Miles & More is the world's largest airline loyalty program. Her story began in 1993. Then, from year to year, new partners joined it, new rewards appeared, and so on. More than 40 airlines worldwide and 25 million air passengers are now Miles & More members.

To register for the Miles & More program and start earning miles, you just need to fill out a simple application form. This can be done on the official website of the program, or through the mobile application.

Also, Miles & More members automatically become those passengers who have registered in the bonus program of any of the Star Alliance member airlines.

Which airlines participate in the Miles & More program

Airlines that recognize Miles and More points (allowing them to accumulate or spend on their services) are divided into two types: fully integrated airlines and partners.

Fully integrated into the airline program:

• All air carriers belonging to the Lufthansa Group (including Eurowings and SWISS);
• LOT - Polish Airlines;
• Adria Airways;
• Condor;
• Luxair.

Program partners:

• All members;
• Air Astana;
• Air Malta;
• Air dolomiti
• Jet Airways.

How to earn Miles & More miles

The more miles - the more profitable it is to participate in the program. The first and most obvious way to top up your bonus balance is to fly frequently with airlines that participate in the bonus program. The rules for earning miles differ from carrier to carrier, but on average they look like this:

• Flights within Europe are credited with a fixed number of miles;
• For flights around the world, the number of miles is accrued equal to the actual distance between the airport of departure and the airport of arrival;
• For international flights, miles are credited with a certain coefficient - usually from 0.25x (for the cheapest tickets) to 2x (in business and first class).

That is, a passenger flying in economy class on the cheapest ticket is awarded only a number of points for the flight, which is only a quarter of the actual distance in miles, while a passenger who chooses to fly in first or business class, the bonus balance may be credited with the number of miles twice the distance actually covered.

There are different types of miles: award, status, HON Circle and bonus miles.

For details and up-to-date information on how miles are credited with a particular carrier, we provide detailed reviews of airlines participating in the bonus program. This information can also be found on the official Miles & More website or on the rewards program mobile app.

We also mention other ways to earn miles:

• Book a room at a hotel - a partner of the program;
• Rent a car from a rental company that is a partner of the program;
• Make a purchase from an affiliate store.

The latter method is more relevant for Europe, or rather, for Germany, since most of the partner stores are located precisely at German airports.

You can also earn miles using certain banking products (credit cards) and telecommunications services.

In Russia, you can earn miles using three credit cards:

• Austrian Airlines card (issued by Raiffeisenbank);
• Miles & More cards (issued by Russian Standard Bank and Citibank).

Russian Standard Bank also offers debit cards with the ability to accumulate program points.

Note! Members of the bonus program who do not have a special status have a validity period of 36 months. However, if you purchase a Miles & More credit card, your miles will not expire.

Miles and More member statuses

For those who really fly a lot, there are three special statuses in the Miles and More program:

• FREQUENT TRAVELER (issued for the accumulated 35 thousand status miles or 30 regular flights during the year);
• Senator (for 100 thousand status miles per year);
• HON CIRCLE MEMBER (member of the venerable circle) (600,000 miles over two years).

We will also provide a description of the main privileges, depending on the status of the program participant:

Those who maintain their status for several years in a row receive additional status stars. This is what it is:

How to spend miles & More miles

Having accumulated a sufficiently large number of bonus points, it's time to think - what to spend them on now? At first glance, members and partners of the Miles and More program offer a fairly large variety of services and services for which you can spend the accumulated miles, but in fact, as in most bonus programs, most of them are simply useless to customers.

• upgrade of the class of service during the flight;
• compensation for part of the air ticket price.

If you have a lot of miles, but you do not plan to fly, then you can look at the section with partner promotions - there are many Russian companies:

• taxi services;
• food delivery services, cafes and restaurants;
• household appliances stores;
• grocery stores;
• medical centers.

Each of them has its own conditions for redeeming points - somewhere with Miles & More miles you can get a discount, somewhere you can compensate for part of the cost of a purchase or service, and somewhere you can buy a gift certificate.

Is it worth participating in Miles & More

We would advise you to sign up for the program if you buy a ticket for a flight with a participating airline. Registration is simple, it will definitely not be superfluous. Here, as in any bonus program, it is nice when some kind of bonus is accumulated. But in order to save up for a truly worthy reward, it will take a very long time to save.

As for additional services such as co-branded credit and debit cards, we would not recommend starting them. Indeed, in this case, you are tying yourself to a limited circle of air carriers, while there are much more profitable offers on the market with a similar system of accumulating miles or points, but bonuses can be spent on flights of any airlines.

