Miles & More is not the simplest airline loyalty programme to understand, but there are still plenty of ways to earn and spend miles once you know where to look. Miles & More miles are the reward currency of the programme, used across the Lufthansa Group and a number of closely integrated airline partners, including Croatia Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines.
While flying with Lufthansa Group airlines is the most obvious way to earn, you can also collect miles with plenty of airline partners, including those in Star Alliance, as well as through hotels, car hire and more. Miles can then be redeemed for flights, upgrades, and a wide range of partner rewards.
But what are the best ways to earn Miles & More Miles, and how can you add to your balance throughout the year when you’re not flying? What are the best ways to spend miles for maximum value?
This is part 2 of our ultimate guide to the Miles & More loyalty programme. You can read part 1 here.
In this post:
Miles Expiry
Miles & More has a strict policy on miles expiry. If you have status, your miles do not expire while you hold status. However, if you don’t have status, miles have a hard expiry rule and no ‘activity’ can extend their validity.
Unlike some other airline loyalty programmes, there is also no paid option to extend the validity unless you hold a Miles & More credit card and meet the spend criteria, but these are not available in the UK. If they are not redeemed within that period, they expire at the end of the calendar quarter in which the 36-month mark falls.
For example, Miles earned from a flight on 12th December 2025 will expire on 31st December 2028 if unused.
This is something to keep in mind, especially if you plan to use Miles & More as a secondary loyalty programme where you won’t fly enough to earn Frequent Traveller status.
Earning Miles & More Miles
There are quite a few ways to earn Miles & More miles, though it is one of the harder loyalty programmes to earn miles outside of flying (but very doable).
As a European loyalty programme, there are more options than you might expect, but many of the best earning opportunities are geared towards continental Europe rather than the UK.
Flying with Lufthansa Group Airlines
Flying with Lufthansa Group airlines is the most straightforward way to earn Miles & More miles.
The group shares a common loyalty programme, and your status is recognised across all airlines, including:
- SWISS
- Brussels Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- ITA
- Lufthansa
- Lufthansa City Airlines
- Eurowings
- Air Dolomiti
- Discover Airlines
When flying on Lufthansa Group tickets (LH flight number), miles are earned based on how much you spend, rather than how far you fly.
You’ll earn miles based on the ticket price, including airline-imposed surcharges, with a higher earning rate if you hold status:
| Airline | Miles Earned Per €1 Spent – No Status | Miles Earned Per €1 Spent – Frequent Traveller Status & Above |
|---|---|---|
| Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti. Lufthansa City and ITA | 4 | 6 |
| Eurowings and Discover Airlines | 4 | 5 |
This revenue-based model can be less lucrative than airline loyalty programmes, which are calculated based on distance, fare and cabin. For example, a discounted Business Class fare may earn fewer miles than a more expensive Economy ticket, as earnings are tied to what you pay rather than the cabin you fly in.
You can use the Travel Calculator to estimate how many miles you’ll earn on your trip, or, if you’ve booked your trip, see exactly how many miles you’ll earn.
Flying with Partner Airlines
Miles & More partners with over 35 airlines, most of which are part of the Star Alliance.
Your Miles & More status is recognised when flying with airlines across the Star Alliance (Frequent Traveller = Star Alliance Silver / Senator = Star Alliance Gold).
You can choose to credit your flight to Miles & More rather than the airline’s own loyalty programme.
The good news is that partner flights are not always credited the same way as Lufthansa Group flights.
On most partner airlines, miles are calculated based on distance flown and booking class, rather than how much you spend.
This can work very much in your favour, particularly on long-haul flights in premium cabins, where earnings can be much higher than if earnings were calculated based on a revenue-based model.
However, it is important to pay attention to the flight number. If your ticket is issued with a Lufthansa Group flight number, even if operated by a partner airline, miles may be calculated based on the fare paid instead.
You’ll also earn a miles percentage bonus based on your status tier. This is usually 25% for Frequent Traveller and up to 50% for Senator and HON Circle members, although this varies.
