Lufthansa Miles & More

About Miles & More

Miles & More is Europe's largest frequent flyer program, with 35+ million members. It covers the Lufthansa Group carriers — Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and LOT Polish Airlines — plus all 26 Star Alliance member airlines. Free to join, with no expiration on miles provided you earn new miles within the 36-month rolling window.

The program has two distinct audiences and it serves them very differently. European-based travelers who fly Lufthansa Group regularly find Miles & More natural to use: earning is straightforward, status is achievable, and the program's coverage aligns with their routes. US-based travelers face a structurally different situation: no major US transferable currency transfers in, fuel surcharges are substantial on the routes where Miles & More miles would otherwise shine, and better alternatives exist for most Lufthansa redemptions. This guide is direct about that distinction throughout.

At the top sits HON Circle — one of aviation's most exclusive elite statuses, requiring what amounts to near-constant premium-cabin long-haul travel. The First Class Terminal at Frankfurt is a genuine differentiator. For anyone outside that tier, the program's appeal depends heavily on where you're based and where you fly.

What Miles & More miles are worth

On paper, Miles & More award rates for Lufthansa Group flights imply roughly 1.5–2.5 cents per mile — competitive with any major airline program. In practice, you need to subtract the fuel surcharges Lufthansa charges on its own awards.

Lufthansa adds $400–700 per transatlantic one-way in fuel surcharges for Business Class awards. That is not a typo. A transatlantic Business Class award priced at 60,000 miles costs an additional $400–700 in fees before you board. Those fees are separate from government taxes. They do not reflect a discount on cash prices — they are simply a cost you bear on top of spending miles.

Once you account for surcharges, the effective value of your miles on Lufthansa Group metal drops to roughly 1.0–1.5 cents per mile in most transatlantic scenarios. At that level, your miles are not buying you leverage — they're covering about what you'd expect from a mediocre domestic economy redemption.

Miles are worth more on Star Alliance partner flights that don't impose surcharges — ANA, Air Canada, United — but availability on those routes through Miles & More is limited.

How to earn Miles & More miles

Earning is the program's deepest structural problem for US travelers. The menu of earning options is thin compared to any major US-based program.

Earning on Lufthansa Group flights

Miles & More earns on a distance-times-fare-class model. Economy sale fares earn as little as 25% of distance flown in award miles — meaning a 4,000-mile transatlantic flight earns roughly 1,000 award miles at the bottom of the fare scale. Full-flex economy earns 100% of distance. Business Class earns 150%; First Class earns 200%. Status bonus (25–50% depending on tier) applies on top. The takeaway: booking cheap fares to accumulate Miles & More miles is not productive. You earn meaningfully only when paying full or near-full fares.

Credit card earning — a critical limitation for US travelers

This is where the program's US-market problem becomes concrete.

Chase Ultimate Rewards does not transfer to Miles & More. There is no transfer path from Chase UR to Miles & More for US cardholders — none, ever.

Amex Membership Rewards does not transfer to Miles & More for US cardholders. Amex MR transfers to Miles & More in certain European markets (Germany, Switzerland), but not from US-issued Amex cards. If you are in the US holding an Amex Platinum or Gold, your Membership Rewards points cannot go into Miles & More.

Citi ThankYou Points do not transfer to Miles & More.

The only US-market card option is the Miles & More World Mastercard issued by Barclays — a co-brand card with limited availability, modest earn rates, and an $89 annual fee. It earns Miles & More miles on everyday spend at roughly 1x–2x. It is a niche product for a niche audience.

For European residents: Deutsche Lufthansa Amex, DKB Miles & More, and other European bank cards provide reasonable everyday earning. The program's co-brand ecosystem is built for the European market.

Shopping and dining portals

Miles & More operates a shopping portal and dining program in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and select European markets. Availability and coverage are minimal for US-based members. Rates at hotel and car rental partners (Marriott, Accor, Hertz, Sixt) are comparable to other airline programs — typically 1–3 miles per dollar on eligible spend.

Transfer partners into Miles & More

For US residents: there are effectively no transfer partners. The Amex MR transfer only works for European cardholders. No other major transferable currency has a path in. You earn Miles & More miles by flying Lufthansa Group or using the Barclays co-brand card. That is the full picture.

Star Alliance network

Star Alliance has 26 member airlines covering over 1,300 airports worldwide. Miles & More gives you the ability to earn on partner flights and book partner awards — though the pricing and availability on those awards vary.

HON Circle and elite status

Miles & More has four tiers. Three are meaningful for most travelers; one is in a category of its own.

• Member: Free enrollment. No qualifying activity required. Award booking, miles earning, and standard service.
• Frequent Traveller — 35,000 QP or 30 flights/year: Star Alliance Silver. 25% mileage bonus. Priority check-in and boarding on Lufthansa Group. Guaranteed economy seating 24 hours in advance.
• Senator — 100,000 QP or 90 flights/year: Star Alliance Gold. 50% mileage bonus. Lounge access at 1,000+ partner lounges worldwide. Dedicated Senator Service Center. 2 upgrade vouchers annually. This is the tier most frequent business travelers in Europe target.
• HON Circle — 600,000 HON Circle Points (long-haul) or 400,000 (short/mid-haul) over 2 years: Effectively requires sustained premium-cabin long-haul travel — the kind of schedule that represents a full year of intensive business flying. Most executives who achieve this status do so because their employer books them in Business or First on transatlantic routes continuously.

