PROGRAM CARD - Miles & More

Program name: Miles & More
Distinction: the largest FFP program in Europe
Brand / operator: Miles & More GmbH (operator) + Deutsche Lufthansa AG (co-operator)
Family / owner: Lufthansa Group; Star Alliance
Industry: travel and aviation
Industry benchmark: yes
Market: DE, AT, CH, pan-EU and globally (more than 36 million members worldwide)
Related programs: status programs of co-operators: Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Discover Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Croatia Airlines, Luxair - all co-operators of the program
Status: active
Legal / time status: no limitations; the program is subject to German law; as of 3 June 2025, awards for flights on Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian and Lufthansa City are settled according to dynamic pricing instead of a fixed table (as of 3 March 2026, this also covers Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti)
Launch year: 1993 (1 January 1993)
Main type: tier-based
Additional type: points-based
Enrollment cost: free
Channels: online (miles-and-more.com), Miles & More mobile app, in-person (Lufthansa Group airlines and partners)
Reach: more than 36.6 million members (2023/2025 data per Miles & More GmbH communications)

Comparative parameters (estimated ratings)

Implementation difficulty (1-5): 4 - multi-tier, multi-market, complex financial model of mile liabilities, settlements between airlines and partners, CRM/CDP integration
Main KPI (impact strength): basket value (high) - the program rewards higher booking classes and greater travel frequency, which directly increases revenue per passenger

Descriptive sections

0. Summary

Miles & More is the largest European loyalty program for travelers, run since 1993 by the Lufthansa Group. Members accumulate miles and Points for network flights and with more than 175 partners, and then redeem them for rewards. Four status tiers - Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle - reward the most loyal travelers with visible privileges on board and at airports.

1. Objectives and context

The program serves to retain the Lufthansa Group's most valuable passengers and to deepen their share of the airline wallet. The key KPI is basket value: higher booking classes generate more status-qualifying Points, which forms a closed feedback loop that nudges travelers toward upgrades. The program also acts as a coordinator of customer data across the entire group and the Star Alliance.

2. Target group

The program is addressed to regularly traveling adults (min. 2 years of age), primarily business people and frequent private travelers flying European and intercontinental routes from Lufthansa Group hubs. The highest tier, HON Circle, targets exclusively travelers flying business and first class.

3. Architecture and type

Registration - free, online or at the airport; the participant receives a Miles & More card number and a mileage account.
Accumulating miles and points - for flights operated by Lufthansa, co-operators and Star Alliance partners (miles + Points), and for using partner services (hotels, car rentals, payment cards, purchases). The number of miles and Points awarded depends on the ticket class and booking class.
Reaching status - Points and Qualifying Points accrue within the calendar year; once a threshold is exceeded, the participant is promoted to Frequent Traveller (650 Points / 325 Qualifying Points), Senator (2,000 Points / 1,000 Qualifying Points) or HON Circle (6,000 HON Circle Points earned exclusively in business/first class on Lufthansa Group and co-operator airlines).
Redeeming miles - flight rewards (award tickets: from 2025, dynamic pricing for core LH Group airlines, the fixed table remains for Eurowings, Brussels Airlines, LOT, Croatia Airlines, Luxair), hotel rewards, car rentals, class upgrades, purchases at WorldShop and with other partners.

4. Earn & burn mechanics

Accrual: miles are accrued for a completed and paid flight segment (depending on the booking class and airline); with Lufthansa Group partners, a rate based on the ticket price applies (approx. 4 miles per 1 EUR for economy fares, higher rates in higher classes). For partner hotels: min. 500-2,000 miles per stay; for car rental: 500-2,000 miles per reservation. Miles & More payment cards (e.g. in cooperation with mBank in Poland) grant additional miles for card spending.
Threshold and redemption: flight rewards - from March 2025/2026, dynamic pricing for LH/SWISS/Austrian/LH City (depends on the available cash fare); for other airlines a fixed table (e.g. Europe-Europe from approx. 17,500 miles in economy round trip; for example North America-India: 95,000 miles economy, 215,000 miles business round trip). Condition: at least one automatic accrual from active participation.
Reward forms: award tickets (flights), class upgrades, hotel rewards, car rentals, vouchers, purchases at WorldShop (the Miles & More online store), Miles & More Gift Cards.
Point expiration: miles expire 36 months after accrual, at the end of the quarter. Points do not expire regardless of activity, but they are solely a status indicator and are not redeemable.

5. Emotional value

Miles & More builds prestige through privileges visible during travel: airport lounge access for Senators and HON Circle members, check-in and boarding priority, guaranteed business-class seats. HON Circle - the most exclusive tier - creates a "secret club" effect for first-class flyers and is widely discussed in the travel community as genuinely difficult to attain.

6. Gamification

Four status tiers create a clear aspiration ladder with concrete thresholds (Points and Qualifying Points)
HON Circle Points available exclusively in business/first class - a natural nudge toward upgrades
A visible status counter in the account and app lets members track progress during the year
Bonus promotions (double miles, status challenges) create time-limited acceleration windows
Status is valid for at least a year + until the end of February two years later - providing a buffer and encouraging continued activity

7. Differentiation

Miles & More stands out through the scale of its European network: as a Star Alliance program it provides access to ~35 partner airlines and approx. 175+ ground partners. In the top-tier benefits segment, HON Circle is consistently regarded as one of the hardest to attain and most valuable premium statuses in Europe. The shift to dynamic reward pricing from 2025 represents a significant change in philosophy - market rewards instead of a fixed table.

8. Data and personalization

The program collects data on all flight, hotel, car-sharing and card-purchase transactions; data is managed within the Lufthansa Group's shared database
Data may be shared with co-operators (including Austrian, SWISS, LOT, Brussels Airlines) in accordance with the participation terms; separate consent is required for marketing
Communication personalization via newsletter, app and online account; predictive analytics for status offers and promotions (detailed scope of tools: no public data)
Privacy policy and consents available at miles-and-more.com/datenschutz

9. Technology

Miles & More mobile app (iOS/Android) - account management, partner offers, status tracking, retroactive mileage accrual
Platform managed by Miles & More GmbH; technology providers: no public data
Integration with Travel ID (Lufthansa Group identity platform) - single sign-on for the Lufthansa Group ecosystem
WorldShop (worldshop.eu) as an e-commerce channel for redeeming rewards
Miles & More payment card (partners: mBank PL, other banks in DE/AT/CH) as an additional accrual channel

10. Communication and lifecycle

Communication channels: email newsletter, push notifications in the app, an electronic mailbox in the account (regulatory archive), social media
Onboarding: automatic registration confirmation with a card number; miles accrued retrospectively up to 6 months from the flight after a claim
Retention: notifications about upcoming mile expiration (at least a quarter before the deadline), alerts about progress toward the next status tier, bonus promotions for inactive segments (no public data on details)

11. Conclusion / inspiration for the almanac

Miles & More shows that a status hierarchy with a very high, hard-to-reach peak (HON Circle) creates a strong aspirational effect for the entire program - most participants will never reach HON Circle, but the mere fact of its existence raises the perceived value of the Senator and Frequent Traveller statuses. The principle worth carrying over: a peak of the pyramid that is realistically attainable by a few authenticates the lower tiers.

Sources: miles-and-more.com (participation terms PL, general terms of award tickets); miles-and-more.company (company profile, 2023); upgradedpoints.com; thepointsguy.com; 10xtravel.com; loyaltylobby.com; Wikipedia (Miles & More)
Terms (link): https://www.miles-and-more.com
Entry compiled on: 2026-06-22

Miles & More