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Understanding the Shift: Why the Old Miles & More Award Chart is Obsolete
If you’ve been collecting Miles & More award miles for years, you probably remember the system: a simple, PDF-based chart that told you a business class flight from the U.S. to Europe cost a fixed number of miles. You could save for that goal with confidence. As an IT Manager, I appreciated the predictability. It was a clear system with defined inputs and outputs.
That system has been replaced. For flights on Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels), the pricing is now “dynamic.” There is no chart. The mileage cost you see is determined by an algorithm based on the cash price, demand, and season. One day a flight can be 70,000 miles; the next, it can be 500,000. It makes planning nearly impossible.
So, where is the value? It now exists in the exceptions to the dynamic rule. While the main Miles & More award chart is gone, there are still fixed prices for two specific types of awards: their monthly sales (Mileage Bargains) and flights on partner airlines. This guide will show you how to ignore the bad deals and focus exclusively on these high-value sweet spots.
Dynamic vs. Bargains vs. Partners: A Comparison of Your Redemption Options
To succeed with Miles & More, you have to think of it as three separate programs with wildly different values. Here’s a breakdown of your options when you go to redeem miles.
| Redemption Type | How It Works | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Awards | No fixed chart. Mileage cost is tied to the cash price for flights on Lufthansa, SWISS, etc. | Excellent availability. If a seat is for sale for cash, it’s usually available for miles. | Extremely expensive. Often provides terrible value for your miles (under 1 cent per mile). Still has high surcharges. | Emergency travel or for someone who has millions of miles and doesn’t care about value. |
| Meilenschnäppchen (Mileage Bargains) | Monthly discounted awards on specific routes, typically 55,000 miles for round-trip business class from the U.S. to Europe but there were not offered anymore for Lufthansa or Swiss after dynamic prices were introduced. | Incredible value. Fixed, low mileage price for premium cabins. The best deal in the program. | Routes are limited and change monthly. Travel dates are restrictive. Surcharges are still very high. | Flexible travelers who can plan a trip around the specific deals offered each month. |
| Star Alliance Partner Awards | Uses a fixed, region-based award chart for flights on partners like United, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, etc. | Predictable, reasonable pricing. Allows you to book travel to destinations Lufthansa doesn’t serve. Can be used to avoid high surcharges. | Finding premium cabin award space on partner airlines can be very difficult. | The strategic traveler looking to get solid, predictable value and avoid the high fees on Lufthansa’s own flights. |
What Are Miles & More Miles Actually Worth? The Real Numbers
The “value” of a mile is not a marketing slogan; it’s a simple calculation: (Cash Price of Ticket – Taxes/Fees Paid) / Number of Miles Used. Here’s how that math plays out across the three redemption types.
High-Value Scenario: A “Meilenschnäppchen” Deal
This is the clear winner. Let’s look at a typical deal for business class from Chicago to Frankfurt.
- Cash Price of Ticket: $4,500
- Your Cost: 55,000 miles + ~$850 in taxes and surcharges
- Your Value: ($4500 – $850) / 55,000 = 6.6 cents per mile.
This is an outstanding redemption value, even with the high fees. This is the primary reason to engage with the Miles & More program.
Typical Case: A Partner Award
Booking a partner flight offers solid, predictable value. Let’s take a one-way business class flight from the U.S. to Asia on ANA, a Star Alliance partner.
- Cash Price of Ticket: $5,000
- Your Cost: 97,000 miles + ~$250 in taxes (lower surcharges)
- Your Value: ($5000 – $250) / 97,000 = 4.9 cents per mile.
This is still a fantastic use of miles, and you save a fortune on the fees. The partner miles and more award chart is unpublished, but these values are consistent.
Edge Case: A Dynamic Award Devaluation
Here’s what happens when you redeem for a standard Lufthansa flight during a busy period.
- Cash Price of Ticket: $1,200 (Economy, U.S. to Europe)
- Dynamic Miles Price: 120,000 miles + ~$200 in taxes
- Your Value: ($1200 – $200) / 120,000 = 0.83 cents per mile.
