SriLankan Airlines is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the Oneworld alliance. Based in Colombo, the airline serves 113 destinations in 51 countries, mainly Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives. Unfortunately, SriLankan does not fly to the United States.
See our list of the best credit card bonuses here.
FlySmiLes is the carrier’s frequent flyer program. As a member, you’ll earn miles for every flight with SriLankan or any of its partners. Redeem miles to your choice of over 1,000 destinations across the Oneworld alliance, as well as upgrades and more. We’ll get into all the best ways to earn and burn FlySmiLes Miles below.
| Airline Alliance | Oneworld |
| Hubs | Colombo (Sri Lanka) |
| U.S. Destinations | None |
| U.S. Credit Cards | None for U.S. residents |
| Transfer Partners | None |
| Redemption Options | Flights, upgrades, excess baggage, onboard duty-free purchases |
FlySmiLes Elite Status
FlySmiLes has four elite tiers: Classic, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Silver membership is exclusively offered to SriLankan Airlines co-branded credit cardholders. So if you live in the United States, you’ll unlikely qualify for FlySmiLes Silver.
To move up to Classic, Gold or Platinum tiers, you need to collect a certain amount of Tier Miles or a certain number of sectors within a membership year.
| STATUS | TIER MILES | SECTORS |
| Classic | 20,000 | 20 |
| Gold | 40,000 | 40 |
| Platinum | 60,000 | 60 |
Once you unlock an elite tier, you have that status until the end of that membership year and for the following membership year. Plus, you’ll enjoy the following benefits:
| CLASSIC | GOLD | PLATINUM | |
| Miles bonus | 0% | 15% | 25% |
| Oneworld status | Ruby | Sapphire | Emerald |
| Priority check-in counter | – | Yes | Yes |
| Priority waitlist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority standby | – | Yes | Yes |
| Free extra baggage | 10kg | 15kg | 20kg |
| Miles overdraft | 3,000 miles | 3,000 miles | 5,000 miles |
| Priority baggage handling | – | Yes | Yes |
| Lounge access | Yes | Yes + 1 | Yes + 1 |
| Priority boarding | – | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated contact center | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Earning FlySmiLes Miles
Compared to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Delta SkyMiles and other frequent flyer programs based in the United States, earning FlySmiLes Miles is not an easy task for Americans. Especially since SriLankan does not have any credit card or hotel transfer partners.
In fact, the only way for Americans to earn FlySmiLes Miles is to fly with SriLankan and the following partner airlines.
There are more opportunities to earn FlySmiLes Miles, but they’re not as relevant to those living in the United States.
Redeeming FlySmiLes Miles
Most FlySmiLes members use their miles for award flights with SriLankan and partner airlines. You can also trade in your FlySmiLes Miles for:
- Upgrades, excess baggage and onboard duty-free purchases
- Hotel stays, car rentals and merchandise with local partners in Sri Lanka.
FlySmiLes Miles Expiration
FlySmiLes Miles are valid for three years from the date they were credited to your account. They do not extend with earn and burn activity. You do have the option to reinstate your expired miles for a USD$0.010-per-mile fee.
FlySmiLes Tips & Tricks
YoungSmiLes. This is SriLankan’s frequent flyer program for young travelers. With a YoungSmiLes account, your child will earn FlySmiLes Miles when they travel with SriLankan. Members also benefit from special discounts and more.
Award booking quirks. Before you book your award flight, keep in mind the following:
- One-way awards cost more than 50% of roundtrip awards.
- Partners impose fuel surcharges.
- Partner awards cannot be booked online.
Best value awards. FlySmiLes redemption rates on domestic routes are quite low, starting at just 5,000 miles roundtrip.
Worst value awards. Medium- and long-haul flights on SriLankan and its partners are super expensive. For shorter routes, try your hand with British Airways Avios. On longer routes, we suggest redeeming with AAdvantage Miles instead.
Promotions. Check the FlySmiLes Special Offers page to stay up to date with promotions and news.
Bottom Line
FlySmiLes provides limited ways to earn and burn miles. We suggest joining the SriLankan loyalty program only if you frequently travel within or to the South Asian region. If that’s not you, and you want to stick with a Oneworld airline, check out Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy all transfer to Privilege Club, so it’s easy to earn Qmiles.
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