Speculation has been ongoing for a while, and now it’s confirmed: Miles&More will adjust its award chart on June 3, 2025. With this move, Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program aligns with Flying Blue, Aeroplan, and LifeMiles. The last program devaluation had been in 2019 and was relatively moderate.
In recent years, multiple frequent flyer programs have implemented changes devaluations to their award charts. In addition to the three mentioned above, United MileagePlus, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club have also seen similar adjustments.
As expected with Lufthansa and Miles&More, the changes are neither simple nor intuitive. The program will introduce partial dynamic pricing for certain airlines within the Lufthansa Group (Austrian, City Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss), while partner airlines will follow a newly adjusted award chart.
Miles&More invited most travel and mileage websites to a preliminary discussion to answer questions and present the changes. However, this article reflects our own opinions and assessments.
Table of Contents
Dynamic Pricing
Dynamic pricing is now widespread among frequent flyer programs. Major U.S. airlines, Air Canada, Etihad, and Air France/KLM already price their own and some partner airline tickets dynamically. These programs usually start from a base price, which fluctuates dynamically.
Miles&More, however, is taking a different approach: From June 3 onward, mileage prices will be tied directly to the real ticket price. The exact formula remains unclear and is likely a closely guarded secret. The main idea behind this change is to increase availability and encourage early bookings. The mileage cost will correlate with the cash price and booking class of the paid ticket.
New Fare Classes
Miles&More is introducing fare classes for award tickets, mirroring those of paid tickets:
- Economy (continental flights): Light, Classic, and Flex
- Business (continental flights): Saver and Flex
- Intercontinental flights: Light, Basic, Basic Plus, and Flex
These fares come with the same seat selection, baggage, rebooking, and cancellation conditions as their paid ticket counterparts.
Economy (Continental) | Light | Classic | Flex |
---|---|---|---|
Rebooking | Not possible | €70 + fare difference | Fare difference |
Refund | Not possible | Not possible | €70 |
Seat Selection | Extra fee | Standard seat | Preferred + Standard seats |
Baggage | Extra fee | 1×23 kg | 1×23 kg |
Business (Continental) | Saver | Flex |
---|---|---|
Rebooking | Not possible | Fare difference |
Refund | Not possible | Free |
Seat Selection | Included | Included |
Baggage | 2×32 kg | 2×32 kg |
Intercontinental | Light* | Basic Eco/Premium/Biz/First | Basic Plus Eco/Premium/Biz/First | Flex |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rebooking (in EUR) | Not possible | 150/200/250/410 + fare difference | 150/200/250/410 + fare difference | Fare difference |
Refund (in EUR) | 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 fee | 1×23/2×23/2×32/3×32 | 1×23/2×23/2×32/3×32 | 1×23/2×23/2×32/3×32 |
Pricing Changes
How Austrian, City Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss flights will be priced remains unclear. The general principle is that mileage costs will rise as cash fares increase, particularly as departure dates approach and seat availability decreases.
Miles&More claims this change rewards early bookings. Previously, flights were available for redemption 360 days in advance, with 3–4 seats in business class typically released. This availability will still exist, but the lowest price will no longer be guaranteed at that time.
Key impacts:
- No more “Mileage Bargains” for dynamically priced airlines (Austrian, City Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss). Instead, irregular sales will be introduced, sometimes aligned with cash ticket sales.
- International redemption pricing may not be cheaper than from Germany, despite logic suggesting otherwise.
- One-way tickets will still cost half of a round-trip, which contradicts the supposed logic behind dynamic pricing.
- Taxes and surcharges remain high and will match those of paid tickets. Miles&More will calculate the required mileage as the cash ticket price minus surcharges, multiplied by an undisclosed factor.
In extreme cases, a one-way business class ticket from the U.S. could cost 150,000 miles plus $1,000 in surcharges. The high mileage requirements may eventually allow redemptions for Lufthansa’s Allegris First Class, but at prices similar to Air France La Première—making it unattainable for most.
Partner Award Chart
Now to the already known numbers: the Partner Award Chart. This applies to all airlines where Miles&More miles can be redeemed, except for the ones mentioned above (Austrian, City Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss). The increases in mileage values have primarily targeted premium travel classes. While economy redemptions have mostly been reduced, business and first-class awards have seen surcharges of up to 40%. Unfortunately, these are the redemptions that provide the best value.
Unlike the four dynamically priced airlines, award tickets with partner airlines can be cancelled or rebooked for €50. Additionally, taxes and fees imposed by airlines, countries, and airports apply. The only two exceptions are the “Meilenschnäppchen” (mileage bargains) from Air Dolomiti, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, and Luxair, as well as the “Fly Smart” awards from Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, and LOT Polish Airlines.
Below are the individual prices for return flights from Europe. One-way flights cost half of the listed mileage, and the Flex Plus Award is no longer available for the time being.