The Miles & More travel calculator is useful to work out how many miles you’ll earn on each flight.
Star Alliance Partners
You can earn and redeem Miles & More miles across all Star Alliance airlines, including:
Croatia Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines also use the Miles & More loyalty programme.
Non-Alliance Partners
Cathay Pacific and Air Astana flights can be credited to Miles & More, with earning and redemption available on selected routes.
Luxair is a full Miles & More partner, so you can earn and redeem miles and earn status.
You can also earn and redeem Miles & More miles with Olympic Air on eligible routes and LATAM on flights booked with an LA flight number.
Specific Fares and Packages
There are a couple of fare types and add-ons for which you will earn miles. 
- Green Fares: These fares will earn 20% more miles on flights within Europe or between Europe and North Africa, and 10% more miles on intercontinental flights. This is a nice option to have, but green fares are often much more expensive. The extra miles may not justify the additional cost unless the price difference is small. Route exceptions apply.
- CO₂-saving packages: When booking, you can choose to offset your flight’s carbon emissions or contribute towards sustainable aviation fuel. You’ll earn 4 miles per €1 spent, or up to 6 miles per €1 if you hold Miles & More status. This applies to flights booked via Lufthansa group channels.
Credit Card Points
While there is a Miles & More-branded credit card, it is not available in the UK. None of the major UK miles credit cards, such as AMEX and HSBC Rewards, allow transfers to Miles & More.
The only credit card-related option is to earn points with the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy card and transfer them from Marriott to Miles & More, but the value is poor.
This is a major downside of the loyalty programme, given that credit card points are among the best ways to earn miles outside of flying.
Hotel Bookings
As with many airline loyalty programmes, booking hotels is a lucrative way to earn Miles & More miles.
There are some major partners, including:
- Marriott – 1-2 miles per $1 spent
- IHG – 1-2 miles per $1
- Accor – 2 miles per $1
- Melia – Minimum 10 miles per $1/€1
- Wyndham – 1-2 miles per $1
- Hyatt – 500 miles per stay (useful for cheap stays)
- AMERON and Althoff Hotels – 500 miles per stay
- Leonardo – 1 mile per €1 spent
- Romantik Hotels – 1 mile per €1
You can also click through to Rocket Travel by Agoda, which includes over 500,000 hotels. You can earn at least 1,000 miles per night, and in some cases up to 18,000 miles per stay.
Booking.com also earns 1 mile per €1 spent. This is generally the way to earn the most Miles & More miles on hotel stays.
You must click through the Miles & More website to these hotels/platforms (similar to Virgin Red and Avios.com).
However, when you choose to earn Miles & More miles, you will forgo earning hotel points. Usually, this is a much more lucrative option, but crediting to Miles & More can be good if you are not likely to use the hotel points in their own currency.
Converting Hotel Points
Many hotel loyalty programmes allow you to convert points into Miles & More miles.
- Marriott: You can transfer Marriott Points at a rate of 3:1, and you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 Points for every lump sum of 60,000 Points transferred.
- Hilton: 8 Hilton Points can be converted into 1 Mile. This is a very low value rate. Transfers start at 5,000 Points, and you can convert up to 50,000 each year.
For both of these programmes, it’s more lucrative to keep the points as hotel points and only transfer if you need them as a top-up for a redemption, or if you won’t otherwise use your points.
Rental Cars
Miles & More works with a number of rental companies, including:
- Hertz
- Europcar
- SIXT
- Avis
- Budget
You can also book via Hotels & Cars by Rocket Travel by Agoda.
When crediting your rental car booking to Miles & More, you won’t earn points/status with the rental car loyalty programme.
uptrip App
The uptrip app is a fun way to earn miles beyond flying. Each time you fly, you can scan your boarding pass (even if it’s a redemption flight) and collect two cards per segment, and the nice thing is they don’t expire.
You can earn rewards such as free onboard Wi-Fi, points and qualifying points, lounge access, upgrade vouchers and even Frequent Traveller/Senator status. Rewards are also available with partners such as Babbel, Tiqets and Sixt. You can also trade cards with other users or buy extras.