This is a terrible redemption. You’re getting less than a penny per mile. You would be better off using a 2% cash-back credit card to buy this ticket. The only reason to ever accept this is if you are “miles rich and cash poor” and have no other option.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Redeeming Miles & More Awards
Finding value in this program is a system. Here is the process I follow to filter out the noise and find the deals.
- Step 1: Always Check the Meilenschnäppchen First. Before you do anything else, go to the official Mileage Bargains page on the first of the month. If a route and date combination works for you, this is your best option. Full stop.
- Step 2: If Bargains Fail, Hunt for Partner Space. This is the hard part. Use a tool like United’s website (which has a great calendar search) to find saver-level award availability on Star Alliance partners. Look for flights on airlines like United, Air Canada, SAS, or LOT Polish Airlines, as they have low surcharges. You are only using United’s site to *find* the available seat. You cannot book it there with Lufthansa miles.
- Step 3: Call Miles & More to Book the Partner Flight. Once you’ve found a specific, available partner flight (e.g., “United flight UA882 from Chicago to London on June 10th”), you must call the Miles & More service center to book it. Partner awards are not reliably bookable online. Be prepared with the exact flight numbers and dates.
- Step 4: Only Use Dynamic Awards as a Last Resort. If the first two steps fail and you absolutely must travel on a specific date, only then should you look at the dynamic awards on Lufthansa’s site. Be prepared for a high price and compare it to the cash cost to ensure you’re getting at least 1.2 cents per mile in value.
The Biggest Mistake: Ignoring Fuel Surcharges
The single biggest pitfall in the Miles & More program is the massive carrier-imposed surcharges. This is a non-negotiable part of the system that trips up almost every beginner.
- What They Are: These are fees that the airline adds on top of the government taxes, supposedly to cover the cost of fuel. In reality, they are just a way to extract cash on an “award” ticket.
- How Much They Cost: For a round-trip business class flight from the U.S. to Europe on Lufthansa or SWISS, expect to pay between $800 and $1,200 per person. A recent search for an award to Frankfurt quoted me 140,000 miles + $987.20.
- How to Avoid Them: The best way is to book on partner airlines that have low or no surcharges. Flights on United, Air Canada, Avianca, and SAS booked with Miles & More miles will have fees under $100. This is the most important part of the redemption strategy.
Final Verdict: Does the Miles & More Program Still Make Sense?
So, is it still worth collecting these miles, even without a reliable Miles & More award chart? The answer is a qualified yes. If you are a flexible traveler who can take advantage of the monthly Meilenschnäppchen, the value is undeniable. You can fly one of the world’s best business class products for an industry-leading low number of miles.
Additionally, if you are an advanced user who can master the art of finding and booking partner awards, the program serves as a valuable gateway to the entire Star Alliance network. However, for the average person who wants to book a simple family vacation on specific dates, the program has become frustrating and expensive. It requires a strategic, analytical approach. If you find this system too complex, consider the more flexible Air Canada Aeroplan program.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Miles & More Award Chart
How many miles do I need for a Lufthansa flight?
There is no fixed answer anymore. With dynamic pricing, a flight’s mileage cost can range from 30,000 to over 500,000 miles depending on the route, date, and cash price. The only fixed-price awards are the monthly Mileage Bargains, which are typically 55,000 miles for a round-trip business class flight to Europe.
Can I use my Miles & More miles on United Airlines?
Yes, absolutely. As United is a Star Alliance partner, you can use your Lufthansa miles to book award flights on United. This is one of the best ways to use your miles because flights on United do not have the high fuel surcharges that Lufthansa flights do. You typically have to call the Miles & More service center to book these partner awards.
What are Lufthansa miles worth?
The value depends entirely on how you redeem them. If you use them for a dynamic award on a peak travel date, they can be worth less than 1 cent each. If you redeem them for a Meilenschnäppchen (Mileage Bargain) in business class, they can be worth over 6 cents each. The goal is to always aim for redemptions that yield at least 2 cents per mile in value. Forbes Advisor’s Guide to Inflation helps explain why the value of points, like cash, can change over time.