A separate advantage of Miles & More is a convenient mobile application that allows you to visually and conveniently track your bonus balance and be the first to know about promotions and special offers from the company.

There are whole strategies on how to spend miles more profitably. For example, some airlines in the alliance have low fees. And someone spends on specific flights with minimal fees on Lufthansa's daughter airline Condor (flights from Fortaleza or Recife to Frankfurt with fees are 2,000 rubles).

We do not aim to immerse the reader in all the subtleties and nuances from which one can get confused. We will tell you only about general useful information, and it is up to you whether to participate in this program.

Pros of Miles & More .:

• With airline miles, it is possible to actually fly for zero rubles. You can buy air tickets to European cities from Russia in economy and business class, paying taxes with miles. For example, the cost of a flight Moscow - Bilbao - Moscow will be 0 rubles and 48,000 miles in economy class, and the same 0 rubles and 63,000 miles in business class.
• Fly Smart program, when you can take tickets to Europe (only to Europe) 2 weeks before departure with a mile discount. The cost of the flight in miles in economy will be 15,000 (instead of 30,000), in business class - 25,000 (instead of 40,000). Fees can also be paid not in rubles, but with additional miles in the amount of 18,000.
• An indisputable advantage of the airline is the wide geography of European routes: Porto, Toulouse, Ibiza, Izmir, Ljubljana, Bergen, Aberdeen, Palermo, Olbia ... Considering the airline's European partners (Croatia Airlines, SAS, Austrian Airlines, Adria Airways, TAP Portugal), if desired in miles you can fly to any corner of Europe from Bosnia and Macedonia to the Spanish and Portuguese islands.
• You can buy one way tickets, it will cost 50% of the cost of the round trip.
• It is beneficial to fly from a number of countries with low fuel surcharges, for example, from cities and Brazil. For example, a ticket for a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Moscow will cost 40,000 miles and only 4,000 rubles, and a flight from Seattle to Moscow will cost 30,000 miles and 6,800 rubles.
• It is always advantageous to fly Business Class if you have enough miles. This is especially beneficial for mile sales, which can be viewed on the official website (for example, in business, you can fly 55,000 miles to New York instead of the usual 105,000). Promotions are constantly updated. It is another matter that business class (especially in Europe) loses a lot - inferior in quality of service on board - to Aeroflot.

How can I earn miles with the Miles & More program?

Another important nuance: the branches of these banks are not found in all large cities of Russia, what can we say about the provinces there.

2. It is extremely difficult to accumulate bonuses by flights if you do not fly in business on long-distance routes with an airline alliance. If there are no flights at all, the miles will expire. Don't forget this. There are nuances in which miles do not burn (for example, Citibank miles are fireproof).

The rest of the accumulation methods for most participants are not so essential (miles for hotel accommodation, car rental, filling out questionnaires, writing reviews on tripadvisor, etc.)

Minuses

• Huge fees (from 11 to 15 thousand rubles in Europe), if you fly 30,000 miles with their payment, then all sense is lost, because for this money you can buy tickets from other airlines without any miles for the same cost.
• The airline has left a number of Russian cities: Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Perm, Novosibirsk, etc. It makes sense to choose a program if you often fly with Star Alliance airlines and live in Moscow or St. Petersburg.
• The partner banks of the program, Raiffeisenbank and Citibank, are not represented in all cities of Russia.

Outcome
Lufthansa miles are profitable to save on the condition that you spend them on free flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to European cities, but keep in mind that you only need to save them if you spend a lot on a Citibank co-branded card or Raiffeisenbank. Undoubtedly, the price of tickets to a number of certain destinations is also pleasant, for example, a flight Moscow - Boston - Moscow will cost 12,000 rubles and 60,000 miles. Of course, if you use them wisely, they can come in handy on difficult routes, for example, UNITED AIRLINES fees when flying from Los Angeles to Hawaiian Cahului were only 2,000 rubles, while this ticket costs 10 times more for the money.

For passengers who frequently use the services of the Lufthansa carrier, the company has created a dedicated bonus program. Participation in it allows you to accumulate so-called miles for flights, in order to then exchange them for incentives, service improvements and gifts. The Lufthansa Miles and More program does not include additional costs, the member of the bonus promotion simply uses the services of the Lufthansa airline that he needs and receives additional benefits. Miles and More has held the title of the largest passenger bonus program in Europe for several years.

