• Go to navigation
  • Go to main content
  • Go to search
  • Go to footer

Main content

Miles & more, the lufthansa frequent flyer and awards programme.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Travel is about much more than just getting from A to B. Travel also means discovering new worlds. Our frequent flyer and awards programme, Miles & More, offers you numerous privileges to make each one of your journeys even more enjoyable. You will also earn valuable miles in the air and on the ground, so that you can treat yourself or others to attractive awards. Discover a new world with Miles & More – with all its benefits.

New status programme

The  new status program starts on January 1, 2024: simple and transparent for achieving status, versatile  as usual when it comes to your privileges.

Broaden your horizons and your comfort when traveling with Points

With Miles & More, you can earn Points (Points, Qualifying Points, and HON Circle Points) on every one of your Lufthansa flights, and these will help you achieve frequent flyer status. As a result, you will soon be able to enjoy privileges that will make flying even pleasanter. Start your trip by visiting one of our various lounges – whether for relaxation or for work. You can even make your flight booking simpler, by using prefilled forms, for example. And thanks to your saved card and account details, you will save valuable time, too.

Our frequent flyer programme is basically divided into three categories with different benefits: Frequent Traveller, Senator, and HON Circle. As a Frequent Traveller, you will already enjoy an increased free baggage allowance. As a Senator you can enjoy access to the Senator and Star Gold Lounges (instead of F/CL CKI) and as an HON Circle Member an exclusive limousine and transfer service is available that will make your departure and arrival as comfortable as possible.

Earn miles and redeem them for attractive awards

Not only in the air, but also on the ground: as soon as you have registered with Miles & More, you can also earn valuable miles on everyday purchases, with almost 40 partner airlines, for hotel bookings, and on numerous other occasions.

The opportunities to redeem these miles with our Miles & More partners are just as numerous. Treat yourself and enjoy an upgrade on your next flight or explore your destination in a rental car. You can also use your miles for purchases in Lufthansa Worldshop—for baggage, fashion, cosmetics, and more.

Discover the world of Miles & More

Every journey begins with the first step. Register now with Miles & More and enjoy numerous benefits. You will also receive 500 miles immediately when you download the Miles & More app.

This might also interest you

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Simply do good

Make the world a little better with your Miles & More miles. Support the numerous help alliance projects with your mileage donation.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Cash & Miles

Redeem your miles flexibly just as you wish, for example for a flight to your travel destination of choice.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Unlimited access to Lufthansa Group airlines and Miles & More.

Ultimate guide to earning and redeeming Lufthansa Miles & More miles

Andrew Kunesh

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

Lufthansa Group has grown a ton in recent years. We've seen the group buy up a number of European airlines, all while continuing to expand the Lufthansa route network from its hubs in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). One thing you may not know about Lufthansa is that its Miles & More loyalty program is actually used by a number of different airlines around Europe, some of which aren't in the Star Alliance.

Additionally, the loyalty program has some interesting sweet spots that make it worth taking a closer look at if you're based in Europe. Plus, U.S. based flyers that frequently fly to Europe on Lufthansa or another Lufthansa Group airline may find more use in earning Miles & More miles than United or another Star Alliance partner.

If you find yourself curious about the Miles & More program, you're in the right place. Here, we'll run you through everything you need to know about Miles & More, starting with elite status and partner airlines, then moving to earning and redeeming points.

Let's get started.

Program Overview

(Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)

Miles & More is owned by Lufthansa Group, but it's used as the primary loyalty program for a number of different airlines throughout Europe. Other airlines that use Miles & More as their primary loyalty program include:

  • Air Dolomiti
  • Austrian Airlines
  • Brussels Airlines
  • Croatia Airlines
  • LOT Polish Airlines

Many of these airlines are either entirely owned by Lufthansa Group or have previously been partially or wholly owned by the group. However, some airlines — namely LOT Polish and Croatia Airlines — have never been affiliated with Lufthansa Group but still opt to use Miles & More as a loyalty program.

Miles & More elite status tiers and benefits

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Like most airline loyalty programs, Miles & More offers a variety of different elite status tiers that offer elevated mileage earnings and benefits like lounge access, upgrades and fast track security. In the case of Miles & More, there are three different status tiers: Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle.

Earning Miles & More elite status

Frequent Traveller and Senator status are earned after you accrue 35,000 and 100,000 status miles, respectively, in a calendar year. These are earned by flying on Miles & More airlines (excluding Condor) and Star Alliance airline partners. Additionally, you can earn Frequent Traveller status by flying 30 flights on Miles & More airlines (excluding Condor).

Top-tier Hon Circle status is earned by accruing 600,000 Hon Circle miles over the course of two consecutive calendar years. You can only earn these miles by flying first or business class fares on Miles & More airlines (excluding Condor), and when taking the Lufthansa Express Rail in Germany and Airtrain in Switzerland.

For reference, Hon Circle miles are the same as status qualifying miles, except they're restricted to first and business class. Here's a quick overview of how to earn qualifying miles on all Miles & More airlines.

Lufthansa Status Earning Chart Screen Shot for International Flights

It's true that you need to fly a lot to earn Hon Circle status, but the good news is that Miles & More awards bonus Hon Circle miles when flying premium cabins. Business travelers who book full-fare, intercontinental business class have the easiest route to Hon Circle status; these earn 2 Hon Circle qualifying miles per mile flown, so a 7,680-mile round-trip flight from New York-JFK to Frankfurt (FRA) would earn 15,360 Hon Circle miles.

On the other hand, flights within Germany and Europe earn miles at a fixed rate. For example, despite a flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to Berlin (TXL) clocking in at just 267 miles one-way, you'd earn 500 qualifying miles each way in discounted P fare business class. The same goes for all other German domestic routes on Lufthansa, Swiss domestic routes in Switzerland, etc.

Germany Domestic Flight Earning Chart Status

Intra-Europe flights earn a slightly more miles, especially when flying in business class. For example, let's say you're flying from Frankfurt (FRA) to Oslo (OSL). A business class P fare would earn 750 qualifying miles. However, if you booked in a higher fare class, you'd earn a whopping 2,000 qualifying miles. Not bad for a flight distance of just 686 miles!

International European Qualifying Point Earning Chart Screen Shot

So in the end, HON Circle status is for flyers that fly Lufthansa exclusively and in premium cabins. As you'd expect, this is generally business travelers with lots of international travel. You could earn HON Circle status by flying 100,000 miles per year in paid first class, 150,000 miles per year in full-fare business class or a mixture of these with domestic European flying.

Related: Credit cards that can help you earn airline elite status

Crediting flights on Star Alliance partners to Lufthansa Miles & More counts towards elite status. The number of miles you'll earn varies by airline partner, the length of your flight and your fare class.

To calculate how many miles you'll earn, find your partner on the Miles & More website and take a look at the earning chart to find the earning rate. Then, multiply the distance of your flight (in miles) by the earning rate for your fare class. In the case of a Z fare United business class ticket from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to London-Heathrow (LHR), you'd earn 5,910 miles. The flight is 3,940 miles and you earn 1.5 qualifying miles per mile flown.

Qualifying requirements are changing in 2022

Miles & More is changing status requirements in 2022 . So while you'll earn status for 2021 and 2022 using the metrics above, earning status for the 2023 calendar year in 2022 is based on the number of Points and Qualifying Points you earn. Points are earned on Star Alliance partner airlines, while Qualifying Points are earned on Miles & More airlines.

The number of Points and Qualifying points you'll earn is based on your class of service and whether you're flying within Europe or on an intercontinental flight. Fare class is no longer a factor, so discount fares will earn the same as full-fare tickets. The chart above shows how many Qualifying Points and Points you'll earn for each type of ticket.

Each status tier requires a different amount of Points or Qualifying Points to qualify. In the case of Frequent Traveller and Senator status, you need to earn 160 and 480 Points, respectively. Half of those can be Qualifying Points earned on partner airlines. HON Circle requires 1,500 Points over the course of a single year to qualify, but they can now be earned in economy and premium economy.

Further, members can earn additional perks after hitting specific thresholds. For example, Senator members will earn two eVouchers (valid for one-class upgrades) when they reach 700 qualifying points, and 15,000 award miles after reaching 1,000 qualifying points.

Overall, I think these changes are a good thing. They make status earning much easier to understand, and opens HON Circle status up to those that frequently fly in economy class for work and pleasure. Regardless, though, you'll still need to fly on Miles & More airlines a lot to earn HON Circle.

Related: Complete guide to airline elite status during the coronavirus outbreak

Miles & More elite status benefits

Earning Lufthansa status isn't easy, but each of the status tiers come with interesting benefits. In fact, top-tier HON Circle status comes with some of the most premium perks of all airline statuses — here's a look at each of the tier's respective benefits.

Frequent Traveller

Frequent Traveller is the lowest tier of Miles & More status, but it still has some solid benefits. You'll have access to Lufthansa Business Class lounges when flying on Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance carriers. You're also eligible for business class check-in, one extra checked bag, and other Star Alliance Silver benefits.

Further, you'll also earn 50% more redeemable miles and 25% more status and HON Circle qualifying miles on all paid tickets. This applies to all flights you credit to Miles & More, including flights booked on Star Alliance carriers like United.

These benefits are surprisingly rich for low-tier elite status. Just keep in mind that you can only access Lufthansa Business Class lounges, not Star Alliance partner lounges like United Clubs or the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges. This is because Frequent Traveller includes Star Alliance Silver benefits, not Star Alliance Gold.

Senator offers even more benefits for frequent flyers. You're eligible for access to Lufthansa Senator lounge as well as all Star Alliance partner lounges when flying on a Star Alliance carrier. This includes domestic U.S. United Club access when flying United Airlines, so long as you add your Miles & More number to your ticket.

Further, you can access first class check-in, receive two extra checked bags, and two eVouchers that you can use for a one-class upgrade. You can use one eVoucher for an upgrade within a single region or two vouchers for an intercontinental one-class upgrade. As an example, upgrading from premium economy to business on a transatlantic flight requires two eVouchers.

Another great perk of Senator status is access to Companion Awards. This lets you add a companion to all award tickets at a 50% mileage discount. This applies when flying award tickets on Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Air Dolomiti, Eurowings, Luxair, LOT Polish Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Croatia Airlines.

Miles & More Senator status also gives you access to other Star Alliance Gold benefits like preferred baggage handling, priority boarding on Star Alliance partners and other various perks. Like Frequent Traveller, you'll earn 50% more award miles and 25% more status qualifying miles on all flights.

HON Circle is the cream of the crop when it comes to Miles & More status. It includes all Senator status benefits mentioned in the last section, but also includes First Class Terminal access at Frankfurt (FRA) on all Miles & More flights regardless of the class of service. This is a huge perk as the terminal is a dedicated space for first-class and HON Circle travelers, with upgraded lounges and more.

Plus, you're eligible for a limousine transfer on flights operated by Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS. Where applicable, a limousine will pick you up from the plane, drop you off at the lounge and then drive you back to your flight. This is generally reserved for first-class passengers, so it's a treat to experience on all flights.

You'll also receive six upgrade eVouchers, which can be used in the same way that Senator members can use certificates.

Earning with Miles & More

Miles & More miles are significantly harder to earn than other airline miles. The loyalty program doesn't have transfer partners and cannot transfer in from hotel loyalty programs like Marriott Bonvoy. But that doesn't mean they're impossible to earn — here are all the best ways.

Earn by flying on Miles & More and Star Alliance carriers

You can earn Miles & More miles by flying on Miles & More and Star Alliance airlines. Tickets booked with a Miles & More member airline — like Lufthansa and Swiss — will earn miles based on fare cost. If you're traveling on a Star Alliance partner flight that's not ticketed by a Miles & More airline, you'll earn miles based on distance flown. On multi-airline itineraries that include a Miles & More member, you'll earn miles based on fare cost.

For example, say you book a round-trip ticket from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA) through the Lufthansa website, with one leg operated by Lufthansa and the other by United. You'll earn miles based on spend. Miles & More awards 4 points per Euro spent on these tickets (excluding taxes). If you have elite status, you'll earn 6 points per Euro spent.

On the other hand, you'll earn miles based on distance flown if you're flying on a Star Alliance partner flight that's not ticketed by a Miles & More airline. For example, if you're flying on a Singapore Airlines flight booked with Singapore Airlines over the phone or a United Airlines flight booked through United.com.

The number of miles earned depend on the length of your flight and your booking class. Simply find your partner airline on the Miles & More website, look at the chart underneath the "Status miles / Booking class system" header. Then, find the fare class of your ticket in the chart and multiply the number under the Miles column to see how many miles you'll earn.

South African Airways Earning Miles & More

For example, a South African Airways fin M fare economy class would earn 790 miles on a flight between Cape Town (CPT) and Johannesburg (JNB). This is because the flight is 790 miles one-way and M fares earn 1x the distance flown.

Related: The best websites for searching Star Alliance award availability

Spend on a Miles & More credit card

In the U.S., Lufthansa and Miles & More offers a cobranded credit card issued by Barclay's called the Miles & More World Elite Mastercard . You can use this card to earn Miles & More miles on all of your purchases and it includes some added benefits, like two Lufthansa Business Class Lounge passes and an annual companion ticket.

Further, the card has a welcome bonus that usually hovers around 50,000 Miles & More points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months of account opening. Plus, you'll earn 2 miles per dollar spent on Miles & More ticket purchases and 1 mile per dollar everywhere else.

This card has an $89 annual fee and can be a good option for those set on earning Miles & More miles. However, if you frequently fly on other airlines, you may want to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead. This card earns 2x Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchases, and the points can be transferred to airlines like United, Singapore Airlines and others. TPG values these points at 2 cents per point, 0.6 cents higher than Miles & More points.

