In this article, we want to take a look at which alternatives to Miles&More exist following the devaluation of the Miles&More award chart and the introduction of dynamic pricing for award flights with Austrian, City Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss. Whether you’re looking to book award flights, maintain status, or earn miles, we’ll show you where to look.
The best alternative often depends on more than one factor and on personal preferences. Therefore, in this article, we’ll present only a selection of alternatives, each with its own attractive aspects. The focus is mainly on alternatives within the Star Alliance; other options in the remaining two alliances will only be briefly explained at the end.
Table of Contents
Miles&More Devaluation Explained Briefly
Although the changes/devaluation of the Miles&More award chart and the introduction of dynamic pricing initially appear only to affect the redemption of award miles, the impacts are greater than they seem.
Flights departing from some European countries are now often significantly cheaper than before, while the price has increased from others. Furthermore, there is no longer a fixed mileage value to save up for when aiming to book a specific award flight.
Alternatives for Maintaining Status
First, we want to look at alternatives for status qualification. There are not only several attractive frequent flyer programs but also various approaches within each program. You can find more alternatives in our detailed article on the four fastest ways to Star Alliance Gold status.
Aegean Miles+Bonus
The first alternative to Miles&More Senator status is Miles+Bonus Gold status. Star Alliance Gold status with Greek airline Aegean Airlines is achieved after earning a total of 36,000 status miles plus 6 Aegean flights. Alternatively, you need 105,000 status miles regardless of airline, but this is not worthwhile.
Qualification:
- 12,000 status miles + 2 Aegean flights or
- 35,000 status miles without Aegean flights within 12 months = Silver status
Afterwards, you have another 12 months to earn:
- 24,000 status miles + 4 Aegean flights or
- 70,000 status miles = Gold status
Note: Status miles and Aegean flights before reaching Silver do not count towards Gold qualification.
Requalification:
- 12,000 status miles + 4 Aegean flights (or 75,000 status miles)
The status is valid for 12 months after first qualifying and must be requalified within that period. Besides the low status requirements, note that Lufthansa’s lowest booking classes (L, K, P) are excluded from earning miles. On the other hand, the highest booking classes earn up to 300% of the flown distance.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
The second option is Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Elite status. In the Turkish airline’s frequent flyer program, you need 40,000 status miles for the lowest tier with Star Alliance Gold benefits. Additionally, you can obtain a simplified qualification via a status match (see option 2).
Qualification:
- 40,000 status miles within 12 consecutive months
or
- 15,000 status miles within 12 months on Turkish Airlines flights (status match).
Requalification:
- 25,000 status miles in the twelve months after reaching status
or
- 37,500 status miles in the two years of status validity.
Especially when combined with a status match and a two-year validity, Miles&Smiles is a very attractive alternative. Thanks to a soft landing, it can even be worthwhile to aim for Elite Plus status (80,000 status miles) to benefit from four years of Star Alliance Gold. It is worth noting, however, that Lufthansa’s lowest booking classes (L, K, P) do not earn miles here either.
Alternatives for Award Miles
When looking for alternatives to credit award miles for flights, focus on programs that credit miles even for Lufthansa Group’s lowest booking classes. These include K, L, T in Economy; N in Premium Economy; and P in Business.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Lufthansa has a partnership with Air Canada beyond Star Alliance cooperation. Except for the lowest Economy booking class K, you earn at least 50% of the distance flown thanks to this partnership. Premium Economy earns at least 100%, and Business Class between 100-150%. Only First Class crediting is unappealing at 150%.
Earning rates:
- 50%: L T S W
- 125%: Y B G E
- 100%: V M U H Q N P
- 150%: Z C D J A F
You can also regularly buy Aeroplan miles at reasonable rates. Award prices are based on distance and region-based award charts. For example, one-way flights up to 4,000 miles, such as Germany–India (45,000 miles) or some US East Coast cities (60,000 miles) are attractive. Aeroplan charges a booking fee of CA$39 (~€24) for partner awards but passes on no fuel surcharges. Star Alliance Gold status is achievable with 50,000 Status Qualifying Miles.
