Lufthansa isn’t the first choice that comes to mind when booking a flight with points. One big problem is that you can’t search for award flights unless you already have miles in your account. Also, Lufthansa doesn’t work with any of the big programs that let you transfer points. This blog post is to guide you why buying points makes good sense for Lufthansa First Class, and show you how to save 50% for First Class when travelling in style and comfort.
Flying With Lufthansa: What You Need To Know
Lufthansa, Germany’s main airline, flies 22 routes to the US and Canada from its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. It’s a big name in transatlantic travel and the largest Star Alliance member in Europe.
Lufthansa is one of the few airlines still offering first-class service, and they do it with style. Further reading: Six Secrets That Make Lufthansa First Class Your Pinnacle
In fact, they’re the only airline with a dedicated first-class terminal in Frankfurt. This exclusive spot is just for passengers flying first class from Frankfurt, those arriving in Frankfurt on a first-class flight and catching another flight the same day, and top-tier “Hon Circle” members of the Lufthansa Group.
Lots of people dream about flying first class with Lufthansa, but those tickets can be super expensive. Using miles to get them? That’s tough too. Lufthansa only opens up those comfy first-class seats for award mileage redemption by their Star Alliance buddies within a slim window — just 7 to 14 days before takeoff. Sometimes, you have to wait until a mere 2 to 3 days before departure to snatch one up. It’s quite the headache for folks who like to plan their trips well in advance.
Miles and More: Lufthansa’s Frequent Flyer Program
Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program, “Miles and More,” gives a little extra love to their own members. If you’re part of this program, you can check and book those first-class awards ahead of time, without the stress of waiting until the last minute. Even if there’s no first-class on your route, you’ll find plenty of business class award availability. It’s a nice perk that makes flying even more enjoyable.
Earning “Miles and More” Miles in the U.S.
But here’s the catch: if you’re in the U.S., earning “Miles and More” miles isn’t so easy. They don’t partner with any flexible credit card point programs. So, to rack up those miles, you either need to fly and credit the miles to Lufthansa (you can do this with United Airlines flights) or use the co-branded credit card from Barclays.
The card has an $89 annual fee and offers a 50,000-mile sign-up bonus, which sounds pretty good. But the earning rate of $1 = 1 mile (or $1 = 2 miles when you buy Lufthansa Group tickets) is just too slow! If you use this card as your go-to, you’ll miss out on better rewards from other credit cards.
Buying Miles: Is It Worth It?
Lufthansa now is selling miles directly to consumers. Before the pandemic, Lufthansa Group didn’t sell miles directly to consumers. This changed during the pandemic, they started bundling miles with other offers.
Earlier this year, they had bonuses of 30% to 50% extra miles. The latest deal is a straight 30% discount. Just a heads up: buying Lufthansa’s “Bundle & Go” is different from the usual discounted miles. You can’t choose the exact amount of miles; you pick from four packages: XS, Small, Medium, or Large.
Let’s do the math. If we buy a first-class ticket directly with cash, let’s say from Chicago to Frankfurt, the round-trip fare is over $9,000 USD. And if it’s just a one-way ticket, it can be over $12,000 USD!
Assume the one-way first-class cost is “half of the round-trip”: $4,500 USD. Redeeming a one-way first-class ticket from Chicago to Frankfurt requires 91,000 Lufthansa miles. At the current 30% discount sale price of 1.34 cents per mile (cpm), it calculates to: 91,000 x 0.0134 = $1,219.4 USD. Plus, you’ll need to pay additional airport taxes and fuel surcharges totaling $925.3 USD at ticketing, making the total cost $2,144.7 USD. Compared to $4,500, you immediately save 52% of the cost.
Pro-Tips: Lufthansa’s First Flex Plus lets you use miles to cover most of the taxes and surcharges. For example, using 24,000 miles to cover $915 makes each mile worth more than 3.8 cents per point. This makes your miles much more valuable!
How To Buy “Miles and More” Miles?
You can keep up with the latest Miles and More sales through the TripPlus website. It tracks all the award mileage sales, so you can decide the best time to buy.
Final Thoughts
Booking Lufthansa first class with “Miles and More” award miles instead of anxiously waiting for Lufthansa to release last-minute award availability to Star Alliance partners, which can be stressful and time-consuming, is the best way to enjoy first class. You can quickly accumulate enough award miles by purchasing directly through Lufthansa’s mileage sale promotion. This allows you to book your preferred dates and seats well in advance. The mileage sale promotion runs from now through June 30, 2024. It is a fantastic compromise for enjoying luxury travel without breaking the bank!