The information for the Miles & More World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Book hotel rooms and rental cars

Booking Hotels with Miles & More

You can also earn Miles & More miles when you book hotel rooms with the Miles & More hotel booking platform. You'll earn a minimum of 1,000 miles per night and more expensive hotels generally earn more points. Just note that you generally won't be able to earn hotel points or use hotel elite status benefits on these bookings, since you're booking through an Online Travel Agency (OTA). However, many boutique and independent hotels are listed on the Miles & More portal, so it may be worthwhile to use it to book hotels that you wouldn't otherwise earn points with.

You can also book rental cars through the portal, but you may not be able to use car rental status benefits or earn rental car status. As always, make sure to wage whether earning Miles & More points outweigh these possible exclusions.

One thing to keep in mind: always cross-check hotel and rental car prices when using the Miles & More hotel portal. While the prices are usually comparable to booking direct, sometimes the price can vary. Additionally, all prices are listed in euros, so make sure to use a card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees .

Related: How to save on rental cars

Redeeming with Miles & More

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

We generally recommend redeeming your Miles & More miles for award travel. While you can redeem for merchandise, hotels and gift cards, this isn't recommended as you'll get a much lower redemption value than for flights.

Here's how to redeem for flights as well and a list of some of my favorite Miles & More redemptions.

Redeeming Miles & More miles for award flights

Miles & More employs a standard award chart, meaning that flights don't fluctuate in price. Award flights are priced based by zone and class of service, and you can book any Star Alliance flight that has award space. As for pricing, award flights are surprisingly reasonable. For example, transatlantic flights are 30,000 points in economy, 46,000 in premium economy class, 56,000 in business class and 91,000 in first class. You can view the complete Miles & More award chart on the loyalty program's website .

Do note that Miles & More adds fuel surcharges for most tickets — in practice, this is about $320 per ticket for intercontinental flights. The only exception are Air Canada flights within North America and United Airlines flights within North America, South America and Oceania; these awards incur minimal taxes and fees.

Redeeming points for flights is easy — head to the Miles & More website and navigate to the spend miles page . Scroll to the center of the screen, enter your flight details and click the blue Search flights button at the bottom of the screen. Then, your flight options will appear at the center of the screen; click on the flight you want to book and follow the on-screen prompts to book.

In my research, I've found that nearly all Star Alliance partner flights show on the Miles & More booking website. This means that there's no reason to call in to book award tickets, and you can rely on the Miles & More search engine to show reliable flight results.

Related: 6 tips for booking Lufthansa first-class awards

The best uses of Miles & More flights

Redeeming Miles & More miles is one thing, but finding a great redemption is another. The award chart is very reasonable and there are some real sweet spots to be found. Here's a look at a few of my personal favorites as a U.S. based traveler — use them as a jumping-off point for redeeming your Miles & More points.

Lufthansa First Class

Miles & More doesn't offer the best redemption value for transatlantic tickets in Lufthansa first class , but it does have the best available award space. Lufthansa only opens first class award space to its partners two weeks prior to departure, but this isn't the case for Miles & More. You can access Lufthansa first class award space months beforehand, so it's easier to plan vacations on one of the world's best first-class products.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

North America to Oceania

Flights from the U.S. to Australia, New Zealand and the rest of Oceania cost just 71,000 miles one-way. If you book these awards on United Airlines, you won't pay high fuel surcharges either, given you a great way to fly Down Under on points and miles.

North America to Southeast Asia

Likewise, flights from North America to Southeast Asia cost just 71,000 miles one-way in business class. You'll have to pay fuel surcharges on these tickets, but you can fly awesome business class products on carriers like Air Canada , All Nippon Airways (ANA) and EVA Air for a fraction of the price of a revenue ticket.

Bottom line

Lufthansa Group's Miles & More program is one of the most rewarding loyalty programs on the market. HON Circle and Senator status offer standout benefits, and its redemption rates for premium class awards are some of the best out there. However, it's also one of the hardest mileage currencies to earn, especially for those of us that are based in the U.S.

Are you a Miles & More elite member? Let us know your favorite status benefits in the comments.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Miles & More

Miles More Lufthansa Logo

Lufthansa’s Miles & More frequent flyer program allows travellers worldwide to maximize their travel experience by using miles. These can be used as currency to obtain various benefits, such as Reward tickets, upgrades and hotel stays.

Membership of the Miles & More program is free and accessible online.

Miles & More Miles Earning

Apply for a bank card.

Miles & More Miles can be earned in France with just one bank card. The Miles & More Gold Mastercard . There are many advantages, including

  • 1 Bonus Mile earned for every 2 euros spent
  • A welcome bonus of 6,000 Miles will be credited directly to your Miles account when you make your first purchase.
  • Travel Accident and Purchase Protection Insurance
  • The possibility of a renewable credit product

The first six months are free, after which the monthly fee is 12 euros. The monthly fee is pretty low for a premium card that comes with a wide range of insurances.

Here is a list of the various fees, including cash withdrawal fees and commissions charged on purchases in and outside the euro zone:

Travel with Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, SWISS or a Partner

Travel with a lufthansa group member airline.

You can earn Miles & More by flying with Lufthansa Group member airlines:

  • Austrian Airlines
  • Brussels Airlines

When you book a flight with one of these airlines, the following rules apply:

  • Miles = fare x 4 (or x 5 for members with frequent flyer status)

Ticket prices do not include upgrades and other complementary services, such as seat selection or excess baggage.

Travel With a Partner Company

You can also earn Miles & More on partner airlines outside the Lufthansa Group.

Here is the list of Lufthansa’s partner airlines:

  • Aegean Airlines
  • Air Dolomiti
  • Air New Zealand
  • All Nippon Airways
  • Asiana Airlines
  • Cathay Pacific Airways
  • Copa Airlines
  • Croatia Airlines
  • Discover Airlines
  • Ethiopian Airlines
  • Polish Airlines LOT
  • Olympic Airlines
  • Shenzhen Airlines
  • Singapore Airlines
  • South African Airways
  • TAP Portugal
  • Thai Airways
  • THAI Smile Airways
  • Turkish Airlines

If you book with a partner airline that is not a member of the Lufthansa Group, the number of Miles earned depends on the contract between Lufthansa and the partner.

The scale is generally calculated according to :

  • fixed mileage amounts; or
  • flight distance and booking class.

With the Travel Calculator , you can easily calculate how many Miles and Points you’ll earn for the trip you’re planning or for your existing booking.

Spend in the Miles & More Boutique or With Partners

In addition to airlines, Miles & More partners with hotels, car rental agencies and more.

Partner Hotels

Miles & More has many hotel partners. Depending on the contract, a traveller can earn up to :

  • 1 Mile per USD spent
  • 2 Miles per USD spent
  • 250 Miles per night
  • 1,000 Miles per night
  • 500 Miles per stay

Here is the list of all Miles & More hotel partners:

  • Althoff COLLECTION
  • Best Western Hotels & Resorts
  • Booking.com
  • H- Hotels.com
  • HRS – Das Hotelportal
  • Hyatt Hotels
  • IHG ® Hotels & Resorts
  • Leonardo Hotels
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • Meliá Hotels International
  • Rocco Forte Hotels
  • Romantik Hotels & Restaurants
  • Vienna House Easy
  • WorldHotels
  • Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

You can also earn Miles & More when you rent a car from one of these agencies:

  • Airport Driver

Lufthansa Worldshop

Lufthansa offers a shopping portal with Miles & More for every purchase from partners such as Apple, FALKE, JBL, Samsonite, travelite and WMF.

It works in a similar way to other online shopping portals: you log in to the portal, choose the merchant you’re interested in and click on the corresponding link. Here, one euro spent equals 1 Mile.

Using Miles Miles & More

Having explored the Miles & More collection process, let’s now turn our attention to the redemption phase. There are many possibilities, from Reward tickets to upgrades, from stays at partner hotels to items offered in the Worldshop . However, redeeming Miles in the Worldshop is rarely the best use of your points.

The editors recommend using Miles & More Miles for flights. Although this approach is more complex than buying an item in the Worldshop, the added value is considerably higher.

Buy Reward Tickets

Unlike Air France ‘s Flying Blue program, which has no fixed price scale, the Miles & More program follows a specific scale to establish the prices of the various Reward tickets. This is valid for Lufthansa Group airlines, Star Alliance member airlines and Miles & More partner airlines.

Here is the scale for flights departing from Europe:

Business Reward tickets are only valid for flights with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover and SWISS. In contrast, First Reward tickets are only available to HON Circle members and Senators.

For a flight from Paris to Montreal with Air Canada (a Star Alliance member), for example, a round-trip Reward ticket in Economy costs 40,000 Miles & More. To fly in the Business cabin, you must board a Lufthansa aircraft, with a stopover in Munich or Frankfurt.

Take Advantage of Offers on Prime Tickets

Miles & More offers three types of Reward tickets at discount prices:

  • Early Bird Reward tickets
  • Reward Tickets Bargains
  • Fly Smart Reward Tickets

With these Reward tickets, you can book flights with reduced mileage amounts, whether you’re searching at the last minute or planning well in advance.

Promo Reward tickets are non-cancellable and non-exchangeable, while regular Reward tickets benefit from highly flexible pricing conditions.

Early Bird Reward tickets entitle you to a discount of up to 65% on the number of miles required when you book your Economy Class tickets with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines or SWISS more than 30 days in advance.

Only flights departing from Frankfurt, Geneva , Munich , Vienna or Zurich are eligible for the Early Bird fare. Flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle are not eligible.

Bonnes Affaires Reward tickets are the equivalent of Promo Reward tickets in Air France ‘s Flying Blue program.

Every month, Miles & More publishes monthly offers enabling you to save up to 50% on the miles required for travel to certain destinations in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class cabins.

Prime Fly Smart tickets allow you to save up to 50% Miles when you travel at the last minute, up to two weeks after purchase and no later than two days.

Fly Smart reward tickets save 15,000 reward miles on round-trip flights within Europe. In fact, only 20,000 Miles are required instead of the usual 35,000 Miles.

However, certain restrictive conditions apply. A minimum stay of 7 days is required for all Prime Fly Smart tickets exchanged for long-haul flights and, for intra-European Prime Fly Smart flights, the return flight cannot be made before the first Sunday following the outbound flight.

Miles & More Bylaws

Since 2024, the Miles & More program has had four status levels:

Frequent Traveller

Member of the hon circle, how do i get it.

To move up in the Miles & More program, it is essential to accumulate Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points, particularly by flying on an eligible flight with Lufthansa and partner airlines.

The number of Points earned depends on two factors:

  • The travel class
  • Type of flight: continental or intercontinental

For a flight from Geneva to Bangkok in the Business cabin with SWISS, for example, you’ll receive 200 Points, 200 Qualifying Points and 200 HON Circle Points.

To become a status holder, you need to accumulate a certain number of points and Qualifying Points during the qualification period.

  • Frequent Traveller: 650 Points and 325 Qualifying Points
  • Senator: 2,000 Points and 1,000 Qualifying Points
  • HON Circle Member: 6,000 HON Circle Points

The qualification period is one calendar year for all status levels. So, if you obtain or renew your status, it will be valid immediately and will expire at the end of February of the following year. For example, if you reach a new status level in August 2024, it will be valid until the end of February 2026.

What Are the Advantages?

Of course, as with all loyalty programs, the higher the status, the greater the benefits.

Frequent Travellers are entitled to the following benefits:

  • Access to Business lounges
  • Extra luggage

In addition to all the benefits listed above, Senators are entitled to :

  • Two eVouchers (upgrade vouchers) when status is obtained and each time it is renewed
  • Free advance seat reservations
  • Access to Senator and Star Gold lounges

In addition to all the benefits listed above, HON Circle members are entitled to :

  • Four eVouchers (upgrade vouchers) on obtaining status and on each renewal
  • Access to the Lufthansa First Class, SWISS First and Austrian HON Circle Lounge, as well as the Lufthansa First Class Terminal lounge in Frankfurt.

Further Information

How does miles and more work.

Miles and More allows travellers to earn Miles when flying with Lufthansa member airlines or program partners or when using the Miles and More Gold Mastercard.

What are the advantages of Miles and More?

Miles and More benefits include the ability to redeem miles for Reward tickets, upgrades, hotel stays, and other items in the Worldshop. Program members can also access exclusive offers and additional benefits depending on their status.

How can I use my Miles and More Miles?

Miles can be used to purchase Reward tickets, significantly reducing or even eliminating the cost of air travel. They can also be exchanged for upgrades, stays at partner hotels or even the purchase of items in the Worldshop.

How do I redeem Miles and More Miles?

Miles and More Miles are exchanged mainly via the program’s website. Members can access their account online, view their Miles balance, and choose from a range of reward options, such as booking Reward tickets, upgrades or hotel stays.

Who are Miles and More's partners?

Miles & More has 74 partners. These include airlines, hotel chains, car rental companies and shopping chains.

Which airlines are part of Miles & More?

Miles & More has 37 partner airlines. These include airlines belonging to the Lufthansa group, Miles & More partner airlines and Star Alliance member airlines.

What is the Miles and More Gold Mastercard?

The Miles and More Gold Mastercard enables cardholders to earn Miles when they make purchases. It also offers benefits such as travel accident insurance, a purchase guarantee, and months of free membership.

How can I contact Miles and More?

There are two ways to get in touch with Miles & More Customer Service: via the contact form or by telephone weekdays from 8:30 a.m. on +33 1 70 48 91 66 (0.34 euro/minute).

What do our users think of Miles and More?

User reviews on Miles and More are generally positive, praising the varied benefits such as Reward tickets and upgrades. Despite some criticism regarding the availability of rewards, the majority of members appreciate the opportunities offered by the program to maximize their travel experience.

