Lufthansa Miles & More: How to earn and redeem miles, elite status and more

Lufthansa Group has grown a ton in recent years. The group bought several European airlines while expanding the Lufthansa route network from its Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Munich Airport (MUC) hubs. One thing you may not know about Lufthansa is that several airlines around Europe use its Miles & More loyalty program, some of which aren't part of Star Alliance.

Additionally, Miles & More 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 miles with United Airlines or another Star Alliance partner.

You're in the right place if you are curious about the Miles & More program. Here, we'll explain everything you need to know, starting with elite status and partner airlines and moving on to earning and redeeming miles.

Related: On board the first Lufthansa Allegris flight — was the new cabin worth the wait?

An overview of Lufthansa's  Miles & More program

Lufthansa Group owns Miles & More, but it's used as the primary loyalty program for many different airlines throughout Europe. The airlines that use Miles & More as their primary loyalty program are:

• Air Dolomiti
• Austrian Airlines
• Brussels Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Discover Airlines
• Eurowings
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Lufthansa City
• Luxair
• Swiss

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 Airlines and Croatia Airlines — have never been affiliated with Lufthansa Group but still opt to use Miles & More as a loyalty program.

As most of these airlines are members of Star Alliance, you won't be surprised to learn you can earn and redeem miles on the Star Alliance airlines:

• Aegean Airlines
• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• All Nippon Airways
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Avianca
• Brussels Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• Egyptair
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA Airways
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Swiss
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines

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The program also partners with a handful of other airlines, including:

• Air Astana
• Air Malta
• Cathay Pacific
• LATAM
• Vistara

Note that there may be restrictions regarding the flights on which you can earn or redeem miles within these partnerships. Review the airline's partner page on the Miles & More website before you plan your travels so you know what to expect.

Miles & More elite status tiers

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

Earning Miles & More elite status

If you want to earn Miles & More elite status, you must earn both points and qualifying points. You can earn points on carriers that use Miles & More as their loyalty program, as well as on Star Alliance partners. Qualifying points and HON Circle points can only be earned on the following airlines: Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City, Luxair and Swiss.

Additionally, HON Circle points are only earned on business- and first-class flights.

Here are the following point thresholds needed to achieve status:

• Frequent Traveller status: 650 points and 325 qualifying points in a calendar year
• Senator status: 2,000 points and 1,000 qualifying points in a calendar year
• HON Circle status: 6,000 HON Circle points in a calendar year

You can only earn points, qualifying points and HON Circle points for elite status through flying, as opposed to some other programs that allow you to earn status from credit card spending. However, a limited number of points, qualifying points and Hon Circle points can be earned on journeys with Austrian AIRail, Lufthansa Express Rail and Swiss Air Rail (with a maximum of around a quarter of the points needed for each status level).

You earn points, qualifying points and HON Circle points based on two factors: travel class and whether your flight is considered intercontinental or continental. All points are awarded as follows:

Earning Lufthansa status isn't easy, but each status tier comes with interesting benefits. Top-tier HON Circle status comes with some of the most premium perks of all airline statuses. Here's a look at each tier's respective benefits:

Frequent Traveller

• Business-class check-in with Miles & More airline partners.
• Access to the First Class Terminal (only with a first-class ticket on Lufthansa and/or Swiss flights).
• One extra checked bag in economy, two extra bags in premium economy and business class, and three extra bags in first class.
• Access to Lufthansa Business lounges when flying on Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance carriers.
• Earn up to 50% more redeemable miles: You can earn 25% bonus miles on flights operated by Discover Airlines, Eurowings, Luxair and other Miles & More airline partners, and a 50% bonus with select carriers including Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City, Swiss and United Airlines.
• Miles won't expire as long as your status remains.
• Dedicated phone support.

These benefits are surprisingly rich for low-tier elite status. Remember that you can only access Lufthansa Business 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.

Related: Remade and remodeled: First look at Lufthansa's shiny new lounge at Newark Liberty

Senator

• All of the benefits of Frequent Traveller.
• Senator and Star Alliance Gold lounge access.
• First-class check-in.
• Priority security.
• Priority boarding.
• Two upgrade eVouchers each year 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. For example, upgrading from premium economy to business on a transatlantic flight requires two eVouchers.
• 48-hour booking guarantee before departure in the highest booking class.
• Companion Award: This lets you add a companion to all award tickets at a 50% mileage discount. This applies when flying award tickets on Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City, Luxair and Swiss.
• Free seat selection.