This is something you should definitely do! Using the app can add up to some nice rewards over time.
Earn Miles at Airports
At Frankfurt and Munich airports, you can earn miles at partner shops. Show your Miles & More membership card or give your number to earn. You can also earn via Heathrow Rewards and opt to convert points into Miles & More miles.
View the places you can earn miles here
Other Partners Worth Noting
- Get Your Guide – 4 miles per €1
- Luxair Tours – 1,250 miles per segment
- Asmallworld – up to 250,000
- Suzhou Village by Bicester – 1 mile per €1
If you download the Miles & More app, you’ll receive a one-off bonus of 500 miles.
Spending Miles & More Miles
There are plenty of ways to spend Miles & More miles, but as always, the difference in value can be huge depending on how you spend them.
At the lower end, you can opt for part-pay options, gift cards or shopping through Worldshop, but these tend to offer poor value and are best avoided unless you need to spend a balance.
The best value comes from spending miles on flights and upgrades. There are some great opportunities, but unfortunately, since the 2025 devaluation, redemptions have become less lucrative. However, there are still some great opportunities, particularly when booking partner airlines or finding availability on the right routes.
You can’t transfer miles across to other airline loyalty schemes (though you can book redemptions with partners). You’ll need to plan how you’ll use them within the programme.
Lufthansa Group Award Flights
In 2025, the programme was overhauled, removing flexible, refundable award flights unless you pay a premium. Lufthansa has openly admitted that long-haul partner redemptions now require “significantly more miles”. You have to use the booking platform to get the redemption price. The good thing is you can choose the fare type.
Pricing is now dynamic and not based on an award chart. In other words, pricing is based on route, cabin, fare type and demand. This applies to Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian and Lufthansa City and has now been extended to cover Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti.
One of the biggest issues with redemptions is high surcharges. You’re looking at £500-£1,000 for a return flight. This means redemptions, especially short-haul flights within Europe, have lower value once taxes and fees are factored in.
Currently, redeeming with Lufthansa Group airlines rarely offers good value, whereas some partner redemptions can be highly valuable. You can also redeem cash and miles starting at 3,000 miles, but again, this rarely offers value.
Eurowings redemptions can also be a good option, starting at just 9,000 miles. If you find a deal, compare it against the cash fare to make sure you’re getting a good value.
It’s also worth noting that children get a 25% redemption discount.
If you’re planning to search for Reward Flights, keep in mind you’ll need at least 1,500 miles to do this.
First Class Awards
Only Miles & More members can access First Class redemptions in advance. With other Star Alliance programmes, you’ll have access 14 days before departure, by which time, there’s unlikely to be availability.
Mileage Bargains
Every month, new mileage bargains are available. You can save up to 50% off the usual miles required for the redemption. You still need to pay taxes and surcharges, but this can often be worth it given the reduced mileage. Bargains are only offered by select airlines, including Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Luxair.
Fly Smart
Fly Smart Award Flights are the last-minute option available for redemptions with Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, and LOT Polish Airlines.
You can book between 14 and 2 days before departure and save up to 40%, with pricing starting at 16,000 miles.
Partner Award Flights – Often Best Value
You can book award flights on Star Alliance airlines and a small number of other partners using a published award chart, rather than the dynamic pricing used for most Lufthansa Group redemptions. This makes redemptions much more predictable. There are also often lower surcharges than for Lufthansa Group redemptions, especially when booking flights on LOT, Avianca, United, Asiana, and ANA.
You can combine flights with multiple Star Alliance airlines into one award flight.
Return flight costs starting in Europe:
Star Alliance Award Flight chart also applies to selected non-alliance and Miles & More partner airlines.
For intercontinental flights, you can add a continental connecting trip free.
