly on major domestic routes within Norway. After a few months, the airline Norwegian Air Shuttle started flying major routes in competition. To remove the edge SAS had over the new airline, the Norwegian Competition Authority then banned the award of EuroBonus points in Norway from August 1 that year.
In 2005, Morten A. Meyer, the Modernization Minister asked the competition authority to consider extending the ban on frequent flyer miles to include all of Scandinavia. Norwegian Air Shuttle and Sterling Airlines had also complained about SAS's bonus program in Scandinavia. It was pointed out that the situation on these routes was different from the monopoly which had been present on the Norwegian domestic market.
The authorities indicated in 2007 that the ban on frequent flyer points would continue, arguing that the ban on EuroBonus had reduced ticket prices by 30% and boosted competition. SAS Norge, the Norwegian affiliate of SAS, protested, arguing that the extent of the fare reduction was exaggerated and was due to more efficient spending, not the ban on EuroBonus.
Following the development of the market, whereby Norwegian Air Shuttle has grown since its launch in 2002 to become equal in size to SAS on most major domestic routes, the Norwegian Competition Authority begun yet another evaluation of the ban on domestic frequent flyer points in December 2010. The government lifted the ban on 16 May 2013, noting that the competition in the Norwegian airline market had improved. The European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority had previously considered the ban illegal.