Domestic Flights
Economy (Europe) | Business (Europe) | Economy (Rest of World) | Business (Rest of World) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 30,000 miles | 40,000 miles | 30,000 miles | 40,000 miles |
New | 25,000 miles | 40,000 miles | 28,000 miles | 40,000 miles |
Difference | -16.67% | 0% | -6.67% | 0% |
Within a Region
Economy (Europe) | Business (Europe) | Economy (Rest of World) | Business (Rest of World) | First Class (Rest of World) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 35,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 35,000 miles | 60,000 miles | 80,000 miles |
New | 28,000 miles | 50,000 miles | 35,000 miles* | 60,000 miles* | 80,000 miles* |
Difference | -20% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Europe ↔ North America
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 60,000 miles | 80,000 miles | 112,000 miles | 182,000 miles |
New | 50,000 miles | 85,000 miles | 125,000 miles | 215,000 miles |
Difference | -16.67% | 6.25% | 11.60% | 18.13% |
Europe ↔ Central America
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 70,000 miles | 95,000 miles | 127,000 miles | 202,000 miles |
New | 70,000 miles | 95,000 miles | 140,000 miles | 225,000 miles |
Difference | 0% | 0% | 10.24% | 11.39% |
Europe ↔ South America
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 80,000 miles | 110,000 miles | 142,000 miles | 222,000 miles |
New | 75,000 miles | 110,000 miles | 160,000 miles | 245,000 miles |
Difference | -6.25% | 0% | 12.68% | 10.36% |
Europe ↔ North & Central Africa and Middle East
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 40,000 miles | 55,000 miles | 70,000 miles | 130,000 miles |
New | 42,000 miles | 55,000 miles | 75,000 miles | 140,000 miles |
Difference | 5% | 0% | 7.14% | 7.69% |
Europe ↔ Southern Africa & India
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 60,000 miles | 80,000 miles | 112,000 miles | 182,000 miles |
New | 50,000 miles | 85,000 miles | 125,000 miles | 215,000 miles |
Difference | -16.67% | 6.25% | 11.60% | 18.13% |
Europe ↔ Southeast Asia
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 80,000 miles | 110,000 miles | 142,000 miles | 222,000 miles |
New | 85,000 miles | 110,000 miles | 200,000 miles | 260,000 miles |
Difference | 6.25% | 0 % | 40.85% | 17.12% |
Europe ↔ Central Asia & Far East
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Previous | 80,000 miles | 110,000 miles | 142,000 miles | 222,000 miles |
New | 75,000 miles | 110,000 miles | 170,000 miles | 260,000 miles |
Difference | -6.25% | 0% | 19.72% | 17.12% |
Europe ↔ Oceania (3-Zone Award)
Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|
Previous | 100,000 miles | 195,000 miles | 310,000 miles |
New | 110,000 miles | 260,000 miles | 395,000 miles |
Difference | 10% | 33.33% | 27.42% |
Around the World
Economy | Business | First Class | |
---|---|---|---|
Previous | 180,000 miles | 335,000 miles | 500,000 miles |
New | 195,000 miles | 400,000 miles | 540,000 miles |
Difference | 8.33% | 19.40% | 8% |
Summary of Pricing Changes
Economy Class flights have become cheaper in many cases, while Premium Economy remains largely unchanged. However, Business and First Class tickets have become significantly more expensive. First Class pricing is mostly irrelevant, as very few partner airline First Class flights can be booked with Miles&More miles. Lufthansa and Swiss First Class will now be dynamically priced.
You can find the full award chart here:
Routing Rules
Routing rules remain unchanged, with the following parameters:
- 3 segments per direction (4 for 3-zone awards)
- 1 stopover per direction for round-trip bookings
- Return flight must begin at the farthest point from the starting location
- Backtracking is only allowed within a region
It is still unclear how pricing will be handled when combining dynamically priced and award chart-priced airlines. It is expected that dynamic pricing will apply if the longest/long-haul segment is operated by Austrian, Lufthansa, or Swiss.
Upgrades
Upgrade pricing remains unchanged, requiring the same number of eVouchers or miles as before. However, upsells (paying the difference between two travel classes after booking an award ticket) have become more expensive, as the increased mileage values raise the cost difference.
Conclusion
Overall, these changes to Miles & More award bookings are potentially disastrous. One of the most attractive programs in terms of mileage value is now becoming one of the least appealing. High surcharges, award chart increases of up to 40%, and likely even higher dynamic pricing make collecting miles much less worthwhile.
Translated and edited by Ditmar
Cover Picture: Lufthansa A320 in Hamburg | Ditmar Lange
Comments (9)
Thank you very much for your expert guidance! You have saved me from making an impulse purchase of the L (Large) Bundle.
RIP M&M – I’ll stick with Aeroplan, as it still provides some availability on LH/LX at fixed award pricing. xoxo
HON lauft in Feb 26 aus …. Und wird nicht verlängert.
I am flying in first class right now in LH FRA-HND the 26 February, sear 1A. This is one of my 4-5 First Class LH Intercontinental trips per year. This is my last trip with LH, LX and so on after the distasteful change of rules for Award Tickets in any classes. Forget it First and Business class. Wake up LH and poor Miles&More. As Italian I know why you decided such disgraceful rules for most of your loyal passengers: it depend on acquisition of ITA, the former ALITALIA which has blow up some tens of billions euros in the past 20-30 years for bad management…the rest of the Story is still to be writing from LH …
Accumulating miles is now more useless. Beeing Senator for 15 years now I am not able to spend my 400.000 miles to any flight in Business or First for the next 11 months, only economy seats are available! What a shame. As Life Platinum member with Air France, I’ll go back to my first love flying in La Premiere class. And forget also the new Allegris class.
Look like in your article Brussels Airlines is not part of the LH Group! It is really scandalous how are miles are being degraded. No more LH for me, their CEO keeps on stripping their customers.
As a Senator, this just disgusts me
„One of the most attractive ones…“
which mileage program is also attractive??
Thank you, Jan.