HON Circle in practice. HON Circle members gain access to the Lufthansa First Class Terminal at Frankfurt — a private facility with individual check-in, a dedicated lounge, and a Porsche transfer directly to the aircraft. It is a genuinely different category of airport experience, and for the people who achieve the status legitimately, it is one of the few hard-to-replicate benefits in all of premium travel. Guaranteed upgrades on all Lufthansa flights, first class lounge access worldwide, and a dedicated direct hotline complete the picture.

Who should pursue Miles & More status: If you are based in Europe and fly Lufthansa Group for work — especially in Business — Senator is a reasonable goal. For US-based travelers who fly transatlantic occasionally, the qualifying thresholds are not achievable without a serious annual Lufthansa Group commitment. Most US road warriors are better served building status with United MileagePlus or Aeroplan.

Redeeming Miles & More miles

Award pricing is distance-based with published charts. That is a genuine advantage over fully dynamic programs — you can plan toward a specific redemption in advance. The complication is the fuel surcharges layered on top of every Lufthansa Group award.

Transatlantic reference prices as of early 2026:

• Economy one-way: approximately 30,000 miles + $150–250 in surcharges and taxes
• Business Class one-way: approximately 60,000 miles + $400–700 in surcharges
• First Class one-way: approximately 87,000 miles + surcharges

Miles expire 36 months from the date earned. The expiration is rolling — earning any new miles extends the clock on your entire balance. Active flyers rarely hit expiration. Occasional travelers who accumulate miles and then stop flying need to watch the timeline.

Sweet spots

There are genuine sweet spots in Miles & More, but they require knowing where to look — and most require being willing to fly something other than Lufthansa metal.

Intra-European economy and business. Short-haul awards within Europe are priced in the range of 12,500–25,000 miles one-way, and fuel surcharges on intra-European routes are substantially lower than on transatlantic flights — often under $50 total in fees. If you have a Miles & More balance and want to fly between European cities on Lufthansa Group metal, this is the most cost-effective use of miles in the program.

Star Alliance partners without fuel surcharges. Miles & More awards on ANA (Japan), Air Canada, and United carry no fuel surcharges. A business class award on ANA to Japan using Miles & More miles avoids the surcharge problem entirely. Availability is the limiting factor — ANA and Air Canada release limited award inventory — but when it's there, the pricing is competitive. This is the best use case for US travelers who happen to have Miles & More miles.

HON Circle — Frankfurt First Class Terminal. Not a redemption sweet spot, but a status experience worth naming separately. If you earn HON Circle legitimately through your travel pattern, the First Class Terminal at Frankfurt is unlike any other airport facility in Europe. Private check-in, individual handling, Porsche transfer to the jet bridge. It is one of the few status perks in commercial aviation that is genuinely hard to replicate through any other program or purchase.

Where Miles & More disappoints

Fuel surcharges on Lufthansa transatlantic awards. $400–700 per Business Class one-way is the central problem with this program for US travelers. The surcharges make Lufthansa Group awards substantially less valuable than the mile cost suggests, and they are unavoidable when booking Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, or Brussels Airlines metal through Miles & More.

No US transfer partners. Chase UR does not transfer here. Amex MR (US-issued) does not transfer here. Citi does not transfer here. There is no path in from any major US transferable currency. This gap is not a minor inconvenience — it means US travelers have almost no way to top up a Miles & More balance outside of flying Lufthansa Group or using the limited Barclays co-brand card. Compare this to Aeroplan, which accepts transfers from Amex MR, Chase UR, and Citi — and accesses the same Lufthansa flights with no surcharges.

Miles expire in 3 years. Most programs have moved to no-expiration or activity-based models. Miles & More expires miles 36 months from the earn date. Occasional travelers who build a balance during a period of heavy travel and then reduce flying need to actively manage their calendar.

Status qualification is Europe-centric. The qualifying point thresholds are achievable for travelers who fly Lufthansa Group as their primary carrier. They are not designed for US road warriors who fly a mix of domestic and international routes on multiple carriers.

Better alternatives exist for most Lufthansa redemptions. Aeroplan prices Lufthansa Business Class at approximately 57,500 miles one-way with no fuel surcharges. United MileagePlus also books Lufthansa flights with lower or no surcharges depending on the route. For a US traveler who wants to fly Lufthansa in Business, neither of those programs requires earning Miles & More miles at all.

Bottom line

Miles & More is the right program for one audience: travelers based in Europe who fly Lufthansa Group heavily and want to build toward Senator or HON Circle status. For that audience, the program delivers meaningful benefits — lounge access, upgrade vouchers, and at the top tier, one of aviation's most exclusive airport experiences in Frankfurt.

For US-based travelers, it is a secondary program at best. The lack of US transfer partners means you can only earn through Lufthansa Group flying or a limited Barclays co-brand card. The fuel surcharges mean that even when you have miles, Lufthansa redemptions are expensive compared to what Aeroplan or United MileagePlus charge for the same seats. If you want to fly Lufthansa, build one of those programs instead.