  • Credit cards
  • View all credit cards
  • Banking guide
  • Loans guide
  • Insurance guide
  • Personal finance
  • View all personal finance
  • Small business
  • Small business guide
  • View all taxes

You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners .

A Points Collector’s Guide to Lufthansa Miles & More Loyalty Program

June Casagrande

June is a freelance writer and the author of “The Joy of Syntax" and “The Best Punctuation Book, Period.” A former staff writer, reporter and editor for the community news division of the Los Angeles Times, she also writes the weekly syndicated “A Word, Please” column that runs in newspapers in five states.

Meg Lee

Megan Lee joined the travel rewards team at NerdWallet with over 12 years of SEO, writing and content development experience, primarily in international education and nonprofit work. She has been published in U.S. News & World Report, USA Today and elsewhere, and has spoken at conferences like that of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Megan has built and directed remote content teams and editorial strategies for websites like GoAbroad and Go Overseas. When not traveling, Megan adventures around her Midwest home base where she likes to attend theme parties, ride her bike and cook Asian food.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Table of Contents

How to earn Lufthansa Miles & More miles

How to redeem lufthansa miles, lufthansa’s elite status program, what it's like flying on lufthansa airlines, using the lufthansa airlines app, lufthansa’s miles & more, recapped.

As Europe’s second-largest airline, Lufthansa and its subsidiaries own around 700 aircraft and partner with dozens of other airlines that can get you almost anywhere in the world — including in the well-regarded Lufthansa business class.

Whether you're flying to Germany or elsewhere in Europe (or even somewhere else in the world with a stopover in Europe) — and you want to go there for free, you should sign up for Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program . There, you'll collect miles — and joining won't cost you anything aside from handing over your name and a few other personal details such as your email address.

And because Lufthansa is also part of the Star Alliance (which includes major airlines like United Airlines), you can earn and redeem miles through other Star Alliance members for Lufthansa flights or on those partner airlines too. Some elite status benefits carry over.

So if your goal is elite status, free trips to Europe, or both, here’s what a strategic points collector needs to know and understand about Lufthansa Airlines and its loyalty program, Miles & More.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Photo courtesy of Lufthansa.

Flying Lufthansa

Once you join Miles & More, you’ll earn points every time you fly Lufthansa — just supply your member number when you book your flight.

So how many Lufthansa miles do you earn per flight? Figuring out the number of miles you’ll earn for your flight can be a little complicated. Depending on how you booked, you might earn miles based on the amount you paid for your ticket or how far you flew and in what class of service.

If you book a flight on Lufthansa through Lufthansa’s own website, it will tell you how many miles you’ll earn for every euro you pay for your ticket. Then, you’ll have to calculate the total number of miles yourself.

The easiest way to know how many miles you earn per Lufthansa flight is by using the animated calculator on Lufthansa’s website . Answer a few questions about your flight, and the Lufthansa mileage calculator tells you the method Lufthansa will use to pay you miles. Annoyingly for English speakers, the calculator is in German. But there are enough photos that should make the translation easy enough to figure out.

If your German translation skills aren't up for the task, there's also a more basic version of the mileage calculator on Lufthansa's Miles & More app, which is available from the App Store or Google Play.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

The Lufthansa app has a basic version of its mileage calculator. Photo courtesy of Lufthansa.

Flying partner airlines

You can also earn Lufthansa miles by flying any of its nearly 40 partner airlines, including all 26 Star Alliance members like United , ANA , Turkish Airlines , Air Canada , Singapore Airlines , Brussels Airlines and Egyptair.

To earn Lufthansa miles when flying a partner, provide your Lufthansa Miles & More member number when you're booking. Lufthansa calls your member number a “service number.” This ID can be accessed via your digital service card in the Miles & More App.

If you forget to enter your Miles & More membership number when you book your partner flight, you can also show your digital service card during check-in at the airport to get credited with Lufthansa miles.

» Learn more: Your guide to the Star Alliance

Booking hotels and rental cars

Lufthansa's hotel partners include Hilton Honors , Best Western , IHG and Marriott .

To earn Lufthansa miles through hotel stays at those brands and dozes other, head to the Miles & More website . Select “Earn miles” then navigate to “Hotels.” There, you’ll see multiple ways to earn miles through lodging. After being redirected to a booking engine, log in with your Lufthansa service number and enter your dates and destination. You'll then see the cost of different hotel rooms and how many Lufthansa miles you’ll earn if you book.

Some offers apply to specific hotel groups, like a chance to earn 2 miles per dollar at Holiday Inns or 1,500 miles when staying at Best Westerns.

Rental cars work the same way. Just browse the Earn Miles section of the Miles & More website to see all the ways to earn miles by renting cars. Lufthansa rental car partners include Hertz and Europcar.

You’ll find the widest selection of miles-earning hotels by clicking through to Hotels & Cars by Points.

Spending on a Lufthansa Miles & More Credit Card

Barclaycard Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®

The fastest way to start building a stash of miles is with the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® , issued by Barclays. The card offers a tidy welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in purchases and pay the annual fee, both within the first 90 days. After that, you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar for every purchase from Lufthansa or affiliated airlines and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.

After your first purchase with the card, you’ll get a companion ticket that covers the price of airfare (less taxes and fees) for another person accompanying you on an economy class flight on Lufthansa. Then, every account anniversary, you’ll get two passes to Lufthansa Business Lounges, plus another companion ticket.

A few other easy ways to earn Lufthansa miles

Download the Miles & More app: The first time you log in, you’ll get a welcome of 500 bonus miles

Earn miles with books & subscriptions: Get smarter and earn points when you subscribe to the Economist.

Notable ways Lufthansa miles can’t be earned

Unlike other airline frequent flyer programs, there are a few usually-standard ways to earn airline miles that don't apply to Lufthansa.

No other points or miles transfer to Lufthansa. A big drawback of the Lufthansa Miles & More program is that you can’t build up your points balance by converting points from other major programs into Lufthansa miles. This is a rare downside. Many other airlines partner with American Express , Chase or Citi — or with a hotel group like Marriott or Hilton — to let you convert their points into miles or vice versa. No such luck if you’re looking to convert points into Lufthansa miles.

You can’t buy Miles & More miles. With most airlines, if you have almost enough miles for a flight, you can just buy more. Not so with Lufthansa. So if you can’t fly enough, use a credit card enough or stay enough nights in hotels, you’re almost out of ways to get Lufthansa miles.

The number of Miles & More miles you need to book a flight depends on where you’re going and when.

Fly Lufthansa

If you’re flying Lufthansa, you can see in advance how many miles you’ll need by using its handy award calculator .

Select “Spend miles” then enter your trip details.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

You’ll then see how many miles you’ll need for the flight in economy, business or first class, one way or round trip. Scroll down a little farther and you’ll see how many miles you need to upgrade to business or first class .

Fly a partner airline

It’s even easier to use your Lufthansa miles to fly a partner airline, as Lufthansa publishes a chart showing exactly how many miles you need to get where you’re going.

For example, if you’re in North America and want to fly to India on one of Lufthansa’s partners, just follow the chart to see you’ll need 100,000 miles for a round trip in economy, 192,000 miles for the same route in business class or 302,000 in first class.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Use Lufthansa miles to pay fees for some European award flights

Fees, taxes and surcharges on otherwise “free” award flights are famously frustrating and sometimes expensive. Usually, there’s no way around them, but if you’re flying a Lufthansa award flight within Europe and have an extra 15,000 miles, you can use them instead of cash to pay all fees and surcharges. Just add 15,000 miles to the award price of your ticket and you’ll pay $0 out of pocket for the flight.

Because fees and taxes can vary, so can the value of this points redemption option. But when the out-of-pocket costs for your flight are high, this could be a welcome benefit.

Other ways to redeem Lufthansa miles

Hotel stays: At the Hotels & Cars by Points website, you can search for hotels all over the world that you can book with Lufthansa miles.

Rental cars: Also at the Hotels & Cars by Points website, search for rental cars you can pay for with miles.

Gift cards: Trade miles for gift cards from three dozen big-name merchants including Target, Walmart, Starbucks and Gap, with some starting at 3,000 Miles & More miles.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Miles & More members can attain elite status at one of three levels, depending how much you fly the airline.

The three elite status tiers of Miles & More are:

Frequent Traveller: Accumulate 35,000 status miles or fly 30 segments in a year.

Senator: Accumulate 100,000 status miles in a calendar year.

HON Circle: Accumulate 600,000 HON Circle miles over the course of two years.

At every level, you enjoy perks like more miles earned for every qualifying flight, but more perks pile on as you climb the status ladder. Here's what you need to know about each tier of Lufthansa elite status:

Lufthansa Frequent Traveller status

How to earn Lufthansa Frequent Traveller status: Accumulate 35,000 status miles or fly 30 segments in a year.

Top benefits:

Business-class check-in.

Access to the Business Lounge.

Higher baggage allowance.

Miles don’t expire.

You’ll also earn higher waiting list priority, Star Alliance Silver Status and access to a service hotline.

Lufthansa Senator status

How to earn Lufthansa Senator status: Accumulate 100,000 status miles.

Top benefits (in addition to all of the Frequent Traveller benefits):

First-class check-in.

Access to Senator Lounges and Star Alliance Gold Lounges.

Two upgrade vouchers.

Senators likewise have access to booking guarantees up to 48 hours before departure, mileage advances, Star Alliance Gold status, increased flight award availability and higher waiting list priority.

Lufthansa HON Circle

How to earn Lufthansa HON Circle status: Accumulate 600,000 HON Circle miles over the course of two years.

Top benefits (in addition to all of the Senator benefits):

Access to First Class Lounges and First Class Terminals.

Limousine transfer service.

Free Senator status for your spouse or partner.

Six upgrade vouchers.

Members also receive 50% reduction on flight awards for your companion, a 24-hour service line in selected markets, booking guarantees up to 24 hours before departure, the highest waiting-list priority and the best flight award availability.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

A Lufthansa first class cabin. Photo courtesy of Lufthansa.

Lufthansa is generally considered one of the higher-end airlines out there.

The four Lufthansa cabins

When you fly Lufthansa, you have four types of cabin options, which are:

Lufthansa economy.

Lufthansa premium economy.

Lufthansa business class.

Lufthansa first class.

Even in economy class, passengers are served a 3-course meal. On long-haul flights, the wide seat cushions measure over 40 cm, headrests are adjustable and there are seat back screens with complimentary entertainment. And as you progress in fare type up to first class, the amenities increase.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Lufthansa first class passengers get valet parking service for rental or private cars at the Frankfurt and Munich airports, a personal assistant and — depending on your flight — first Class limousine service for routes boarding at Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Geneva or Vienna. Passengers in first class also get lounge access.

Lufthansa fare types

Within the service class you book comes different vary options. Within those cabin classes, fare types include iterations of "Classic," "Flex" and "Saver," which function pretty much as they sound. Saver fares can be cheaper but have more limitations than, say, Flex fares.

Generally speaking, the cheapest Lufthansa fare type is Economy Basic. While it allows you to rebook without a fee, you'll owe the fare difference if your new flight is more expensive. Refunds are not possible.

For more flexibility, opt for Economy Flex, which allows for refunds without a fee (as is common with many other airlines).

Green fares: If you want to pay a little more in an effort to help the environment, you can opt for a Green Fare. When you book one of these (more expensive) fares, Lufthansa promises that it will reduce 20% of flight-related CO emissions by the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and offset the remaining 80% of the CO emissions by an equivalent contribution to climate protection projects. 

Green Fares are not booked as extras, but rather are independent and directly bookable fares alongside the other fare types. When you book Economy Green and Business Green fares, you get the same exact benefits of the Economy Classic or Business Saver fare, but with more flexible rebooking options and an extra 20% status and award miles on European routes.

Europe fares: Lufthansa also sells “Europe fares” for flights operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS within Europe. These fares offer three levels of economy-class fares (light, classic or flex) and are designed to allow customers to only pay for the services they want to use.

Places where Lufthansa flies

Lufthansa is the flag carrier of Germany, with corporate headquarters in Cologne. Lufthansa serves nearly 80 countries, and within them it serves more than 200 destinations (about two dozen of which are in the U.S.).

U.S. routes: Lufthansa flies into about two dozen U.S. airports that span the entire country. Beyond New York-JFK and Los Angeles (LAX), you can also fly Lufthansa from smaller cities like Tampa (TPA) and Charlotte (CLT).

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

When flying Lufthansa, it can be helpful to download the Lufthansa app, which is available from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

You can use it to book (or adjust reservations), to get real-time updates on your flight, and to receive offers. Its got virtual check-in features to help you avoid lines at the airport.

There's also a digital wallet inside, making it easier for inflight purchases.

Of course, use it to scan your Lufthansa boarding pass, and avoid the need to worry about a paper boarding pass.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Lufthansa’s Miles & More frequent flyer program is not without its pitfalls. The fact that you can’t get miles by transferring any other currency is rare and, for some travelers, renders the whole loyalty program useless.

But if you travel Lufthansa or any of its nearly 40 partners regularly, signing up for Miles & More lets you earn miles redeemable for flights anywhere Lufthansa or its partners fly. You can also use the miles to pay for hotels, rental cars or even gift cards.

If you're deciding whether or not Lufthansa's loyalty program is right for you, look at the partner redemption chart to see how many miles you'll need to get where you want to go, or use the tool to look up long-haul flights in Lufthansa business or first class. Then, consider the ways you could earn enough miles by signing up for the credit card, flying, staying in hotels or renting cars. If your earning potential outweighs the cost of the flight in miles, joining this loyalty program can make a lot of sense.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

One of Lufthansa's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Photo courtesy of Lufthansa.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Simple Flying

Lufthansa miles & more: what are the hidden perks.

Here's a look at some of the advantages of holding status with Miles and More.

The Different Ways To Spend Lufthansa Miles & More Points

Miles & more.

