Miles&More Shares Example Prices for its New Dynamic System

Just a few hours old, the Miles&More press release regarding the program changes taking effect on June 3, 2025, has now been supplemented with further details on the dynamic pricing adjustments for the three largest airlines in the Lufthansa Group—Austrian, Lufthansa, and Swiss—as well as Lufthansa City Airlines.

Initially, the release completely avoided providing specific examples. However, after extensive feedback from the travel blogger community, Miles&More decided to publish example flights along with their corresponding mileage values. We will analyze these below and compare them to actual ticket prices for a return flight seven days after departure.

We have compared the cash prices with the previously known mileage values, always selecting the cheapest option available seven days after the outbound flight, as long as the long-haul flight is operated by one of the affected airlines. Whenever possible, we opted for a direct flight. As a benchmark, we used the new mileage value for the Basic Plus fare, as it most closely resembles the previous conditions. However, it should be noted that the cancellation and rebooking fees for this fare are now more expensive than before.

Dynamic Intercontinental Flights

In addition to dynamic pricing, the program change on June 3 introduces various fare options within each travel class. These fares have different rebooking and refund conditions, making comparisons with the previous conditions—where a change cost €50 per ticket—more difficult.

Interkontinental	Light*	Basic Eco/Premium/Biz/First	Basic Plus Eco/Premium/Biz/First	Flex
Rebooking	Not possible	€150/€200/€250/€410 + fare difference	€150/€200/€250/€410 + fare difference	Fare difference
Refund	Not possible	Not possible	€200/€200/€250/€410	Free
Free Seat Selection	No	No/No/Yes	No/No/Yes	Yes/Yes/Yes
Baggage (in kg)	Extra charge	1×23/2×23/2×32/3×32	1×23/2×23/2×32/3×32	1×23/2×23/2×32/3×32

As mentioned earlier, we will use the Basic Plus fare as the most comparable option, though the significantly higher rebooking and cancellation costs must be considered alongside the calculated redemption value.

Economy Class

These are the economy class examples that were provided by Miles&More and our calculation of how much using your miles for them is worth:

Frankfurt – New York (July 30)

This is an example of an expensive date. Under the new system, even the non-refundable light fare without luggage now costs more than the relatively flexible award tickets of the current system, which includes a piece of checked luggage. In this example, Miles&More members will be far worse off than under the old system, now paying roughly twice as much for a ticket with the same conditions.

Economy	Previous Rate	Light	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €487)	60,000 miles	62,320 miles	89,992 miles	114,595 miles	139,195 miles
Cash Price (incl. €487)	€1,188	€932	€1,067	€1,188	€1,308
Value per Mile	1.16 cents	0.71 cents	0.64 cents	0.61 cents	0.59 cents

Frankfurt – New York (August 4)

This example is for the same route, but on a cheaper date. If you’re willing to fly to New York without luggage and are sure that you’ll want to fly on that date, you may be happy that you’ll now be paying 13,120 miles instead of the previous 60,000 miles. Even the Basic fare with luggage is significantly cheaper than before. Those still seeking similar cancellation options as under the old system are slightly worse off, now paying roughly 10% more under the new system.

Economy	Previous Rate	Light	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €487)	60,000 miles	13,120 miles	40,795 miles	65,395 miles	89,995 miles
Cash Price (incl. €487)	€1,163	€908	€1,043	€1,163	€1,283
Value per Mile	1.13 cents	3.21 cents	1.36 cents	1.03 cents	0.88 cents

Frankfurt – Los Angeles (July 30)

Once again an example of an expensive date, this time to the other US coast. Here, everyone is definitely worse off. The Light fare costs almost 20,000 miles more than the full-service tickets you’d get now. And if you want similar conditions, you’ll experience a price hike of roughly 135%!

Economy	Previous Rate	Light	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €487)	60,000 miles	79,335 miles	111,110 miles	135,710 miles	160,310 miles
Cash Price (incl. €487)	€1,380	€1,115	€1,260	€1,380	€1,500
Value per Mile	1.49 cents	0.79 cents	0.70 cents	0.66 cents	0.63 cents

Frankfurt – Los Angeles (August 4)

Back to a cheap date, the conclusion is similar to the conclusion of the cheap date to New York. People who don’t need anything are better off. People who’d like a piece of luggage when crossing the Atlantic and the entire US are similarly off unless they’d like some flexibility. If that’s the case, they’re now roughly 40% worse off.

Economy	Previous Rate	Light	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €487)	60,000 miles	30,135 miles	57,810 miles	82,140 miles	107,010 miles
Cash Price (incl. €487)	€1,352	€1,087	€1,232	€1,352	€1,472
Value per Mile	1.44 cents	1.20 cents	1.29 cents	1.05 cents	0.92 cents

Frankfurt – Mumbai (September 30)

This is the only example provided by Miles&More that’s not to the US. In this case, the rates are actually very attractive. 8,000 miles for a round-trip to India is a very low amount. And even the Basic Plus fare costs less than a current award ticket.