The Miles and More program is inextricably linked to the world's oldest airline alliance, Star Alliance. The German airline Lufthansa is a member of the alliance, therefore, along with the rest, it implements the Miles and More bonus program.

We recommend starting your acquaintance by visiting the official website of the program in Russian. There, any future and current client of the airline can register in the bonus program, spending only a few minutes. A package of services has been created to reward passengers who regularly fly on aircraft of the entire alliance in general and Lufthansa in particular.

Once the bonus program included only flights, so miles were accumulated exclusively for tickets purchased for flights.

Today, Miles and More also covers hotel reservations, shopping, accommodation, car rental and even writing reviews on the operation of some services.

Promotional offers are regularly announced on the Miles and More website, allowing you to earn much more miles than usual. However, even without using promotions, earning miles through the program is quite easy. To do this, you just need to book and pay for services.

Miles are inextricably linked with the money spent by the passenger. True, the coefficients for converting euros into miles are used differently, depending on the status assigned to the program member.

To register in the program, enter the basic data in a special form on the official website: full name, date of birth, place of residence, contact phone number, then choose a login and password to enter your account.

At the second step of registration, the system will offer you to choose the directions about which you would like to receive notifications. For example, a customer is interested in promotions related to European flights of Lufthansa - it is possible to select the priority of information.

That's it: you can now earn miles with the airline and its partners.

What is Miles and More cardholder status

Miles & More is a bonus program that provides for the assignment of certain statuses to all its members. All of them are designed to motivate customers to travel as often as possible - the higher the status, the more miles and gifts you can receive.

After registration, the client has a personal account, but there is no specialized card yet. To receive it, you must make at least one purchase from a Miles and More partner and then credit your award mile to your customer account.

To upgrade to the Frequent Traveler tier, you must earn 35,000 miles or more in one calendar year. After reaching this status, the program member will no longer accumulate award, but status miles. At the same time, he will be able to spend the bonus bonuses received earlier, as before, at his own discretion.

Additional benefits for Frequent Traveler Members:

• unlimited validity of miles;
• additional promotions for premium (50% more) and status (25% more) miles;
• third priority on the waiting list, check-in for flights at the business class counter;
• additional places for luggage;
• access to the business lounge;
• an exclusive telephone for consultation on the provision of services;
• golf bag as part of the available free luggage.

Having accumulated 100,000 status miles in one year, the participant of the promotion receives a new status - Senator. In addition to the above, he also receives some additional bonuses, for example, 2 vouchers for upgraded flights. Reservations for tickets up to 48 hours are also available, with the second most important priority on the waiting list, check-in at the first class counter, 20 additional kilograms of free baggage, advance crediting of miles, prizes for accompanying persons and more.

The highest status in the program is considered to be HON Circle: it can be obtained by earning 600,000 miles or more in two calendar years.

HON CIRCLE MEMBER status provides all the privileges provided by the program. The member immediately receives 6 vouchers for upgrading the class of service, the highest priority on the waiting list, access to first class lounges and the first class terminal, transfer and car rental services with a driver, personal assistant on long-haul flights. Additionally, the spouse of the HON CIRCLE cardholder receives Senator status regardless of the number of points.

How to earn miles with the Miles and More program

The Miles & More program is regularly expanding its list of partners. Today, users of the bonus program accumulate miles using the services of the airline and several hundred of its partners in various fields.

Typically, the options available for earning miles are related to travel, but there are exceptions to the rule. It is convenient to accumulate miles while staying at partner hotels of the program, ordering additional services during scheduled flights by air (excess baggage, transportation of animals, escorting children traveling without parents, ordering in-flight meals) using mobile communication abroad, renting cars, ordering transfers. In addition, for people who want to earn miles using bank cards, Lufthansa offers to issue a plastic card with a bonus program.

In Russia, Citibank, Sberbank, Alfa-Bank and some other financial organizations cooperate with the air carrier. A mile card is used as standard as a credit or payment card; in addition, the user is credited with miles for paying for any goods and services.

You can find a partner company to earn miles. All options are grouped into the following categories: air travel, hotels, car rental, credit cards, telecommunications, electronics, shopping, charity.

How to spend earned miles

Lufthansa allows you to redeem miles not only for ordering its services, but also for purchases from its partners. Nevertheless, today the most popular ways to write off bonuses among program members are booking air tickets and upgrading the class of service. To find out about all the possibilities, go to your personal account on the website.