After covering earning miles, spending miles, and the different status tiers, we arrive at the final installment of our Miles & More directory: the hidden perks. Indeed, the program makes sure that its members have some of the best benefits when it comes to their own flights and those in the Lufthansa Group. Here's what you need to know.

First class and other award inventory

There's nothing like redeeming your miles for a journey in Lufthansa or SWISS ' first class cabins. However, the airline is a bit restrictive in opening award tickets to its partners, doing so only 15 days to a month in advance. Miles & More members don't get that treatment though, they can book first class the minute bookings open, which is one year in advance.

Members also pay a fairly reasonable rate of 90,000 miles one-way from Europe to North America, although there are some high taxes attached as well. You can read more about the miles needed for every award in our spending guide here .

From a private terminal to first class lounges to chauffeur transfers to your aircraft, first class on Lufthansa is an experience all frequent flyers want to tick off at least once, and with Miles & More, you have the chance to do so a lot faster.

Lounge access from Silver onward

To access lounges in the Star Alliance, you'll need Gold status with any one member. However, Lufthansa allows it's Silver/Frequent Traveller members to access business class lounges operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, LOT Polish, Austrian, and select Star Alliance partners as well, as long as you flying with Lufthansa Group airline or a Miles & More affiliate like LOT.

This can be a huge benefit for those who frequently travel in economy or premium economy and getting to Frequent Traveller isn't too hard with a few full-fare tickets on long-haul flights.

Find out more about points and miles with our loyalty guides here.

Take advantage of the regional map

Miles & More's regional chart means there are plenty of 'sweet spot' redemptions. For instance, you could fly United's valuable transcontinental routes in Polaris business class for just 30,000 points one-way since it's within North America. Think New York to San Francisco or Toronto to Vancouver on Air Canada, all with less than $50 in taxes.

Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.

Similarly, you can get from Hawaii to the Far East (Japan, China, and South Korea) in business for just 35,000 miles in business class one-way. Or, you can experience a long-haul trip from North America to Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) for just 71,000 points in business class one-way.

Two year status

One unique fact about the Miles & More program is that it is one of the only major programs to award status for two full years, starting the day you qualify. So instead of comparing the requirements to other loyalty schemes, see how much you would need to earn for two years with that program, and Miles & More might start to make more sense quickly.

What other perks have you found with Lufthansa's Miles & More? Let us know in the comments!

the Luxury Travel Expert

  • [ June 26, 2024 ] Review: seaplane transfer to Cheval Blanc Randheli Maldives Flight reviews
  • [ June 24, 2024 ] Top 10 most expensive hotel rooms in the world Top 10 lists
  • [ June 21, 2024 ] Travel news: this month (June 2024) in luxury travel Uncategorized
  • [ June 17, 2024 ] Top 10 most beautiful islands in the world Uncategorized
  • [ June 14, 2024 ] Tips for booking & saving money at One&Only Resorts Uncategorized

Review of Miles&More, the frequent flyer program of Lufthansa

Friday  newsletters  always feature luxury travel  contests ,  tips ,  series , or  news .

Today (May 11, 2018): Review of Miles&More, Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program.

Miles&More is the frequent flyer program used by the airlines of the Lufthansa group (Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and Eurowings) as well as by a few other carriers such as LOT Polish Airlines, Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines, Luxair, and Condor. The program was launched in 1993 and is now the largest frequent flyer loyalty scheme in Europe with more than 30 million members. Passengers earn miles on all Star Alliance airlines as well as several other airlines and non-airline partners. The program has introduced several devaluations over the past years (hence why it is often nicknamed More&Less) and became revenue based in March 2018.

Miles&More features in my top 10 list of the  best frequent flyer programs to join in 2018 .

What is your opinion   about Miles&More? Leave a comment below.

In this overview, I explain the Miles&More program and how to benefit from it:

  • Miles&More elite levels
  • How to earn Miles&More miles in the air
  • How the earn Miles&More miles on the ground
  • How to spend Miles&More miles (and travel for free)
  • Best and worst Miles&More redemptions
  • Pros & things I like about Miles&More
  • Cons & things I don’t like about Miles&More
  • Poll: what’s the world’s best frequent flyer program?

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

1. MILES&MORE ELITE LEVELS

There are three elite levels that you can work your way up to in the Miles&More loyalty program. Frequent Traveller is the first level; Senator the second level; and HON Circle Member is the top-level. Each level has benefits and as you move from Frequent Traveller to Senator and finally HON Circle Member, these benefits become more valuable. Membership level is determined by either the number of miles you earn or the number of flights you take during a calendar year.

  • Up to 50% more award miles and 25% more status miles
  • Award miles do not expire
  • Priority (Business Class) check-in
  • Additional free luggage allowance
  • Access to an exclusive reservation service
  • Access to Star Alliance Business Class lounges
  • Priority (First Class) check-in and baggage drop-off
  • Access to Senator and Star Gold Class lounges
  • Two upgrade vouchers on attainment of status and every time status is extended
  • Booking guarantee up to 48 hours before departure
  • Priority baggage handling
  • Improved flight award booking availability
  • Companion award  (50% off regular miles) when flying airlines of the Lufthansa Group
  • Senator Premium Award (150% of regular miles) as long as seats are available
  • Access to Star Alliance First Class lounges
  • Access to Lufthansa’s exclusive First Class Terminal in Frankfurt
  • Six upgrade vouchers on attainment of status and every time status is extended
  • Booking guarantee up to 24 hours before departure
  • Companion award (50% off regular miles) when flying airlines of the Lufthansa Group
  • Limousine and transfer service
  • Personal assistance
  • Senator partner card for spouse or partner

2. HOW TO EARN MILES&MORE MILES IN THE AIR

There are two different types of miles that you can earn with Miles&More:

  • Status miles  determine your status
  • Award redeemable miles can be exchanged for a variety of rewards

Status miles  can be earned on flights operated by the Lufthansa Group and its Star Alliance partner. The only purpose of these miles is to determine your eligibility for Miles&More elite status during a given calendar year (cf supra). The status miles you collect during a calendar year become invalid the next year (except for HON Circle Membership, which is determined on the miles flown over a two year period) and cannot be redeemed for any sort of rewards. For flights within Europe, fixed mileage amounts apply to the individual booking classes. For worldwide flights the booking class and the distance miles covered are the decisive factors. For example, the following number of elite qualifying miles is earned on Lufthansa operated flights (check  here  what you earn on flights operated by other airlines):

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Award redeemable miles  are earned in addition to status miles on flights operated by airlines of the Lufthansa Group, Star Alliance, and a few other airline partners. The more you spend, and the higher your elite status, the more award redeemable miles you will earn, which can be exchanged for a wide variety of great rewards (more on that below). Depending upon how you booked, there are two different ways that award miles are calculated: either according to the fare (for airlines of the Lufthansa group) or according to the distance flown and the booking class (for all other airlines).

  • If you are a Miles & More member, but not a Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle Member, miles are always multiplied by a factor of 4.
  • For Miles&More members with frequent flyer status, the criterion is which airline operates the flight.  If the flight is operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, LOT Polish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Adria Airways or Air Dolomiti, the factor is 6; for Eurowings and Brussels Airlines and for all other Miles & More partner airlines, the factor is 5.
  • Award miles on European flights = flat rate according to booking class.
  • Award miles on intercontinental flights = booking class x distance flown.

Miles&More is a great frequent flyer program because it allows you to earn (and also spend) miles with a lot of partner airlines. Status and award miles can be earned on all 27 airlines of Star Alliance which all enjoy high-flying reputations for quality service. These carriers include:

  • Aegean Airlines
  • Air New Zealand
  • All Nippon Airways
  • Asiana Airlines
  • Austrian Airlines
  • Avianca/TACA Airlines
  • Brussels Airlines
  • Copa Airlines
  • Croatia Airlines
  • Ethiopian Airlines
  • LOT Polish Airlines
  • Shenzhen Airlines
  • Singapore Airlines
  • South African Airways
  • Swiss International Air Lines
  • TAP Portugal
  • Thai Airways International
  • Turkish Airlines
  • United Airlines

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

In addition, award redeemable miles (but not status miles) can also be earned by traveling on several non-SkyTeam alliance airlines with whom Miles&More partners. These airlines include:

  • Cathay Pacific

3. EARNING MILES&MORE MILES ON THE GROUND

The possibilities to earn award redeemable miles and boost your account are endless within the Miles& More program, even when not flying, by making use of its many partners:

  • Each time you stay in a  hotel which partners with Miles&More , you can earn miles. Miles& More partners with almost all big hotel chains, and a stay at a hotel will mostly earn you around 500 to 1000 miles (at least 250 award miles per stay or 1-2 award miles per Euro spent). All you need to do is present your Miles&More membership number at check-in. In addition, you can also book hotels online via the Miles&More website with a choice from more than 300,000 hotels worldwide from three stars and up, and this can rack up your account since you will earn at least 1000 miles for every overnight stay.
  • Several hotel loyalty programs allow you to convert your hotel points into Miles&More miles. These programs include Best Western Rewards, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guests (you can read my reviews with pros and cons of most of these hotel loyalty programs  here ). Starwood Preferred Guest – the loyalty program of Starwood Hotels – has the best conversion program as it allows you to convert Starpoints to Miles&More award redeemable miles on a 1:1 basis, including a 5000 conversion bonus when you convert 20,000 Starpoints.
  • Miles&More members earn award redeemable miles every time they rent a car with one of the  major car rental companies , including Alamo, Herz, Avis, Budget, Sixt, Driving Blue, Thrifty, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Europcar. The exact number of miles you earn for a car rental depends on the company and ranges from 50 to 500 miles per day. Miles&More offers often promos where you’ll earn bonus miles when renting a car.
  • Online shopping is a great way to earn Miles&More miles. In the Lufthansa WorldShop  you find a large selection of products, such as suitcases, bags and rucksacks for every occasion and travel accessories bearing the ‘Lufthansa crane’ logo, as well as digital cameras and jewellery. For every euro you spend in the WorldShop you will be credited with one award mile. And if you pay with your Lufthansa Miles & More credit card (more on that below), you will earn 3 miles for every euro you spend.
  • Members earn 1 award redeemable miles for every Euro spent on tax-free shopping onboard a Lufthansa flight. The miles you earn will be credited to your account automatically after the flight. You can make your purchases conveniently with Miles & More award miles, pay in euros or combine both payment methods via ‘mixed payment’. With the Pre-flight Shopping Service , you can even conveniently pre-order the complete Lufthansa in-flight shopping range with exclusive product collections and special editions online for your flight. This is possible up to two days before take-off.
  • Besides Lufthansa’s online shopping portal WorldShop and the Pre-flight Shopping Service, the program partners with several other shopping partners to boost your account, such as the Bayern Munich souvenir shop, Anson’s (Germany’s biggest menswear), and Blacksocks (which sells socks, underwear and shirts). For a list of all shopping possibilities, click here .
  • Members earn award redeemable miles when they subcrsibe for one or more of over 300 newspapers & magazines. In addition, they enjoy a discount on in-store prices. The number of miles you earn depends on the newspaper or magazine (find here all information).
  • Miles&More members also earn miles when they book an excursion via GetYourGuide , the world’s largest online booking platform for tours, attractions and activities. Here you have a selection from over 30,800 activities and adventures all over the world, from tasting delicious tapas in Spain to experience the colourful coral reefs of Queensland while snorkelling. For every booking with GetYourGuide you earn   four miles on every Euro you spend.
  • Miles&More partners with kreuzfahrten.de . With about 650 ships sailing worldwide and 200,000 cruises, kreuzfahrten.de is one of the most comprehensive cruise websites in the world. You will receive one award mile for every euro you spend on booking a cruise.
  • One of the fastest ways to earn Miles&More miles is by using a  Miles&More co-branded credit card . These credit cards also offer a considerable amount of bonus miles upon your first purchase. For example, currently, a Master card is available to USA customers, that can earn them 20,000 award miles after a first purchase and payment of the annual fee, then an additional 30,000 award miles after a spent of $5,000 USD on purchases in the first 90 days, one award miles per $1 USD spent on all other purchases, two complimentary Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers and a companion ticket after each account anniversary.

4. HOW TO SPEND MILES&MORE MILES ON FREE TRAVEL

The best way to spend your Miles&More miles is to redeem your miles for free flights on airlines of the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and Eurowings) or one of its (Star Alliance) partner airlines to more than 1,000 destinations worldwide. The number of miles you’ll need depends on your destination, travel class and the flexibility of your travel dates. Currently, there are four different types of award tickets.

  • Mileage Bargains  are a special selection of destinations that are offered for a reduced number of miles and that can be booked as early as three months ahead of the travel period. You can save between 20 and 50% on the miles you would normally need for a Classic Award. Make sure to check the Mileage Bargains  regularly, because the list of destinations is updated every month and availability is limited.
  • Regular Awards  are flight tickets that can be booked for flights with Lufthansa and any of their airline partners to all destinations in exchange for award miles. You can find the required number of miles in the  Miles&More online calculator . Of course, you’ll spend fewer miles for an Economy Class ticket than for a ticket in Business Class. It is possible to combine several flights and airline partners on the same ticket provided that the transfer time between the flights is shorter than 24 hours. Regular Awards may be cancelled or modified for a fee of € 50.
  • Fly Smart Awards  can be booked online between a maximum of two weeks and a minimum of two working days before departure. This can save you up to 50% of the award miles normally needed for a flight award. In the case of bookings made (tickets issued) for return flights within Europe, you save 15,000 award miles (20,000 instead of 35,000 award miles). Fly Smart flight awards in Economy and Business Class can only be booked online, and Business Class Fly Smart Awards are only avialable for flights within Europe.
  • The Star Alliance Round the World Flight Award makes it possible to fly the whole way round the globe. A Round the World Flight Award ticket includes one Atlantic and one Pacific crossing with a maximum of ten flight segments (maximum of nine connecting flights). There must be an interval of at least ten days between the start of the first intercontinental flight and the start of the last intercontinental flight, and a maximum of seven stopovers is allowed. This flight award can only be booked on the phone, and wil cost you 180,000 miles For Economy class, 325,000 miles for Business Class, and 480,000 miles for First Class.