Economy	Previous Rate	Light	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €472)	60,000 miles	8,000 miles	28,000 miles	52,000 miles	82,000 miles
Cash Price (incl. €472)	€882	€662	€762	€882	€1,032
Value per Mile	0.68 cents	2.38 cents	1.04 cents	0.79 cents	0.68 cents

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Miles&More intended to make Economy Class redemptions more attractive again. However, this has only been partially successful. While some redemptions in the Light fare are surprisingly worthwhile, mileage rates with similar conditions to the previous ones are usually more expensive and less rewarding.

It is difficult to say that Light fare redemptions are always better than previous rates. Additionally, the risk of losing the miles due to not being able to cancel your flight—previously only the case with mileage bargains award tickets—must now be considered. Overall, economy redemptions appear to be up to 40% worse than before.

Business Class

These are the business class examples that were provided by Miles&More and our calculation of how much using your miles for them is worth:

Hamburg – Singapore (October 10)

For the first example, Miles&More didn’t provide a value for the Flex fare and paid tickets don’t have a basic fare. So we only have the Basic Plus fare to compare. In this case, the number of miles required is slightly lower than before. Overall, not a big change.

Business	Previous Rate	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex-Flex
Miles (+ €707)	142,000 miles		139,543 miles
Cash Price (incl. €707)	€5,524		€5,524
Value per Mile	3,39 cents		3,45 cents

Hanover – Miami (November 15)

In this example to Miami, the prices are relatively similar to those of the current system, however, you don’t have as much flexibility anymore. The Flex ticket (which is more flexible than current award tickets) costs almost 18% more. Overall not a shocking increase.

Business	Previous Rate	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €1,045)	112,000 miles	110,367 miles	121,176 miles	131,976 miles
Cash Price (incl. €1,045)	€3,615	€3,415	€3,615	€3,815
Value per Mile	2.30 cents	2.15 cents	2.12 cents	2.10 cents

Frankfurt – Dubai (December 8)

This example to Dubai is a case of a harsher devaluation. For similar conditions, you’re now paying roughly 30% more than before:

Business	Previous Rate	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €468)	70,000 miles	81,900 miles	89,460 miles	98,700 miles
Cash Price (incl. €468)	€4,168	€3,988	€4,168	€4,388
Value per Mile	5.29 cents	4.30 cents	4.14 cents	3.97 cents

Frankfurt – San Francisco (July 30)

The last example is to San Francisco and is also a harsh devaluation of the value of your miles. The flights now cost you roughly 35% more, depending on how much flexibility you want.

Business	Previous Rate	Basic	Basic Plus	Flex
Miles (+ €1,027)	112,000 miles	132,408 miles	143,208 miles	154,008 miles
Cash Price (incl. €1,027)	€3,615	€3,979	€4,179	€4,379
Value per Mile	2.31 cents	2.23 cents	2.20 cents	2.18 cents

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In Business Class, price increases are significantly higher than in Economy Class, similar to partner award charts. While we don’t see extreme multiplications, prices for certain routes can rise by more than 40%, particularly for seasonal destinations. Unlike Economy’s Light fare, no routes seem to offer savings at the cost of flexibility. On a positive note: we expected the new rates to be even worse.

Continental Economy Class

We were only given examples for economy class tickets on continental routes. The fare structure is similar to the one used for long-haul routes:

Economy (continental)	Light	Classic	Flex
Rebooking	not possible	€70 + price difference	price difference
Refund	not possible	not possible	€70
Seat selection	extra fee	standard seats	preferred + standard seats
Luggage	extra fee	1 × 23 kg	1 × 23 kg

Some significant savings are possible with the Light fare, especially for travellers who do not need checked baggage. However, it is always worth considering whether using miles for short-haul Economy flights is worthwhile, given the competition within Europe.

Route	Previous Rate	Light Fare	Classic Fare	Flex Fare
Frankfurt – Vienna (June 20)	35,000 miles	1,400 miles	22,400 miles	36,400 miles
Hamburg – Rome (August 7)	35,000 miles	11,725 miles	22,225 miles	32,725 miles
Berlin – Barcelona (October 20)	35,000 miles	8,925 miles	19,425 miles	29,925 miles
Düsseldorf – Athens (July 10)	35,000 miles	9,800 miles	20,300 miles	36,925 miles
Munich – Oslo (July 10)	35,000 miles	10,675 miles	22,925 miles	36,925 miles
Hamburg – Oslo (July 10)	35,000 miles	12,950 miles	23,450 miles	40,950 miles
Düsseldorf – Oslo (July 10)	35,000 miles	7,350 miles	17,850 miles	28,350 miles

Conclusion

With the release of these sample data, Miles&More provides some clarity on future pricing. Business Class redemptions can see substantial increases depending on the season and flight load. However, if these examples turn out to be outliers, mileage bookings with Austrian, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Lufthansa City Airlines may not be as bad as initially feared.

That being said, limited rebooking and refund conditions conflict with the recommendation to book as far in advance as possible. It remains to be seen whether flying from lower-cost departure airports will lower redemption rates. Otherwise, it is likely that Business Class tickets will not be available under conditions similar to the old pricing outside of sales.

Given the remaining uncertainty, it is still advisable to redeem existing miles before June 3, especially since the surcharges remain unchanged.

Cover Picture: Alex Tino Friedel - ATF Pictures