Free flights

Members of the program are indeed able to purchase tickets for miles; it is no different from the standard online booking of a seat on the plane. Only instead of the number of the payment card, the client enters the number of the mile, from which the "funds" are debited.

You can accrue miles for past transactions if no more than six months have passed since the payment was made. In this case, it is advisable to have boarding passes, receipts and other documents confirming the provision of a certain service with you.

Conclusion

Miles and More is a convenient loyalty program for those traveling with the Star Alliance and Lufthansa in particular. It allows you to receive gifts, improved service and even free flights.

To participate in the program, you will need to go through a short registration and pay for at least one purchase from any partner, for example, in the More miles online store. After that, the client is assigned a basic status and can enjoy all the benefits of the service.

If you issue a specialized card (they are issued by some Russian banks), you can earn miles for purchases in your own country - miles are credited to your account for each transaction you make. With a mile card, the catalog of goods for which you can receive bonuses increases significantly. In practice, each mile is equal to 20-30 rubles.

Miles & More brand: Video

UPDATE: The article has been updated to reflect the changed pricing.

Welcome to the new series that many readers have asked for my attention. This series will be called Best use cases for miles…

These articles will be a mirror image of another series. How to access… If there we are talking about which miles are the most profitable for purchasing an award ticket for a specific product of a specific airline, then here we will discuss various options for using miles of a specific loyalty program.

I hope one series of articles will organically complement the other.

So, we'll start with one of the most popular and most controversial loyalty programs in the world.

Miles & More

Miles & More is a loyalty program for several European airlines: Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, LOT, Adria and Croatia Airlines. In addition to these airlines, which are the “founders” of the program, and other carriers included in the Star Alliance, the program partners are Condor, Eurowings, Luxair, Air Astana, Air Malta.

Based on the number of passengers registered with Miles & More, this is the most popular loyalty program in the world.

Miles & More can be treated differently. On the one hand, there are thousands (& more) ways to earn miles in this program, including - and importantly for Russians - co-branded cards.

On the other hand, inexperienced users, having accumulated a fair amount of miles, find themselves in a stupor when they see how astronomical fuel surcharges for purchasing award tickets make the use of these very miles impractical.

The truth, as is often the case, is somewhere in between. Miles & More has a lot of interesting use cases, but before you make this program the main one in your portfolio, you need to clearly understand its limitations.

So let's first briefly discuss the general terms and conditions of award tickets and then see what Miles & More miles are best suited for.

Miles & More award fares and conditions

A full description of the program conditions is beyond the scope of this article, but here are the highlights.

This is what the pricing table for award tickets looks like, whether it is the Lufthansa Group or the alliance partners.

The prices in the table are for a round trip. A one-way flight costs exactly half the price. Moreover, Miles & More uses price rounding to the nearest thousand in favor of the passenger. For example, a flight from Europe to Central America in business class will not cost 127,000 / 2 = 63,500 miles, but only 63,000 miles. Generously!

Before booking an odd-mile round trip, try splitting it into two one-way flights to save 1,000 miles.

The above table has some nuances.

Domestic flights are calculated at special fares Domestic... So, for example, a flight within the USA / within Switzerland is considered to be Domestic, not according to the tariff North America - North America/Europe - Europe.

Tariffs 3 regions are valid if your route crosses the third region. And we are not talking about a transfer, which you have laid for maximizing purposes, but even about a forced transit. For example, a flight from the USA to Southeast Asia via Europe will be calculated not according to the main table, but according to the table 3 regions.

Miles & More limits the number of flight segments. It depends on how many regions the award ticket includes:

• 1 region: 2 one-way segments, 4 round-trip segments
• 2 regions: 3 one-way segments, 6 round-trip segments
• 3 regions: 4 one-way segments, 8 round-trip segments

Flights with almost all partner airlines can be booked online. Exceptions: Air India, Cathay Pacific, Air Astana.

So, now that we have clarified the main points on which award tickets function, let's in fact discuss the best options for using miles.

Lufthansa First Class

Classics of the genre! This is the best reward for your Miles & More miles. Many people think that it is the only one. As we will see later, this is not at all the case. But if you take into account not the math, but the use of miles for inspiring purposes on a special occasion, then this is really almost the only option 🙂

Why is this the best investment for your Miles & More miles?

• The Miles & More program is the only one to open up the availability of Lufthansa First Class tickets more than 2 weeks before departure
• High fuel surcharges pay off in the first place when purchasing such expensive flights
• I haven't talked about it yet, but Lufthansa First Class is creepy horrrrrosh

How much will it cost to fly in Lufthansa First Class from Europe ( one way)?

