Lufthansa Miles & More from the UK: Worth It or Skip It?

Lufthansa's Miles & More is Europe's oldest frequent flyer programme and the default home for anyone who flies Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian or Brussels. For UK collectors who don't fly any of those carriers it's a much harder sell. Here is the honest take, and the one specific corner where the programme still earns its keep.

The problem for UK collectors

Miles & More passes fuel surcharges on partner awards in much the same way BA does. A long-haul Business redemption out of London on Lufthansa using Miles & More miles is cheaper in miles than the equivalent through Aeroplan, but comes with cash co-pays in the £400-700 range. Once you've discovered that Iberia Plus and Aer Lingus AerClub exist within the Avios family, paying high cash for the same kind of redemption feels indulgent.

The earning side isn't great either. There's no UK-issued Miles & More credit card. The main transfer route is HSBC Premier (via their Reward Points), which uses the same currency for many programmes and isn't particularly Lufthansa-favoured.

The corner that still works

One single feature keeps Miles & More on the radar for UK collectors: Lufthansa First Class availability at T-14 days. Lufthansa releases the bulk of its First Class reward space inside 14 days of departure, and almost all of that space is bookable by Miles & More members before it opens to other Star Alliance partners. If you have a flexible schedule, a credible Miles & More balance, and you've been waiting for a chance to fly in the First Class cabin Lufthansa is famous for (showers don't feature, but everything else more or less does), this is essentially the only way to do it consistently.

Round-trip LHR-FRA-anywhere in First costs around 110,000 miles plus surcharges in the £500-900 range. The cash you'd pay for the same seat starts at five figures.

How to actually build a Miles & More balance from the UK

• Fly Lufthansa or Swiss. Most reliable but obviously requires the flights.
• HSBC Premier Reward Points. Transfers at the same rate as their Avios transfers. Practical only if you already hold an HSBC Premier account.
• Buy miles in a sale. Miles & More periodically sells miles at ~1.5 cents each, which can pencil if you have an exact First Class redemption identified.

The status angle

Lufthansa Senator and HON Circle status are the genuine prizes, but earning them requires substantial Lufthansa-flown miles. Most UK collectors are better off chasing BA Tier Points or a hotel status match instead.

In short

For 90% of UK readers, Miles & More is a programme to ignore. Skip the joining bonus, don't earn into it on partner flights, and don't go out of your way to hold miles. The remaining 10% who specifically want to fly Lufthansa First Class should open an account, build a balance via HSBC Premier or a sale, and accept the 14-day booking window as the price of admission to one of the last truly indulgent products in the air.