Some of the best value options include:
- Domestic US and Canada flights
- International First Class
- Europe to the Middle East
- Europe to North America
- Europe to India
- Flights departing from Brazil or Hong Kong
- Europe or the US to Australia or New Zealand
Upgrade Awards – Can be Fantastic Value
If you already have a paid ticket, you can use your miles to upgrade to a higher cabin starting at just 10,000 miles one way. This applies across the Lufthansa Group plus selected Star Alliance partners.
Pricing depends on route and booking class. Premium Economy to Business is often a better value, starting at 20,000 miles each way on long-haul flights.
Here’s how many miles you’ll need per flight segment, one way from Europe
| Route | Economy to Premium Economy | Economy to Business | Premium Economy to Business | Business to First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within Europe | N/A | 10,000 to 20,000 | N/A | N/A |
| North America, South Africa and India | 20,000 – 45,000 | 35,000 to 75,000 | 20,000 – 45,000 | 50,000 – 70,000 |
| South America, Central America and the Caribbean | 25,000 – 45,000 | 40,000 to 75,000 | 25,000 – 45,000 | 55,000 – 75,000 |
| East, Caucasus, North and Central Africa | 20,000 – 30,000 | 30,000 to 45,000 | 20,000 – 30,000 | 35,000 – 55,000 |
| South-East Asia, Central Asia, Far East | 30,000 – 50,000 | 50,000 to 85,000 | 30,000 – 50,000 | 65,000 – 85,000 |
| Europe to New Zealand | N/A | 60,000 to 75,000 | N/A | 75,000 – 95,000 |
View all the costs here if you’re not departing from Europe
You must hold a paid, upgradeable fare; award tickets cannot be upgraded. Availability is capacity-controlled, and some partner airlines only allow upgrades from specific booking classes.
You can request upgrades online via this form, by phone or sometimes at the airport, and join a waiting list if space is not immediately available.
Hotels
Redeem miles for hotels starting from 3,000 miles via Rocket Travel by Agoda. You can also pay with a combination of miles and cash, but again, this is certainly not the best way to use miles, and it depends on the date, cash price, and property, though it’s a good option if your miles are going to expire.
Rental Cars
Car rentals are another option that’s nice to have, but rarely the best use of miles. As a guide, Hertz redemptions start at 7,500 miles and Sixt at 3,000.
Worldshop
Worldshop is Lufthansa’s shopping platform where you can redeem miles on a range of products. You’ll find everything from luggage and electronics to skincare and aviation-themed collectables. It’s mainly premium brands and travel-themed products. You can also pay with a combination of cash and miles starting at 3,000 miles.
Of course, with redemptions like this, you’ll get poor value compared to redeeming for flights. However, some of the Lufthansa Group-branded items would be worth spending miles on, as this is the only place you can get them.
Gift Cards
Turn your miles into a Cadooz gift card starting at 3,000 miles. This is a good way to use miles that would otherwise go to waste, but otherwise it’s a poor value option.
Other Things to Note
- Purchasing Miles: You can’t just purchase Miles & More miles. You need to wait for promotions such as Bundle and Go/
- Mileage Pooling: Pool miles for up to 2 adults and 5 children.
Final Words
Miles & More is certainly not the simplest loyalty programme, and there are few options for earning miles outside of flying if you’re based in the UK. Add in the recent redemption changes, high surcharges, and Lufthansa Group reward flights are no longer the obvious bargain they once were. The lack of UK credit cards and the absence of direct transfer options from major currencies, such as AMEX Membership Rewards, are also major drawbacks.
However, writing Miles & More off would be a mistake. There is still plenty of value to be found if you know where to look. Partner award charts remain one of the best options due to the fixed award chart and often lower surcharges. Upgrade Awards can also have fantastic value, especially from Premium Economy to Business. Miles & More also remains the best programme for accessing Lufthansa Group First Class awards in advance. The ability to add a continental connection to an intercontinental partner award can really increase the value.
If you can earn through Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance flying, top up through hotels and partners, and redeem carefully on partner airlines or upgrades, there is still plenty of value to be found.
1 comment
Nice write up.
Lufthansa awards – particularly in first class – can be a very good value. Unfortunately, first class award availability is often either obscured or simply unavailable.