• North America: 91,000 miles
• South America: 111,000 miles
• Middle East: 65,000 miles
• India: 91,000 miles
• South Africa: 91,000 miles
• Southeast Asia and the Far East: 111,000 miles

In some other programs we see slightly lower prices for similar routes, but the Miles & More prices are generally adequate, especially considering the possibility of planning a flight more than two weeks before the desired departure date.

Before making a decision, of course, it is worth keeping in mind the Miles & More fuel surcharges and the cost of accumulating these miles and miles of affiliate programs. However, this is more of a discussion topic for the article “ How to access Lufthansa First Class» 🙂

All of the above applies to the first class Swiss; except that only Miles & More status members - Senator and HON Circle - can purchase it with miles.

Fly Smart

Fly Smart premium rates apply to flights within Europe booked no earlier than two weeks and no later than two days before departure.

Those who can make a decision during this period of time can save a lot.

A round-trip flight in Economy Class will cost 20,000 miles, and in Business Class it will cost 30,000 miles.

This may represent a good value in the case of expensive flights to rare destinations or in high season.

The good news is that taxes and fees can also be paid with miles... They cost 15,000 miles - for both economy and business.

Fly Smart tickets can only be booked online.

Meilenschnäppchen

Every month, Miles & More is putting up some of the routes on sale at reduced prices.

For example, round-trip flights in business class between Europe and the United States cost 55,000 miles instead of the traditional 112,000, and between Europe and Asia - 70,000 instead of 142,000. Solid savings! It's nice that Meilenschnäppchen's pricing hasn't changed since the standard pricing was raised a few months ago.

However, again, the high fuel surcharges should be borne in mind. As a general rule, Meilenschnäppchen makes sense for exotic and high-end destinations. But if Eurowings and LOT flights are on the sale list, then the fees for them are much lower!

Occasionally, the Meilenschnäppchen list includes intra-European destinations for Economy Class flights with low fuel surcharges. Most often we are talking about LOT flights.

In addition to the fuel surcharges, the problem with Meilenschnäppchen is that the travel period lies far into the future, and the flights one way not allowed. However, in certain circumstances, these offers may make sense.

Business class LOT

If you want to avoid astronomical fuel surcharges, the LOT is the solution!

The Polish airline does not charge unreasonable fees when purchasing award tickets.

So, a flight from Warsaw to Beijing on a LOT flight costs 71,000 miles + 294 PLN (68 €).

A flight on the same route via Germany on board Lufthansa costs 71,000 miles + 1198 PLN (277 €).

It is also safe to say that the LOT Business Class product is at least as good as Lufthansa Business Class, if not better. So in this case, saving does not mean a lower quality product at all.

Premium class departing from Hong Kong and Brazil

This world-old story is not limited to the Miles & More program. Brazil and Hong Kong are the only two countries to legally prohibit fuel surcharges on award tickets.

Therefore, with a departure from Brazil and Hong Kong, Lufthansa flights make sense not only in first class, but also in business and even in premium economy.

If you want to minimize your fees, choose direct flights without a stopover in Europe.

So, the flight from Sao Paulo to Zurich has the lowest fees if you choose Swiss.

Similarly, a direct flight from Hong Kong to Frankfurt with Lufthansa will cost you less than Austrian via Vienna, Swiss via Zurich or Lufthansa via Munich.

This rule applies to all Star Alliance partners. Similarly, you can fly inexpensively from Brazil, for example, on TAP or Turkish Airlines flights.

Another good option to use this trick is flight from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg South African Airways... In business class it costs only 56,000 miles plus around € 30 in taxes.

Flights United within the United States

15,000 miles in Economy Class and 20,000 miles in United Business Class across the United States is a great use of Miles & More miles.

According to the geographic definition, the US region does not include Hawaii ... otherwise it would be too good 😉 But Alaska - yes, it does.

United has a vast geography of flights within the country, including all kinds of exotic and expensive destinations.

In business class, United uses planes with full beds on flights between New York and San Francisco / Los Angeles. 20,000 miles for such a product is more than adequate price.

Better yet, taxes and fees on these tickets literally go to zero. Expect to pay up to $ 10.

Flights United from USA to Hawaii

Although Hawaii is not considered part of the United States on the Miles & More table, United's fares are reasonable: 20,000 miles in Economy, 35,000 miles in business.

Again, you can be happy with the minimum taxes and fees under $ 10.