Besides redeeming them for free flights, there are several other ways to redeem your hard-earned Miles&More miles:

  • You can book your upgrade with miles to a higher service class online, directly at the check-in desk or via your local Miles & More Team. The number of miles needed to upgrade your next flight depends on the airline (operating carrier). You can find the mileage amounts and further information on upgrade awards from Star Alliance partners in the  Star Alliance upgrade awards chart .
  • HotSpot Pass Sky 1h: €9 or 3,000 miles
  • HotSpot Pass Sky 4h: €14 or 4,500 miles
  • HotSpot Pass Sky Full Flight (up to 24h): €17 or 5.500 miles
  • Miles&More members can spend their award miles on a  hotel stay  at over 300,000 properties, independent boutiques and all-inclusive resorts with  Miles&More Hotels . How does it work? It’s easy: log in to your Miles&More account, select your destination and you will be offered thousands of hotels at great prices. If you use the payment option ‘Cash & Miles’, you can book your next holiday at discounted rates using your miles.
  • Car rentals can be booked using your Miles&More miles. All information about renting a car with your miles can be found here .
  • You cannot only earn miles with cruise holidays, but also redeem your miles for a free cruise  with kreuzfahrten.de. You can choose your dream cruise from around 20,000 trips on around 650 ships and conveniently redeem award miles.
  • Members can spend their award miles for  online shopping  when they buy items from the online  Lufthansa WorldShop .
  • Miles&More members can exchange their miles for  newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, medicines, cosmetics, excursions, and tours . For a list of all shopping possibilities, click here .
  • Miles&More miles can also be used to purchase a gift card that can be used by yourself or a friend for a discount when making a purchase with one of the program’s several partners, such as Spotify, Ticketmaster and Ikea to name a few. You can find a list of all partners for which a gift card can be used here .
  • You can  donate your miles  to  charities  to make the world a better place and help people in need.

5. BEST AND WORST MILES&MORE REDEMPTIONS 

The best way to spend your Miles&More miles is on the recurring mileage bargain promotions, which allow you to book heavily discounted award tickets to a different set of destinations each month.

In addition, Miles&More has a few sweet spots on its award chart :

  • You can fly from any departure point in Europe to Central Africa (e.g. Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda) for 20,000 miles in Economy Class or – even better – 35,000 miles in Business Class (one way).
  • The Lufthansa award chart defines Australia, New Zealand and Oceania as one region, meaning that one-way awards from Australia or New Zealand to, say, Fiji or Tahiti are up for grabs for 15,000 miles one-way in Economy Class or 22,500 Business Class.
  • You can fly from Hawaii to Central Asia, the Far East, Oceania, Australia or New Zealand for 20,000 miles in Economy Class or 35,000 miles in Business Class (one way). These are often flights of more than 8 hours and there are plenty of Star Alliance options from Hawaii to these regions, consider ANA or United from Hawaii to Japan; Asiana to Korea; Air China to China; Air New Zealand to New Zealand or Australia.

6. PROS & THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MILES&MORE

  • Being the largest frequent flyer program in Europe, Miles & More offers the widest range of flights to earn or redeem miles. This includes flights operated by the Lufthansa group  (Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and Eurowings) in addition to all Star Alliance partners (Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Avianca/TACA Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines, and United Airlines). It means that you can earn and spend your miles with dozens of airlines to more than 1,000 destinations worwide.
  • The single best value of the Miles&More program is the montly release of  Mileage Bargai ns , which allow you to book last-minute award redemptions on flights operated by the Lufthansa group for 25-50% off the required miles (and availability is usually very good). Make sure to check the Mileage Bargains  regularly, because the list of destinations is updated every month and those tickets sell fast.
  • Elite status is valid for two calendar years (instead of the typical 1 year with most other airlines). Senator membership even comes with a soft landing.  So if you don’t manage to re-qualify for Senator status during those 2+ years, you’ll automatically receive an additional 2 years of Miles&More entry level status, Frequent Traveller. That’s a total of 4+ years of status.
  • When you envy an award ticket in Lufthansa’s First Class , you have the best chance to succeed in your mission when you are a member of the Miles&More program. Booking these awards is challenging when using miles with a Star Alliance partner since no space at all is released to other airlines until 15 days before departure. It’s much easier to book these tickets through Lufthansa’s own Miles & More program since there is not only more space in general but also earlier access, as much as 361 days before departure.
  • Miles&More offers a lot of credit card options, both to residents of continental Europe, the UK, and the USA. Miles don’t expire as long as you regularly use your credit card.
  • Miles & More offers mileage pooling and enables its members to earn award miles together. Up to two adults and up to five children can pool their award miles together and earn their desired awards more quickly. Miles earned together can be redeemed in equal measure by either adult for awards available in the Miles & More program, such as for flights or brand-new luggage from the Lufthansa WorldShop. This only applies for award miles. Status miles cannot be pooled.
  • Miles & More permits travelers to book two stopovers on any round trip award . This is among the most generous policies of any loyalty program and compares well with  Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan . This feature can be useful to visit multiple cities for a tour of North America, Asia or Europe on a single award ticket, spending a few days or weeks in each city before continuing the trip.
  • Miles & More allows one way rewards .
  • Miles&More offers special flight awards for children . Infants (up to the age of two years) travel with you free of charge (exceptions are taxes, fees and surcharges which you have to pay), providing they do not occupy a seat. For children aged from two to eleven years of age (up to their 12th birthday), there is a 25% reduction in the number of miles required for a standard flight award. Children’s awards are only offered on flights operated by Adria Airways, Austrian Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, Germanwings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair and SWISS. Children’s flight awards and bookings for infants can currently only be booked by telephone.
  • As a Senator or HON Circle Member, you do not need nearly as many miles to buy a flight award for your companion as a normal Miles & More member. This privilege is called the Companion Award and means that a companion can accompany you on your flight for 50% fewer miles. Fly Smart flight awards, mileage offers and child awards are excluded. Companion awards are only available on flights operated by Lufthansa, Luxair, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Adria Airways and Eurowings. Where a Companion Award is used, the HON Circle Member or Senator cardholder and the companion must travel together and the booking must be made for both persons at the same time and in the same booking class.
  • Rather than relying on award availability, HON Circle members can book any seat that’s available for sale for 150% of the normal award cost. This privilige is called the Senator Premium Award .
  • SWISS offers one of the best First Class experiences of any airline, and the airline only releases First Class award space to Miles & More Senator and HON Circle members. Usually, award availability is great.
  • The Star Alliance Round the World Flight Award , making it possible to fly the whole way round the globe on miles. A Round the World Flight Award ticket includes one Atlantic and one Pacific crossing with a maximum of ten flight segments (maximum of nine connecting flights). There must be an interval of at least ten days between the start of the first intercontinental flight and the start of the last intercontinental flight, and a maximum of seven stopovers is allowed. This flight award can only be booked on the phone, and wil cost you 180,000 miles For Economy class, 325,000 miles for Business Class, and 480,000 miles for First Class.
  • Miles & More is unique in offering  three-region awards , which allow you to visit any three regions for 100,000 miles in Economy Class or 185,000 miles in Business Class. They are a good substitute for people who want to travel a long distance but maybe aren’t interested in going around the world. Such complex tickets are normally very expensive and are one of the best ways to use frequent flyer miles. You can’t cross both the Atlantic and the Pacific ocean – if you do, then it turns into a ‘Round the World’ award (which costs more). For example, for a flight in Economy Class from North America via Europe to Asia, it would be 50,000 miles roundtrip from North America to Europe, and 80,000 miles from Europe to Southeast Asia, so 130,000 miles in total. But if you use the 3 region award chart, it is still only 100,000 miles

7. CONS & THINGS I DON’T LIKE ABOUT MILES&MORE

  • The Miles&More program is known for exorbitant fuel surcharges and taxes on the award tickets, hence why some call it Miles&Less. For example, a roundtrip longhaul Business Class ticket will cost you around 500 euros in taxes in addition to the miles.
  • Contrary to most award programs, Miles&More does not allow you to purchase miles (that option was discontinued a few years ago)
  • Miles&More is a  revenue based program , with members earning miles based on spent rather than distance flown.
  • Only Miles&More elite members can redeem miles for SWISS  First Class . SWISS First Class award seats are not made available to Miles&More Frequent Traveller members nor to frequent flyer programs of partner airlines.
  • Unlimited flight upgrades are not available for elite level members. In addition, top elite members only receive two upgrade vouchers on attainment of status and every time status is extended, which is a poor policy compared to loyalty program of USA carriers.

*** Follow me on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  Facebook  for a daily moment of travel inspiration ***

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Related Articles

review singapore airlines boeing 777 business class

Review: Singapore Airlines B777 Business Class from Singapore to Phuket

Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review […]

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Travel tip: what are the best hotel booking websites?

Friday newsletters always feature luxury travel contests, tips, series, or news […]

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Travel news: this month (June 2020) in luxury travel

Friday newsletters always feature travel contests, tips, series, or news […]

This used to be one of my favourite frequent flyer programs but of late, I think either they have fired all their customer service agents or have just lost it in terms of customer response and sensitivity. Tweets are not responded to, FB posts are not even read and emails get an automated acknowledgement with a Ticket / Incident Number, but nothing thereafter. Even the agents on phone are HELPLESS when it comes to providing any help. I have been trying to get miles for a flight I took on 27th Aug on LUFTHANSA and this flight appears on my statement as MILES ALREADY CREDITED though no miles have been credited. So much for my praise of the Miles and More programme in the past. I am afraid I am going to have to eat my words and keep lamenting about how low this has dropped to.

I have 270,000 miles saved up and tried to get two business class tickets from Portland, Oregon to Palermo , Sicily. The problem is that Portland is a very secondary city for Lufthansa. I first signed on when they were in Portland, but they left years ago.

So, the flight they gave us from Portland was United, that went to Newark. Lufthansa starts out of JFK. So we have 3 hours and 20 minutes to collect our luggage, go cross town through New York, at the start of rush hour, check in again, go through TSA. Never mind the three hour lead time requested for international flights. This was not a continuation flight. We were just on our own and good luck.

So, I purchased tickets on line, that went through Chicago and did connect at the same airport. Almost all the flying is on Lufthansa, so I thought I could upgrade. It was all in the same class, coming and going, yet they would not let me go business back home. I wrote to customer service and they said I was covered. But then calling an agent and they said no. Then I get an e-mail from Miles and More and they state no. So, I have a letter that the “team” will not honor. Screw the program. Wish I hadn’t been paying to be in it for so many years.

I am fairly new to the programme and have had only two occasions to speak to the head office regarding lost miles. On both calls I was shocked by the surly and less than friendly attitude of the operator. Much more public relationship training required here please.

Lufthansa have announced that to achieve status they are moving to a points system from 2021 and there is a loyalty contract, half of the points must be earned with a Miles and More airline. The earning level for FF is not too onerous for regular travellers, but Senator (Gold) is now such harder to achieve.

I have not yet found out what happens on a codeshare. 😜

I am extremely disappointed with Miles and More customer service. I had a substantial amount of airmiles expiring in June 2019 and was advised to apply for the credit card at a cost of £79 a year to stop this. I applied for the credit card and now notice my airmiles expire in December 2019. I’ve been told this is because I have not used the card every month. When asked where it said this on the letter accompanying the card, I was told it was in small print in terms and conditions when applying. I have been cut off three times by customer service today, experienced an extremely impolite customer service agent and as for contacting customer service in writing on their website, I have never experienced such difficulty and am still trying to successfully send a complaint letter. Customer loyalty is clearly not appreciated.

As a Belgian this is the only way to save award miles with credit cards (with a big 12000 sign up bonus lol). But the 50% deals are not bad, although you pay a lot of taxes.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

© The Luxury Travel Expert 2024

Discover more from the Luxury Travel Expert

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market.  See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our  credit card rating methodology .

14 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Lufthansa Miles & More Miles [2024]

Stephen Au's image

Former Senior Content Contributor

485 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 24 U.S. States Visited: 22

Keri Stooksbury's image

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

36 Published Articles 3304 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 47 U.S. States Visited: 28

14 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Lufthansa Miles & More Miles [2024]

Table of Contents

Earn points with the lufthansa credit card, earn miles through travel, special offers, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our  Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Lufthansa is the largest European airline, carrying more passengers than any other. It operates 15,200 connections to 205 destinations as of summer 2023.

It also has the largest European frequent flyer program called Miles & More. In addition to being partners with other Miles & More airlines, Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance.

By the time you finish this post, you will know tons of ways to earn Lufthansa Miles & More miles so you can redeem them for travel… and more!

1. Enroll in Miles & More

Enroll in the free Lufthansa Miles & More loyalty program to get started earning miles right away, with or without an affiliated credit card.

At first, you can print out a temporary card. The regular plastic card will be mailed as soon as you have earned 1 award mile with Lufthansa or another Miles & More partner.

2. Lufthansa Miles & More Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus

The Miles & More ® World Elite Mastercard ®  is affiliated with Lufthansa. Generally, there’s a decent welcome bonus of around 50,000 Miles & More miles.

3. Card Bonus Categories

Use the Lufthansa Miles & More card to earn 2 miles per $1 for purchases from integrated airline partners (AirDolomiti, Austrian Airlines Group, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair, and SWISS). All other purchases earn 1 mile per $1 spent.