United Airlines Mileage Plus
Like with Air Canada, Lufthansa has a close partnership with United, meaning United MileagePlus credits miles for all paid booking classes. Credit rates are similar to pre-revenue-based Miles&More rates. Economy credit ranges from 25–150%, with Premium Economy and Business Class earning at least 100%. The highest credit is in top Business Class and all First Class bookings at 200%.
Earning rates:
- 25%: K
- 75%: W V Q
- 150%: Y B G E Z
- 50%: L T S
- 100%: M U H N P
- 200%: C D J A F
Buying miles at MileagePlus is rarely attractive these days, but theoretically possible for topping up. MileagePlus is particularly rewarding on shorter flights in Economy.
To reach status with United, you need 12,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQP). For Austrian, Lufthansa, and Swiss flights, you earn 1 PQP per 5 award miles, so 60,000 miles are needed for Gold status.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
KrisFlyer is especially interesting for those flying often in the Lufthansa Group’s lower Business booking classes. You always earn at least 125% in Business Class. In economy class, K and L will get you nothing, and T earns only 10% of the distance. All Premium Economy cash fares earn at least 100%.
Earning rates:
- 10%: T
- 75%: M U H
- 125%: P Z
- 200%: F
- 50%: S W V Q
- 100%: Y B N G E
- 150%: C D J A
Attractive redemption options include Istanbul–Singapore (56,500 miles) and the 5th freedom flight Frankfurt–New York (81,000 miles) in Business Class. Monthly “Spontaneous Escapes” and Singapore Suites can also be great value.
You reach KrisFlyer Gold (Star Alliance Gold) after 50,000 status miles. A Business Class flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles earns about 7,100 status miles one-way.
Alternatives Outside the Star Alliance
If the Star Alliance alternatives are not attractive enough, here are some options in SkyTeam and Oneworld.
Flying Blue
The first SkyTeam alternative is Flying Blue, the frequent flyer program of Air France and KLM, plus smaller airlines. Status is awarded based on travel class and distance band, not zones. Award miles are earned based on revenue for flights booked via Air France/KLM, or distance otherwise.
Entry-level award prices in Flying Blue’s dynamic system are generally solid. Monthly “Promo Awards” often offer discounted long-haul Business Class tickets.
SAS EuroBonus
The newest SkyTeam member, SAS, offers EuroBonus, an attractive alternative for both status qualification and earning/redeeming award miles. Business Class long-haul flights can often be booked for just 50,000 miles plus taxes (no surcharges), regardless of destination in Asia or North America.
The British Airways Executive Club & Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Finally, in Oneworld, several options exist for status qualification and award redemptions. Programs using Avios include The British Airways Club, Iberia Plus, Finnair Plus, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
Qatar Airways is arguably the most attractive for earning status with lounge access, awarding QPoints partly independently of spend, ideal for frequent long-haul flyers.
All these programs use Avios as their currency, and you can transfer Avios between them. You can also buy Avios regularly, with prices ranging from 1.1 to 1.5 euro cents per Avios. Some programs offer Avios subscriptions. Additionally, British Airways lets you boost Avios earned in the past 30 days, starting from 1.11 euro cents per Avios, including transferred Membership Rewards.
Sweet spots include:
- Qatar Airways Business Class to Oceania (90,000 Avios one-way)
- Iberia from Madrid to some US East Coast cities (40,500 Avios one-way)
- British Airways intra-Europe flights, often attractive even in Economy.
Conclusion – Which Alternative Is Best?
In the end, everyone must decide for themselves which is the best alternative to Miles&More if considering a switch. It helps to check which airlines offer the best cash and award prices on your most important routes. If status is important, it should also be realistically attainable. For this, our status calculator may help:
Ultimately, it comes down to where you feel most comfortable. For some, it’s purely about numbers and prices; for others, customer support or the range of earning and redemption partners play a role. There is no right or wrong here – even sticking with Miles&More is an acceptable choice.
Translated and edited by Ditmar
Cover Picture: Frequent flyer cards | Ditmar Lange
Comment (1)
A very useful article, thanks Jan!
With which Star Alliance’s frequent flyer program{s) you would expect to keep Gold status in 2026?