Flights between Hawaii and Australia, New Zealand and Asia

If the allocation of Hawaii as a separate zone increases the price for flights there from the continental United States, then it is thanks to the Miles & More zoning that you can make an economical trip between Hawaii and Australia, New Zealand, Oceania and Asia.

One-way flight between Hawaii and the regions and Central Asia / Far East costs only 20,000 miles in Economy and 35,000 miles in business!

The only catch is that there are very few airlines serving these destinations, and finding available seats is a daunting task.

Specifically, we are talking about flights

• United: Honolulu-Guam, Honolulu-Tokyo
• Air New Zealand: Honolulu - Auckland
• Air China: Honolulu - Beijing
• China Airlines: Honolulu-Taipei, Honolulu-Tokyo (NRT)
• ANA: Honolulu - Tokyo (HND, NRT)
• Asiana: Honolulu - Seoul

Good luck finding places!

Flights within Africa and the Middle East and between these regions

The more exotic the destinations are, the higher the prices are. The use of miles in such cases suggests itself!

Within the region Middle East / Caucasus / North / Central Africa we will have to go to Ethiopian and Egypt Air. Unfortunately, Southern africa allocated to a separate region ...

A one-way flight costs only 17,000 miles in economy and 30,000 miles in business class.

It will cost so much both a short flight between Addis Ababa and Zanzibar, and a longer trip between Dakar and Dubai.

Flights between Central and South America

Such travel can be sooooo expensive!

Star Alliance airlines such as Copa Airlines and Avianca will come to our aid.

Mexico is part of Central America for Miles & More, so a flight from there to any place in South America will cost only 17,000 miles in economy and 30,000 miles in business.

Copa and Avianca charge fuel surcharges, but they range from $ 100-150.

Don't forget to compare pricing with other programs like LifeMiles and ConnectMiles. On short flights within Latin America, they often offer lower prices and better availability.

Flights within Oceania

Here we will take advantage of the vast geography of the region. Australia / New Zealand / Oceania... Take a distant point in Australia and a distant point in Oceania. We get, for example, a flight from Perth to Fiji aboard Air New Zealand for 17,000 miles in economy class and 30,000 miles in business.

Taxes and fees range around $ 50.

As is the case with exotic destinations with just one airline, finding available seats will be a challenge ...

Flights Eurowings

The situation with Eurowings is a bit confusing.

For short and medium-haul flights, Eurowings has its own table as Eurowings uses its own pricing system.

For long-haul flights, Miles & More standard rates apply. In the table on the Eurowings website, you will see another table applicable to departures from / arrivals to Cologne. But, as far as I understand, this is no longer relevant, since Eurowings does not have a single long-distance route from Cologne.

Not only are the rates expressed in miles attractive, but also the moderate taxes and fees. Within Europe, expect to pay around € 50 for a one-way flight and up to € 100 for long-haul flights.

Eurowings flies to exotic destinations such as Reykjavik, Marrakech, Funchal, Punta Cana.

You can book tickets as on the Eurowings website by logging in with your Miles & More credentials and on the Miles & More website.

As I wrote above, if Eurowings destinations are on the Meilenschnäppchen list, then this is a real freebie!

Outcome

Well, I hope this list serves as proof that Miles & More is a valuable currency, not only for the obvious first class flights of Lufthansa itself.

Let's discuss other options and nuances in the comments!

Lufthansa's Miles and More frequent flyer program is the largest in Europe. It includes more than 40 airline partners. Of these, 28 airlines are members of the Star Alliance. In 2011, Miles and More had 20 million members.

You can earn miles as early as 2 years of age. However, you need to remember that all accounts are strictly individual. Even members of the same family will not help to unite and have one card. You can become a Miles and More member by registering on the website or at the Lufthansa counter.

Having filled in all the necessary information about yourself, you will receive a temporary program participant card in paper form. A PIN code for such a card is not issued. You can enter the program on the site by typing the username and password that you specified during registration. If at least 1 mile has not been credited to your account within 6 months, the temporary card will be canceled.

Immediately after the miles have been credited to your account (no matter how many) you will be sent a plastic Miles and More membership card along with a PIN.

What are the different statuses for a Miles and More cardholder?

Miles and More members can not only receive awards, but also enjoy various privileges at airports around the world and during flights. Having accumulated a certain number of so-called status miles (more on them below), you can travel in greater comfort. Lufthansa has comfortable lounges in various classes at many airports around the world. The holder of a status card can enjoy the benefits at check-in (separate counters), discounts for baggage (including sports equipment), receive even more free miles (executive bonus) or take them in advance, etc. The higher the status, the more privileges. We will not list the privileges for each status; this information can be found on the airline's website.