Just like with other airline credit cards , the more you use the Miles & More card, the more miles you will earn. Build up your Miles & More balance quickly by using it for both monthly and unexpected expenses!

4. Book Lufthansa and Airline Partner Flights

There are 4 types of miles earned by flying Lufthansa and its partner airlines:

  • Award Miles

Status Miles

  • Executive Bonus Miles

HON Circle Miles

In this section, we are going to focus on Award Miles , but we’ll cover all of the types of miles later on.

Mileage for flights booked directly with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Eurowings, and Brussels Airlines are now based on ticket price: 4 miles per €1.

Elite status holders receive a 25% (Senator) or 50% (HON Circle) bonus on Austrian Airways, Lufthansa, SWISS, Air Canada, Air Dolomiti, All Nippon Airways, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, or United Airlines.

Elite status holders receive a 25% bonus (Senator or HON Circle) on Aegean Airlines, Air Astana, Air China, Air India, Air Malta, Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Condor, Copa Airlines, Egyptair, EVA Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, LATAM, Luxair, Olympic Air, SAS, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, and all other partner airlines not listed here.

Tickets booked through travel agents can also have this formula applied. Look to see if your ticket number starts with the following: 220 (Lufthansa), 724 (SWISS), 257 (Austrian Airlines), 082 (Brussels Airlines), or if it is from Eurowings.

Bookings through other airlines or third-party channels where the ticket number starts with other numbers earn based on fare class and flight distance.

Bookings through third-party channels or flying other airlines are earned based on the ticket number.

You’ll earn fixed mileage award miles for European flights based on each booking class. For international flights, mileage is determined by the booking class and miles traveled.

The table below shows how many miles you can earn for flights within Germany. See a complete list of miles earned for all Lufthansa flights .

Germany Domestic Flights

International european flights, worldwide flights.

Hot Tip: Looking to figure out a cost-effective way to earn Lufthansa miles? Consider short-haul international European flights. These are usually cheap tickets that can get you closer to earning miles!

5. Elite Status Bonuses

Miles and More Elite Status Tiers

Status miles determine your Elite Status level: Member, Frequent Traveller, Senator, and HON Circle Member. Each status is valid for 2 years.

Earn status miles on scheduled flights operated by Adria Airways, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, Germanwings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Private Jet, Luxair, SWISS, and all Star Alliance partners.

Depending on your booking class, you can receive up to 3x the number of status miles on worldwide flights in business or first class. There is an exception for flights operated by Turkish Airlines, for which you will receive 25% of earned award miles as status miles in all classes.

There is only 1 way to reach HON Circle Member status — collecting 600,000 HON Circle Miles within 2 consecutive calendar years.

Miles & More members earn HON Circle Miles for first class, business class, and Germanwings “BEST” fares on Miles & More flights with fully integrated partner airlines. Simply put, you need to take  a lot of paid premium cabin travel to even have a chance at qualifying for HON Circle. 

Select Miles

Lufthansa Miles & More Select Miles

Miles & More Selections are extra perks you earn for flying Lufthansa and the following airlines: Adria Airways, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair, and SWISS.

Earn 1 Select Mile for each Status Mile earned, calculated yearly (at which time it resets to 0). Reach specific mileage levels to choose a Select Award!

*HON Circle Members get Select Miles based on HON Circle Miles instead of Status Miles.

Choose Select Awards in your personal status lounge under “Miles & More Selections” or call the Service Center.

6. Travel With Partners to Earn Miles & More Miles

The airlines in the following table are Lufthansa partners. Click on each partner’s name to find out which types of miles each airline offers.

7. Miles & More Hotel Partners

Here are some of the Miles & More partner hotels; some of the hotels include more than 1 hotel brand. Click on a listing for further details.

This is just a sample of the participating hotels; you can find a complete list here .

8. Miles & More Hotel Portal

Miles & More Hotel Booking Portal

Book directly through the Miles & More hotel booking portal to earn at least 1,000 miles per night (and often a lot more!) with over 300,000 partner hotels.

9. Car Rental Partners

Miles & More Car Rental

If you book a car rental with one of the following agencies, you can earn 500 to 2,000 miles. You can find a comprehensive list online.

10. Miscellaneous Travel Partners

Outside of booking flights and accommodations, Miles & More also partners with several travel or lifestyle companies to offer miles on travel-related purchases like tour bookings.

One of the most intriguing offers is from ASMALLWORLD, a social networking service geared towards North American and European travelers who want to meet other travelers.

You can earn 250,000 Miles & More miles by subscribing to the Prestige tier, which costs €5,200! This is an interesting value proposition because you will receive elite status at many hotel brands and car rental agencies, in addition to admission to many nightlife venues and airport lounges.

Even if you set up a subscription to ASMALLWORLD and never utilize the perks, you’ll essentially be buying Miles & More miles for 2.4 cents per mile. And while we peg the value of Miles & More miles to be around 1.3 cents per mile according to our points and miles valuations , there are situations where it makes sense to buy these miles.

For example, if you want to fly Lufthansa first class using miles without having to wait until 2 weeks before departure, you’ll need to accrue Miles & More miles.

11. Subscribe to “The Economist” (Cannot verify. No longer available)

New subscribers to “The Economist” can earn up to 4,000 award miles.

Include your Miles & More membership number when signing up. Once payment has been received, the miles will be credited to your account!

The following subscriptions are available:

12. Miles & More App

Sign up for the Miles & More app and get 500 miles! Miles post after logging into the app for the first time.

13. Special Offers and Current Promotions

Miles & More All Offers

Check with Lufthansa Special Offers to earn more points than ever!

14. International Shopping Opportunities

Most Miles & More shopping opportunities require members to live in Europe, such as the Lufthansa Shopping Portal.

But if you frequently travel to Europe, you can earn miles per euros spent at Heathrow Rewards, Lufthansa WorldShop, and other Miles & More partner retailers.

Bottom Line: Although it may seem difficult to earn Miles & More miles due to the lack of transfer partners, there are still lots of great ways to earn these miles very quickly! 

Even though Lufthansa is a German airline, there are plenty of opportunities to earn points for U.S.-based Miles & More members. We hope you have found these tips helpful as you get ready to build up your Miles & More balance.

Once you’ve earned all those miles, you’re gonna want to use them! Be sure to check out our piece on the best ways to redeem your Miles & More Miles for maximum value!

The information regarding the Miles & More ® World Elite Mastercard ® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to earn lufthansa miles.

The fastest way to earn Lufthansa Miles & More miles is with the Lufthansa Miles & More card.

In addition to a sign-up bonus, you earn 2 miles per $1 for purchases from integrated airline partners and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases!

Is the Lufthansa Miles & More loyalty program free?

Yes, Lufthansa Miles & More is a free loyalty program open to all travelers. Enroll in Miles & More online.

How do I earn Miles & More Status Miles?

Earn Miles & More Status Miles with just about every flight on Lufthansa and its partner airlines. With 35,000 Status Miles, you become a Frequent Traveller; with 100,000 Status Miles you become a Senator.

Elite status tiers mean more perks and more miles!

Can I earn Lufthansa miles on United Airlines?

Yes. Enter your Lufthansa Miles & More membership number when booking a United Airlines flight or show it at check-in to receive Lufthansa miles.

On United, you can earn Award Miles, Status Miles, and a 25% bonus (for Frequent Travellers, Senators, and HON Circle Members).

How do I access the Lufthansa earn mileage calculator?

Find the Lufthansa earn mileage calculator online.

What hotels are in the Miles & More loyalty program?

There are tons of hotel partners in the Miles & More loyalty program; access a complete hotel partner list online.

Which credit cards earn Lufthansa Miles & More miles?

The Lufthansa Miles & More card helps you earn miles quickly and provides other benefits, too. Currently, there’s no other way to transfer hotel or transferable points to Miles & More.

When do Mile & More miles expire?

Miles in the Lufthansa Miles & More program expire after 3 years. There’s no way to extend your miles unless you have elite status or the Lufthansa Miles & More card.

Was this page helpful?

About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

Discover the exact steps we use to get into  1,400+ airport lounges worldwide, for free  (even if you’re flying economy!).

We respect your privacy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's  privacy policy  and  terms of service  apply.

playbook cover

Related Posts

8 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Asiana Airlines Asiana Club Miles [2024]

UP's Bonus Valuation

This bonus value is an estimated valuation  calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

Lufthansa Group rolls out new status programme in 2024

twitter share quote

  • Simple and clear Points system
  • Miles & More award miles continue to be awarded as before
  • New: Frequent Traveller Lifetime status for long-term loyalty
  • All changes apply to flights from 1 January 2024

The Lufthansa Group is simplifying its status programme. In the future, customers will be offered a more clear, more transparent earning system for achieving and retaining Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle status. There will also be greater rewards for loyalty to the airlines of the Lufthansa Group. In the future, the most loyal passengers will be eligible for the new Frequent Traveller Lifetime status in addition to the existing Senator Lifetime status. All changes to the status programme apply to flights from 1 January 2024.

“With the status programme, we are focusing even more on our customers’ needs. Our priority is to create a simple and transparent programme, paired with special privileges throughout the travel chain. We want to offer the most simple and most attractive loyalty programme on the market,” says Sebastian Riedle, Vice President Loyalty Lufthansa Group.

Key changes from 2024 at a glance:

Points system replaces status miles.

In the future, Miles & More members will be awarded Points instead of status miles for their flights. How many Points customers earn for each flight will depend on just two criteria: the travel class and whether the flight is continental or intercontinental 1 .

Frequent flyer status for loyal customers

Points can be earned on flights with all Star Alliance airlines, as is currently the case with status miles. To achieve Frequent Traveller or Senator status in future, it will also be necessary to take a number of those flights with Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa, SWISS or the co-issuing Miles & More airline partners 2 .

As before, HON Circle Members will continue to qualify exclusively on flights in Business and First Class operated by the airlines mentioned above.

Qualification and term

Overall, it will be easier to achieve status. In future, status will be valid for at least one year. The period for earning the necessary Points for any frequent flyer status will be one calendar year.

Frequent Traveller Lifetime and Senator Lifetime

Long-standing frequent flyers will qualify for Frequent Traveller Lifetime and Senator Lifetime status in future. This will be based on the sum of all Points earned on flights operated by Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa, SWISS or the co-issuing Miles & More airline partners 2 .

Miles & More award miles continue to be awarded as before. Award miles are miles that can be earned both on everyday purchases and when travelling - for flights, rental cars, hotel stays and much more. They can then be redeemed for merchandise awards or services.

You can find further information and a detailed overview of the new Points system at: https://www.miles-and-more.com/row/en/program/status-benefits/new-statusprogramme.html

1 How many Points are earned for a flight between two countries will soon be published on the link mentioned above. 2 Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Luxair.

Infrequentflying.com

Lufthansa miles frequent flyer program overview, what is lufthansa frequent flyer program.

Lufthansa Frequent flyer program is called Miles & More . You can earn Miles, rewards for every Lufthansa flights that can be used to:

  • Free / Reduced Flights
  • Baggage allowance
  • Access to Lounges

Lufthansa Frequent Flyer Tiers

The  Miles and More program  consist of three tiers;

  • Frequent Traveller
  • HON Circle.

Frequent Traveller  qualifies one for Star Alliance silver status, whereas Senator and HON Circle are equivalent to Star Alliance gold status.

Mileage Benefits

As is common with many frequent flyer programs, any member of the Miles & More program who have status are able to earn bonus miles in the form of both redeemable award miles and status miles. As a note, when you are a status member with Miles and More, your award miles do not expire. However in the Miles and More program, members are all eligbile to earn the same amount at all of their tiers. Frequent Travellers, Senators, and HON Circle members alike are able to earn up to 50% award miles on flights and 25% more status and HON Circle Miles.

Anther benefits that Lufthansa has is that earning of selected miles which can only be earned by any airlines in the Lufthansa family. Select Miles essentially serve as a way to make up for the large gap in the mileage requirements between tiers. Select Miles result in result in gifts that members can claim.

When frequent flyers status, the first status comes at 50,000 miles and at senator status the first at 125,000 miles

Lounge Access

Lufthansa is similar to British Airways in the ways their lounges are organized, where some are only for frequent flyers. They have the business lounge, the Senator lounge, their first class lounges, and even a first class terminal.

Priority Benefits

Priority Check-In: Frequent Traveller: Frequent Traveller status holders are able to use business class check in lines with Miles More partners. This would indicate that with other Star Alliance airlines, you are unlikely to be able to access priority check-in lines Senator: Senator status holders are able to access first class and premium check-in lines regardless of the airline as long as it falls under Star Alliance or any Lufthansa partner airline. HON Circle: HON Circle status holders can similarly use first class check in lines when flying star alliance or other Lufthansa Partner airlines.

You can fly out of the first-class terminal from Frankfurt on a Lufthansa family of Aircrafts.

Priority Baggage Handing

Lufthansa keep priority baggage handling short and sweet. Frequent Travellers do not get preference service. HON Circle: HON Circle status holders get priority handing.

Mileage Redemption, Upgrade and Seat Guarantee Benefits

The crux of a frequent flying program for most people is the ability to redeem their miles for flights at good value. This has become increasingly more difficult in recent years with a number of devaluations by airlines across the world. Lufthansa however, has found ways to make it so that their elite members are able to find more value in their redemptions. Unfortunately, this is only true for Senator and HON Circle members as these benefits are not extended to Frequent Travellers. Both Senators and HON members are able to take advantage of both flight increased award availability.

For senators, they are able to take advantage of improved booking of chances of Senator Premium awards, but able to 1.5x cost of premium tickets. Hon circle members and up to 3 others are guaranteed the best flight awards availability if seats are available for up to 14 days before departure.

2 Replies to “Lufthansa Miles Frequent Flyer Program Overview”

I would like to become e frequen t flyer. What should I do?