HON Circle

HON Circle is the cream of the crop for Miles & More status. It includes all Senator status benefits already mentioned and access to the famous First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Airport 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, members will get the following perks:

• Limousine transfer on flights operated by Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss.
• Receive four upgrade vouchers, which can be used in the same way that Senator members can use certificates.
• 24-hour booking guarantee before departure in the highest booking class.
• Increased award availability up to 14 days prior to departure.
• Two or three bags in economy class (depending on the route), three bags in premium economy and business class, and four bags in first class.

Related: The holy grail of award tickets: Flying Lufthansa first class on the Boeing 747-8

Earning miles with Miles & More

Miles & More miles are significantly harder to earn than other airline miles. Though the loyalty program doesn't have transfer partners, 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 or Swiss — will earn miles based on fare cost. If you're traveling on a Star Alliance partner flight not ticketed by a Miles & More airline, you'll earn miles based on the following calculations:

• Miles on continental flights: You'll earn a flat rate according to the booking class.
• Miles on intercontinental flights: You'll earn based on the booking class and distance flown.

Earning rates can differ from carrier to carrier and depend on how the ticket was booked. Check each carrier's earning rate for the most up-to-date information.

Spend on a Miles & More credit card

In the U.S., Lufthansa and Miles & More offer a cobranded credit card issued by Barclays called the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard. The card is offering a current welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in the first three months of account opening. You can use this card to earn 2 miles per dollar spent with Miles & More airline partners and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Additional card perks include two Lufthansa Business lounge passes and a complimentary annual companion ticket for each account anniversary.

This card has an $89 annual fee and can be a good option for earning Miles & More miles.

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

You can also earn Miles & More miles when you book hotel rooms with the Miles & More hotel booking platform. For example, you'll earn 500 miles per qualifying stay at select Hyatt hotels. 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. 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 may not be able to use car rental status benefits or earn rental car status. As always, consider whether earning Miles & More miles outweighs 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 directly, sometimes the prices can vary.

Redeeming miles with Miles & More

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

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 on zone and class of service, and you can book any Star Alliance flight with award space. As for pricing, award flights are surprisingly reasonable. For example, transatlantic flights are 30,000 miles in economy, 40,000 in premium economy class, 56,000 in business class and 91,000 in first class. The business-class rate especially is excellent.

You can view the complete Miles & More award chart on the loyalty program's website (PDF link); note that the award chart shows round-trip prices.

Do note that Miles & More adds fuel surcharges for most tickets — in practice, this is about $850 per round-trip ticket for intercontinental flights in first class. The only exceptions 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 miles for flights is easy, with one large caveat. Head to the Miles & More website and navigate to the "Spend miles for flights" page. Scroll to the center of the screen, enter your flight details and click the blue "Search flights" button. 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.

However, there is a maddening restriction on the ability to search award flights: You must have at least 7,000 miles in your account before you can even search for award availability, let alone book it.

The best uses of Miles & More miles

Redeeming Miles & More miles is one thing, but finding a great redemption is another. The award chart is very reasonable and some real sweet spots can be found. Here's a look at a few of our personal favorites for U.S.-based travelers:

• Lufthansa first class: Miles & More offers a decent redemption value for transatlantic tickets in Lufthansa first class following the recent LifeMiles devaluation. However, Lufthansa only opens first-class award space to its partners a maximum of two weeks before departure (and usually only three days before the departure date), but this isn't the case for Miles & More. You can access Lufthansa's first-class award space months beforehand, so planning vacations on one of the world's best first-class products is easier.
• Economy flights to Hawaii: You can book United economy flights from anywhere in the United States to Hawaii for just 20,000 miles each way in economy class, which is a great deal, especially if you are originating on the East Coast.
• North America to Oceania in business class: Flights from the U.S. to Australia, New Zealand and the rest of Oceania cost just 71,000 miles one-way.
• North America to Southeast Asia in business class: 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 and EVA Airways for a fraction of a revenue ticket.

Related: Is United Polaris business class worth it to Singapore?

Bottom line

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