The Executive bonus is a 25% bonus offered by selected partner airlines to Frequent Traveler, Senator and HON Circle members. All information about the possibility of enrolling the Executive Bonus can be obtained on your personal page.

There are three types of Miles and More statuses:

FREQUENT TRAVELER. To obtain this status, it is necessary to accumulate 35,000 status miles (namely, status miles, not bonus miles) within one calendar year. That is, if you issued a card on October 15, 2012, then status miles will be canceled on December 31, 2012. Read below how to get status miles. FREQUENT TRAVELER status is valid for two years.

SENATOR. Senator status can be achieved by earning 100,000 miles in one calendar year. The status is valid for two years.

HON Circle. The highest status is achieved by earning 600,000 HON Circle miles over two calendar years.

A few months before the expiration of the status, the cardholder receives an email (and for HON Circle members a letter to their home address), which will, among other things, provide information on the number of miles required to renew the status.

What are the miles?

Status miles

Status Miles are required to become a Frequent Traveler or Senator. They are credited for flights with Adria Airways, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines Group, bmi, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional, Luxair, SWISS and other Star Alliance partners. When you earn 35,000 Status Miles, you will be awarded Frequent Traveler status. When you earn 100,000 status miles, you will receive Senator status. The status is valid for 2 years. If within one year you have not reached the required number of miles to obtain the status, the status miles will expire. Moreover, miles are debited on December 31 of each year, that is, regardless of when the account was opened.

The validity period of status miles is not limited.

Award miles

Award miles are those miles that can be redeemed for an award (free air travel, etc.). They are credited for flights on the flights of Star Alliance member airlines and other partner airlines, for the services of partner companies in car rental, hotel accommodation, for using co-branded cards, participating in various promotions, etc. Do not confuse status and award miles! You can buy something only for premium!

A co-branding card is a joint card of a bank and a partner, which allows you to receive discounts and bonuses for goods and services of a partner when using the card. In this case, for transactions with a co-branded card, you will receive a certain number of award miles to your account.

HON Circle Miles

HON Circle is the highest member of the Miles and More loyalty program. In order to obtain NON Circle status, you need to accumulate 600,000 miles. This can be done within 2 years from the date of registration of the card. NON Circle Miles can be earned when flying with Adria Airways, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, bmi, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional, Lufthansa Private Jet, Luxair and SWISS. In addition, NON Circle miles will be credited for travel on AIRail in Germany and Airtrain in Switzerland (up to a maximum of 100,000 miles).

How can I earn miles with the Miles and More program?

Air travel

The Miles and More program works with 43 airlines around the world. You can earn miles on all 43 airlines. Some airline provides award miles, some status and award miles, somewhere you can also get HON Circle miles and multiply your savings together with the Executive bonus program.

For example, Singapore Airlines gives both award and status miles. Jet Airways offers only awards, and LOT Polish Airlines also gives you the opportunity to earn HON Circle miles and take advantage of the Executive Bonus.

More details about which miles and privileges can be obtained when purchasing a ticket for a flight of this company can be found.

Accommodation in hotels

The Miles and More program includes over 23,000 hotels worldwide. Choose the one that suits you and earn an average of 500 miles per stay. Some hotels provide even more bonuses. For example, for every dollar or euro spent on the territory of the hotel, 1 mile is credited to your card.

Car rent

Lufthansa partners with leading car leasing companies around the world. Need a car rental? Check out the list of Miles and More partner companies and earn even more miles!

Credit cards

With a Miles and More Citibank credit card, you can earn money simply by paying for purchases and services. You get 1 mile for every 30 rubles spent from the card. In addition, your account will be credited with the so-called "welcome" miles when you issue a credit card.

Other

With Miles and More, you can earn free miles anywhere and in any way, for example:

• talking on a mobile phone while roaming, if you use the services of the Beeline mobile operator.
• shopping at DutyFree and a number of airports around the world
• shopping at Chic Outlet Shopping

The entire list of stores, airports and other partners of the program can be seen on the airline's website. Don't forget to keep an eye out for b special offers from Miles and More partners: miles are often doubled.

The possibilities for earning miles have expanded! The Mnogo.ru club has launched a joint long-term project with the Miles and More program. Now members of the club and the program have the opportunity to exchange accumulated bonuses for award miles. 10 bonuses = 1 mile. Now you can also earn miles by making purchases from club partners or collecting bonuses with the Mnogo.ru card.