I love flying Lufthansa, I always have a great experiance

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Lufthansa Frequent Flyer scheme

  • Airline Reviews
  • Frequent Flyer
  • Search Please fill out this field.
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Newsletters
  • Sweepstakes

United Is Targeting Frequent Fliers With Up to 90% Bonus Miles — How to Find If You're One

The sale ends June 28.

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

Alessandra Amodio/Travel + Leisure

United Airlines is offering up to a 90 percent bonus when purchasing miles to certain customers — but for a limited time only. 

“Buy miles and build your balance to redeem for more of what you love,” the airline shared about the promotion on its website. “There are many quick and easy ways to buy miles — pick an option that suits your award goals.”

With this new targeted sale, travelers can log onto United’s website with their frequent flier number to buy miles with up to a 90 percent bonus. Non-targeted travelers may see a smaller bonus on offer. The latest promotion is valid until Friday, June 28, at 11:59 p.m. CT, with the following tiers:

  • Buy 5,000 to 19,000 miles, get a 25 percent bonus
  • Buy 20,000 to 39,000 miles, get a 60 percent bonus
  • Buy 40,000 to 105,000 miles, get a 90 percent bonus

As such, buying at least 40,000 miles will unlock the greatest bonus, granting an additional 36,000 miles at checkout. This sale brings down the cost of each mile to roughly 1.98 cents apiece, a significant discount compared to the usual rate of 3.5 cents.

However, it’s only possible to purchase a maximum of 200,000 miles per calendar year, including any bonus miles from this promotion. United also notes that it may take up to 72 hours for purchased miles to appear on balances, which is important to know for travelers planning their next award flight. 

United makes it easy for travelers to rack up miles quickly. For instance, members can also pool their airline miles with up to five other members or instantly transfer their Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio. Once earned, these United miles can be redeemed for flights with the carrier, as well as Star Alliance partners, such as Lufthansa and Air Canada.

Related Articles

What is annual travel insurance?

Coverage options in annual travel insurance plans, how much does annual travel insurance cost, purchasing annual travel insurance, annual travel insurance frequently asked questions, how annual travel insurance works.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate insurance products to write unbiased product reviews.

  • Annual travel insurance offers multi-trip coverage for travelers taking several trips over a year.
  • Annual travel insurance can be cheaper and more convenient but is less flexible than single trip insurance.
  • A 30-year-old US resident can expect to pay between $125 to $700 for annual travel insurance.

The more you travel, the higher your chances are that something goes wrong. Fortunately, coverage is available that can soften the financial blow if you get sick, lose your luggage, or experience some other hiccup while abroad.

While single trip travel insurance can cover one-off trips, frequently travelers may want annual travel insurance, which covers all your trips throughout a year. Read on to learn what annual travel insurance covers, how much you can expect to pay, and when you should buy.

Annual travel insurance, also called multi-trip insurance, is a type of insurance policy that protects you from potential losses on all trips in a 12-month period.

An annual travel insurance plans is more expensive than one single trip policy, but annual travel insurance becomes increasingly cost-effective as you take more trips. Buying annual travel insurance is also more convenient than shopping for travel insurance every time you take a trip. As such, these policies are particularly good for people who travel for work.

While annual travel insurance offers more convenience over single trip policies, you forfeit some flexibility offered in single trip travel insurance. For one, annual travel insurance limits the maximum number of days it will cover in one trip . This threshold varies from provider to provider, but generally it's up to a maximum of 90 days.

"During the coverage period, a traveler can move between countries and remain covered on the same insurance policy," says Rajeev Shrivastava , chief executive officer at VisitorsCoverage , a travel insurance marketplace. "With 30-day coverage, the plan is no longer valid on day 31. The traveler needs to return to their home country, resetting the 30 days and allowing them to resume travel."

Additionally, some annual travel insurance policies only cover trips a certain distance (say, 100 miles) from your residence or farther. Make sure to note these limitations before purchasing your policy — particularly if most of your travel is domestic. 

Annual travel insurance coverage varies by plan and provider, but it is generally less comprehensive than a single trip policy.

Annual policies typically include coverage for emergency medical care, medical evacuations, trip delays, and lost or stolen baggage. Most basic plans do not cover trip cancellations (though a few more comprehensive ones do). If you're looking for cancellation reimbursement, you may want to purchase a single-trip plan with cancel for any reason coverage.

Here are just a few things a basic annual travel insurance plan might include:

  • Trip cancellation for covered reasons
  • Trip interruption
  • Trip delays
  • Missed connections
  • Lost or stolen baggage
  • Baggage delay
  • Rental car damage or theft
  • Emergency medical treatment
  • Emergency medical evacuation
  • Accidental death and dismemberment
  • Repatriation of mortal remains

Limitations and exclusions to annual travel insurance

As we mentioned earlier, annual travel insurance plans are less flexible compared to single trip plans. While this affects how many days are covered in one trip, it'll also limit what you can cover. For one, coverage limits are usually lower throughout the policy.

Most notably, annual travel insurance plans do not offer cancel for any reason coverage . To receive reimbursement for a canceled trip, you must have canceled for a covered reason, such as illness or a disaster at your travel destination. 

Depending on your provider, you may be able to add coverage for adventure sports injuries or purchase an adventure sports-specific policy, as these are not covered by standard travel insurance. 

"Annual travel insurance doesn't cover losses that arise from expected or reasonably foreseeable events," says Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Travel Insurance . "If your trips involve high-risk adventure — like skydiving, caving, mountain climbing, or participating in any athletic competition — your annual policy may not cover medical care if you sustain injuries."

Your age, the number of trips you plan to take, where you live, and other factors will figure into the cost of your coverage. For a 30-year-old US resident taking an estimated eight trips per year, all for fewer than 30 days each, annual travel insurance plans cost roughly between $125 and $700 , according to an analysis of plans on travel insurance comparison platform SquareMouth. 

For example, under Seven Corner's travel insurance , one of the companies listed in our guide on the best international travel insurance companies for its long-term coverage, a 30-year-old US resident taking trips to eight destinations (including the US) would pay $375.50 for the annual plan with the lowest annual cancellation limit ($2,500) and $648 for the highest ($10,000). 

"The per-trip length of coverage is usually a determining factor of the cost," Shrivastava says. "The longer the trip duration, the more expensive the policy can be."

Since annual travel insurance plans cover you for a full year, consider purchasing your policy right before your first trip. Strategic purchase dates could help you stretch your coverage period to cover more travels, but don't ignore the drawbacks of this approach.

First, you could forget. A lot goes into preparing for a trip, so leaving your travel insurance until the last minute could cause it to fall through the cracks. If you do opt to wait, make sure you set an alarm or calendar reminder.

Additionally, if you wait too long, your policy may not cover any pre-existing medical conditions. Some travel insurance companies will only cover pre-existing conditions if you buy your policy within 14 days of making your first trip payment.

As Durazo puts it, "Whether you're choosing an individual or annual policy, the best time to purchase insurance is always at the same time as you book your travel."

Assess your travel needs

Annual travel insurance isn't right for everyone, but if you travel often, it might be a good fit. Before you take out your policy, have an idea of what travels you'll take in the next year, and use the following chart to help guide your decision.

"These plans are ideal for frequent travelers such as business travelers, digital nomads, or other avid travelers," Shrivastava says. "They aren't a fit for travelers who are only taking one or two trips per year or someone looking for a more comprehensive range of benefits."

Yes, many policies include an option to add family members when you buy your policy, though. However, terms will vary depending on the insurance provider.

Some insurers allow you to automatically renew your annual travel insurance when it expires, though you can also wait until you're going on another trip to re-purchase. You can cancel annual travel insurance at any time, but you will only receive a refund if you cancel within your policy's money-back guarantee period and your trip hasn't started yet.

Pre-existing conditions can be covered under an annual travel insurance plan as long as you meet certain requirements. Policies often require that you buy travel insurance within a certain number of days from when you placed a deposit on your trip, usually two to three weeks. Additionally, many travel insurance providers require that your condition is stable. 

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

  • Real estate

lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

  • Main content

More From Forbes

New oneworld member fiji airways to adopt american aadvantage program.

  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to Linkedin

Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 21, 2021: American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane at ... [+] Amsterdam Schiphol airport (AMS) in the Netherlands.

For years, Fiji Airways has opted not to have a loyalty program of its own and instead work with partner airlines to award miles and perks based on the flight. Within the next year, the South Pacific carrier will adopt the American AAdvantage program as its own giving its passengers the opportunity to earn and redeem AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on all flights within its network as well as on Oneworld partner airlines. A specific start date has not yet been announced.

At the IATA general conference held in Dubai earlier this month, the carrier was approved as the newest member to the global alliance with the airline officially joining in 2025.

Immediate access to a global program

Barcelona, Spain - August 21, 2018: American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER banking left after taking off ... [+] from El Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain.

AAdvantage is a juggernaut and is the longest running frequent flyer program, dating back to 1981. Its members earn and redeem miles on Oneworld and partner airlines, but can also earn miles and Loyalty Points (the metric used towards attaining elite status) in various ways from online shopping to using an AAdvantage co-branded credit card . This makes American one of the easiest airlines on which to earn elite status perks like bonus miles, free checked bags, priority check-in and boarding, and free upgrades.

Fiji Airways aircraft shown moments before landing at the Los Angeles International airport, LAX.

Bolivian General Arrested After Breaching Presidential Palace In Alleged Coup Attempt—Here’s What To Know

Iss astronauts take shelter after russian spacecraft breaks up in orbit, thunder takes high upside swing in 2024 nba draft with nikola topic.

Fiji Airways passengers will be able to join AAdvantage and work their way up to elite status with the program. Most benefits will apply to their Fiji Airways flights, even when not traveling to or from North America. This includes things like priority boarding and baggage benefits, based on membership level. Elite status members will be eligible for space-available, complimentary upgrades on eligible flights (like most domestic U.S. and Latin American destinations) although a spokesperson was unclear about any upgrade benefits for AAdvantage elite members on Fiji Airways flights.

All AAdvantage members, no matter their elite status, receive priority boarding over non-members.

In a recent interview , Fiji Airways managing director and CEO, Andre Viljoen hinted at the carrier’s potential to tie up with another loyalty program rather than creating their own. He also said his airline is looking at adding another U.S. destination (either Dallas/Forth Worth or Seattle/Tacoma, both of which are Oneworld hubs). Adopting the AAdvantage program makes even more sense and points to the decision that Dallas could become its third U.S. gateway.

LikuLiku Resort is one of the only properties in the country with open-ocean, overwater bungalows.

“With this partnership, Fiji Airways is set to gain access to a vast network of American travelers, potentially increasing visitor arrivals to the enchanting destination of Fiji ”, said Viljoen.

How consumers benefit

Fiji Airways operates a small fleet of new Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

AAdvantage members were previously able to earn and redeem miles on select Fiji Airways flights, but these would not count towards elite status. With the airline becoming a full member of Oneworld and with this new loyalty partnership, now they can earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points towards status on all Fiji Airways flights (not just select codeshare routes). This also includes the ability to unlock “Loyalty Choice Rewards” when hitting different points milestones to earn things like bonus miles, airline lounge access, flight credits and upgrades for long-haul flights.

Fiji Airways’ own frequent travelers can now tap into a larger global program and earn elite status benefits. This is likely to be more enticing than any program the airline could have developed itself given the larger network.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - ‎‎January 4, 2020 : Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-367ER (Reg B-KQN) Oneworld ... [+] Livery Landing At Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN-VVTS).

Viljoen acknowledged that the local Fijian customer base is small, and instead the airline relies on connecting traffic, a large portion of which goes between North America and Australia and New Zealand. Being in the AAdvantage program makes the airline more attractive to local flyers as well as those traveling across its extensive network of Pacific islands. In many markets like Kiribati and Tuvalu, it is the only global airline flying there.

Following a successful path

This is not the first time an airline has adopted another carrier’s own loyalty program. The AAdvantage program is also the frequent flyer program of Chilean airline JetSMART.

Amsterdam Airport, Netherlands - September 4th, 2017: View of Amsterdam Airport and airliner of ... [+] Kenya Airways and KLM waiting

The Flying Blue program, which is the loyalty program for Air France and KLM , also is the official frequent flyer scheme for other carriers like Air Calin in New Caledonia and SkyTeam partner Kenya Airways.

Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss International and Brussels Airlines among others participate in the same Miles & More program. And the Avios program from British Airways now serves as the loyalty channel for Iberia, Aer Lingus, and most recently Qatar Airways and Finnair.

London, England, UK - 14 June 2023: Tail fins of British Airways jets at a London airport.

According to IAG Loyalty CEO Adam Daniels , he sees Avios as becoming a “global currency” for travelers citing benefits for earning a single point system that can be used across all carriers that use it. Part of this is due to a larger base of members with Avios citing a 17% increase in members last year alone.

Loyalty programs are often the most profitable area for airlines, which can leverage the membership base to attract them to other things like co-branded credit cards and other marketing deals.

A Fiji Airways Airbus A330 flying over the Fijian islands.

American has similar partnerships with other brands like World of Hyatt for reciprocal elite status and points earning for eligible members.

In reference to the Fiji-American program announcement, Viljoen said, “we are excited about the positive impact this collaboration will have on both our airlines and our guests who will benefit from the exclusive perks.”

To join AAdvantage, travelers can visit either the American Airlines or Fiji Airways websites.

Ramsey Qubein

  • Editorial Standards
  • Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

  • False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
  • Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
  • Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
  • Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

  • Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
  • Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
  • Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
  • Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

  • Stay on topic and share your insights
  • Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
  • ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
  • Protect your community.
  • Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Hallo, wie können wir Ihnen helfen?

Frequent traveller – ihr aufstieg in die welt der vielflieger.

Als Frequent Traveller  genießen Sie Vorteile , die Ihnen das Reisen angenehmer gestalten. Sowohl bei den Airlines der Lufthansa Group und den mitherausgebenden Miles & More Airline-Partnern als auch bei den Star Alliance Airlines.

So werden Sie Frequent Traveller

Um den Frequent Traveller Status zu erreichen oder zu verlängern, benötigen Sie mindestens  650 Points   und 325 Qualifying Points   innerhalb eines Kalenderjahres. Ihren aktuellen Fortschritt können Sie jederzeit im Statusbereich  in Ihrem Miles & More Konto  einsehen.

Eine einfache Sammellogik sorgt dafür, dass Sie direkt auf einen Blick sehen, wie viele Points und Qualifying Points Sie für einen Flug erhalten. So wird Ihr Weg zum Frequent Traveller ganz transparent.

Sammeln einfach gemacht: So funktioniert’s

Die wichtigsten Privilegien für Frequent Traveller

Frequent traveller statuskarte und kofferanhänger.

Mit der Ernennung zum Frequent Traveller erhalten Sie eine silberne Statuskarte, die für mindestens 1 Jahre gültig ist, sowie einen hochwertigen Kofferanhänger in Statusfarbe.

Business Class Check-in

Unabhängig von Ihrer gebuchten Reiseklasse können Sie auf Linienflügen mit den Miles & More Airline-Partnern die Check-in Counter der Business Class benutzen. Bitte beachten Sie dabei die Check-in Deadlines Ihrer gewählten Reiseklasse.

Zutritt zur Business Lounge

Entspannen Sie vor Ihrem Abflug unter anderem in den Austrian Business Lounges, den Brussels Airlines Lounges, den exklusiven Lufthansa Business Lounges und den SWISS Business Class Lounges.

Mehr erfahren

Erhöhte Freigepäckmenge

Mit einem Vielflieger-Status dürfen Sie bei vielen Fluggesellschaften mit mehr Gepäck fliegen. Genauere Angaben zu den Gepäckbestimmungen entnehmen Sie bitte den Informationen Ihrer Fluggesellschaft.

Unbegrenzte Meilengültigkeit

Für die Dauer der Statuszugehörigkeit verfallen Ihre Meilen nicht – so können Sie diese für große Ziele sparen.

Weitere Vorteile für Frequent Traveller

Zusätzliche meilen für jeden flug.

Sie erhalten bei bestimmten Airline-Partnern bis zu 50% mehr Meilen, die Sie für attraktive Prämien einlösen können.

Erhöhte Wartelistenpriorität

Dritthöchste Wartelistenpriorität auf allen von Star Alliance durchgeführten Flügen. Dies gilt nicht für Upgrades und Prämienflüge.

Star Alliance Silver Status

Genießen Sie Statusprivilegien auch auf allen Flügen der Star Alliance Fluggesellschaften. Mehr erfahren

Extra Benefits

Sie erhalten bei Erreichen einer bestimmten Anzahl von Qualifying Points pro Kalenderjahr automatisch zusätzliche Vorteile wie Upgrade Voucher oder Meilentausch.

Service-Hotline

Für Frequent Traveller haben wir in vielen Ländern eine spezielle Hotline eingerichtet. Für alle Fragen, Prämienbuchungen, Kritik oder Anregungen stehen wir gerne zur Verfügung. Hilfe & Kontakt

Status Events

Als Statuskund:in mit mehr als 10.000 Qualifying Points erhalten Sie exklusive Angebote zu Top-Veranstaltungen, den Status Events.

Alle Status im Vergleich

Vergleichen Sie alle Privilegien und Vorteile der drei Vielfliegerstatus: Frequent Traveller, Senator und HON Circle Member.

Zur Übersicht

Häufige Fragen

In Ihrer Region stehen relevante Angebote für Sie zur Auswahl. Leider liegen diese teilweise auf Englisch und nicht in Ihrer ausgewählten Sprache vor. Weitere Funktionen und Informationen können Sie selbstverständlich in Ihrer gewohnten Sprache nutzen.

IMAGES

  1. Miles & More Frequent Traveller Status

    lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

  2. Lufthansa Frequent Traveller Status

    lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

  3. Benefits of Lufthansa’s Business Class flexibility to the UK and Europe

    lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

  4. Das bietet der Miles&More Frequent Traveller

    lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

  5. Lufthansa Miles & More Frequent Traveller Kreditkarte

    lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

  6. Lufthansa Miles & More: Lohnt sich das Meilensammeln?

    lufthansa frequent traveller benefits

VIDEO

  1. Lufthansa CityLine Business Class BUD MUC Mai 2014

  2. Lufthansa First Class FRA-DXB (June 2016)

  3. Lufthansa A321 FRA-RIX (June 2015)

  4. How our Green Fares work

  5. Boeing B747-8 (LH456 Flight from FRA to LAX)

  6. Lufthansa Systems Drone Solutions at World ATM Congress, Madrid

COMMENTS

  1. Frequent Traveller status

    Learn how to become a Frequent Traveller and enjoy benefits such as Business Class check-in, lounge access, higher baggage allowance and more. Compare the status levels and see the overview of all privileges and events.

  2. Miles & More

    The Lufthansa frequent flyer and awards programme. ... Our frequent flyer programme is basically divided into three categories with different benefits: Frequent Traveller, Senator, and HON Circle. As a Frequent Traveller, you will already enjoy an increased free baggage allowance. As a Senator you can enjoy access to the Senator and Star Gold ...

  3. Lufthansa Miles & More Loyalty Program Review

    The Lufthansa program has 3 elite tiers: Frequent Traveller, Senator, and HON Circle. The higher your elite status, the more benefits you will have access to, like reduced mileage required for award flights and lounge access. The number of Lufthansa miles you earn is based on the distance flown and the Miles & More assigned factor.

  4. Benefits for frequent flyers compared

    As a Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle Member, you benefit from an Executive Bonus when earning miles. The bonus is 25% on flights with Discover Airlines, Eurowings, Luxair and other Miles & More airline partners, or 50% on flights with Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City ...

  5. Ultimate guide to earning and redeeming Lufthansa Miles & More miles

    Frequent Traveller. Frequent Traveller is the lowest tier of Miles & More status, but it still has some solid benefits. You'll have access to Lufthansa Business Class lounges when flying on Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance carriers. You're also eligible for business class check-in, one extra checked bag, and other Star Alliance Silver benefits.

  6. The Different Tiers Of Lufthansa Group's Miles & More Program

    The lowest Miles & More status is Frequent Traveller (which matches over to Star Alliance Silver). But don't think this means only entry-level benefits seen at other carriers. This tier with comes with major perks but isn't easy to achieve either. Until January 1st, 2024, here is what you need to qualify for Frequent Traveller,

  7. Miles and More: How Does the Lufthansa Program Work?

    EUR. Miles & More. Lufthansa's Miles & More frequent flyer program allows travellers worldwide to maximize their travel experience by using miles. These can be used as currency to obtain various benefits, such as Reward tickets, upgrades and hotel stays. Membership of the Miles & More program is free and accessible online.

  8. Lufthansa Miles & More: The Simple Flying Guide

    Lufthansa's Miles & More is one of the largest frequent flyer programs in Europe, used exclusively by eight airlines, including Austrian, ... While there are some great benefits when you reach Frequent Traveller, Senator, or HON Circle, getting there is a pricey journey. While changes are on their way in 2024, status is currently achieved based ...

  9. Lufthansa Miles & More Loyalty Program Guide

    How to earn Lufthansa Frequent Traveller status: Accumulate 35,000 status miles or fly 30 segments in a year. ... Top benefits (in addition to all of the Frequent Traveller benefits):

  10. Lufthansa Miles & More: What Are The Hidden Perks?

    Established Date: 1993-01-01. After covering earning miles, spending miles, and the different status tiers, we arrive at the final installment of our Miles & More directory: the hidden perks. Indeed, the program makes sure that its members have some of the best benefits when it comes to their own flights and those in the Lufthansa Group.

  11. Review of Miles&More, the frequent flyer program of Lufthansa

    Frequent Traveller status is reached after 35,000 status miles or 30 scheduled flights with Star Alliance airlines in one calendar year. Frequent Traveller equates to Star Alliance Silver status and gives you the following benefits: Up to 50% more award miles and 25% more status miles. Award miles do not expire.

  12. Frequent flyer benefits

    Frequent flyer benefits. - achieve status, and get valuable perks. As a Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle Member, you travel faster and in greater comfort. You also enjoy a range of benefits that make travelling by land or air even more pleasurable. Plus, you earn more miles on flights than members without frequent flyer status ...

  13. Lufthansa Miles & More Program Changes 2024

    Lifetime Frequent Traveler status can be achieved with 30,000 qualifying points Lifetime Senator status can be achieved with 40,000 qualifying points plus 10 years of Senator or HON Circle status In both cases, only qualifying points will count toward lifetime status, so travel on most Star Alliance airlines wouldn't qualify.

  14. The 14 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Lufthansa Miles & More Miles

    Lufthansa is the largest European airline, carrying more passengers than any other. It operates 15,200 connections to 205 destinations as of summer 2023. It also has the largest European frequent flyer program called Miles & More. In addition to being partners with other Miles & More airlines, Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance.

  15. Senator status

    Senator status with Miles & More opens up many benefits: a gold service card, First Class check-in, access to the Senator Lounge, more free baggage. ... With the Lufthansa Group, co-issuing Miles & More airline partners and Star Alliance Airlines. ... Compare all benefits and advantages of three frequent flyer statuses: Frequent Traveller ...

  16. Lufthansa Group rolls out new status programme in 2024

    Europe/Amsterdam. Lufthansa Group rolls out new status programme in 2024. Summary. Simple and clear Points system. Miles & More award miles continue to be awarded as before. New: Frequent Traveller Lifetime status for long-term loyalty. All changes apply to flights from 1 January 2024. The Lufthansa Group is simplifying its status programme.

  17. Lufthansa Miles Frequent Flyer Program Overview

    Frequent Travellers, Senators, and HON Circle members alike are able to earn up to 50% award miles on flights and 25% more status and HON Circle Miles. Anther benefits that Lufthansa has is that earning of selected miles which can only be earned by any airlines in the Lufthansa family. Select Miles essentially serve as a way to make up for the ...

  18. Lufthansa Miles&More Unveils Substantial Program Changes, Valid

    Programme becomes less complex To simplify the programme, Miles & More Selections in its current form will be replaced by actively crediting benefits, such as eVouchers you can use to upgrade to a higher travel class, or Frequent Traveller and Senator partner cards. Status Stars, the Executive Bonus and the Senator Premium Award will also be ...

  19. Lufthansa Frequent Flyer scheme

    There is a 25% mileage bonus for Miles&More members with status of Frequent Flyer (Silver) and Senator (Gold) level. The Portuguese airline TAP Air Portugal is a new Miles & More partner. Miles&More Frequent Flyer (Basic) Once you have flown 3,000 miles, you will receive a regular Lufthansa Miles & More Card. Miles&More Frequent Traveller (Silver)

  20. Lufthansa rolls out lifetime Senator & Frequent Traveller status

    Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines will revamp their shared Miles & More frrequent flyer program from 1 January 2021, and are baiting the hook with the lure of lifetime status in the Frequent Traveller and Senator tiers, which respectively equate to Star Alliance Silver and Gold.. To begin with, Miles & More will drop its measurement of status miles for a points-based system which is ...

  21. Lufthansa Miles&More Status Match & Challenge For SAS ...

    a) Frequent Traveller Challenge: Complete 2 flight segments with Lufthansa Group airlines or co-issuing Miles & More airline partners* by 30.11.2024 to extend status to 20.02.2026. b) Senator Challenge: Complete 6 flight segments with Lufthansa Group airlines or co-issuing Miles & More airline partners* by 30.11.2024 to extend status to 20.02.2026.

  22. Lufthansa adds €72 'green tax' to airfares

    Lufthansa, Swiss and other members of the Lufthansa Group are introducing a passenger surcharge of up to €72 (AU$115) to cover the rising costs of alternative fuels needed to lower aircraft emissions. The new levies will apply to all departures on Lufthansa Group flights from the European Union, the UK, Norway and Switzerland from January 1 ...

  23. United Is Targeting Frequent Fliers With Up to 90% Bonus Miles

    With this new targeted sale, travelers can log onto United's website with their frequent flier number to buy miles with up to a 90 percent bonus. Non-targeted travelers may see a smaller bonus ...

  24. Loyalty is rewarded: Lifetime status

    Achieving Frequent Traveller Lifetime or Senator Lifetime status via Status Stars points. The basis for achieving Lifetime status is the sum total of all Qualifying Points that you earn over the years on flights with Lufthansa Group airlines and co-issuing Miles & More airline partners. Naturally, your existing status membership will be taken ...

  25. Select benefits for status customers

    Frequent Travellers and Senators attain Select benefits with Select miles. You receive these on flights with Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Luxair. You will be credited one Select mile for each of the status miles collected on these flights.

  26. Annual Travel Insurance Plans: Coverage, Benefits, and Tips

    Annual travel insurance, also called multi-trip insurance, is a type of insurance policy that protects you from potential losses on all trips in a 12-month period. An annual travel insurance plans ...

  27. New Oneworld Member Fiji Airways To Adopt American AAdvantage ...

    AAdvantage is a juggernaut and is the longest running frequent flyer program, dating back to 1981. Its members earn and redeem miles on Oneworld and partner airlines, but can also earn miles and ...

  28. Frequent Traveller Status

    Erfahren Sie, wie Sie als Frequent Traveller bei Lufthansa und Star Alliance Airlines zahlreiche Privilegien genießen können. Vergleichen Sie die Vorteile mit den anderen Status und sehen Sie Ihren Fortschritt im Statusbereich.