How can I spend miles?

Air travel

We have already said that Lufthansa cooperates with 43 airlines, but you can buy award tickets for miles on flights of 38 airlines. A complete list is provided.

Fly Smart is a nice addition to the Miles and More bonus system. By booking air tickets from two weeks to two working days before departure, you give away much fewer miles (up to 42% of the ticket price). This works for the following airlines: Adria Airways, Austrian Airlines Group, Brussels Airlines, Condor, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS.

An award ticket can be issued not for you, but, for example, for your friends. Only in this case, your personal presence is required during registration.

The cost of an award ticket for a child from 2 to 11 years old will be 75% of the number of award miles required to pay for the ticket.

In general, the number of miles indicated on the website for paying for an air ticket is taken from the calculation of a round trip. If you are flying one way, you will need 50% of your award miles.

It is possible to return the ticket or change the date, subject to the payment of a fine of 50 euros.

For passengers with an elevated status, there are privileges, for example, the ability to book an award ticket for a third party via the Internet, and even with a 50% discount.

You can calculate the cost of a trip in miles using the miles calculator. Just enter the airport of departure and destination and the booking class - the service will give you all the information you need.

Service class upgrade

Instead of purchasing a ticket for award miles, you can upgrade the service class. Three are generally recognized: the first, business and economic. The highest level of comfort awaits first class passengers: an exquisite menu and alcoholic drinks on board, the most comfortable and wide seats, a separate check-in counter, etc. Business class also provides an increased level of comfort on board and while waiting for a flight. In both cases, there are boarding and disembarking privileges.

You can upgrade the service class on the flights of the following airlines with numbers JP, AC, CA, NH, NZ, OZ, OS, DE, CO, OU, LO, LH, LG, LX, SK, SN, SQ, JJ, TP, TG, TK, US and UA: Adria Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines Group, Brussels Airlines, Condor, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair, SWISS, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAM, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines, US Airways and United.

Miles are not credited for a flight on an award ticket, but if you use the accumulated miles to upgrade the service class, you will receive award miles for a ticket at the fare you paid for.

Hotels and car rental

You can also spend your miles on hotel accommodation. It is a pity that their choice is rather scarce. You can pay with miles by renting a car.

Other

You may find award miles useful in some stores. For example, in DutyFree Domodedovo (330 miles = 1 euro), in Munich airport shops (Burberry, Hugo Boss, Max Mara, etc.). Airplane shopping is a reality with Lufthansa Inflight Shopping. Travel goods, cosmetics and perfumes, toys, gifts, jewelry and much more from world famous brands are presented in Inflight Shopping magazine. At the end of the flight, miles will be automatically debited. You can go online shopping and pay with miles straight from home at www.worldshop.eu. A complete list of opportunities to spend your miles is available.

Charity

It happens that you don't know where to spend the miles you earned. No trips are foreseen in the near future, or there are far fewer miles than are required to purchase an award ticket. Or maybe you are not interested in any of the offers from Miles and More partners. To ensure that miles are not wasted, Lufthansa offers to use them for charity. For example, by sending them to the Help Alliance Foundation, which finances the construction of orphanages, schools and hospitals in third world countries. Or by donating miles to Living Lakes for our planet's water resources.

Miles validity

Like most miles on other airlines, Lufthansa miles do not expire. They "live" for 3 years from the date of enrollment. Holders of status cards do not have to worry about their miles - it will not burn out while the status is valid.

There is an exit! Miles & More allows Lufthansa Miles & More credit card holders to accumulate their savings indefinitely. To do this, you need to issue a card and make purchases with it at least once a month.

What to do if there are not enough miles?

Lufthansa offers to buy the missing miles. This is very convenient when, for example, a premium ticket is not enough before buying. Unfortunately, not all airlines provide such services, which gives rise to the development of the "shadow market for miles", which we have already talked about. You can even donate miles at Lufthansa.

However, according to the program rules, it is impossible to transfer your miles to another person.

If miles are not credited

This happens quite often. To avoid problems and disappointments, ALWAYS keep your original boarding pass and a copy of your itinerary receipt! Store receipts, hotel invoices and car rentals should also be kept safe until you are sure the miles have been credited. In general, miles are credited to your account within 10 days. You shouldn't worry at this time. After this period, follow the link and fill out the form. You can do this within six months from the date of the transaction.

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