Miles & More Tutorial: Part 2 – Miles & More Program Introduction
This guide to the Miles & More frequent flyer program is a in-depth tutorial on the best ways to earn and use Miles & More miles. There are many parts of the series and we cover every aspect of the Miles & More program to help you maximize your mileage earning and spending.
Miles & More is the largest and most popular frequent flyer program in Europe. This makes Miles & More miles some of the most valuable airline miles to earn for European travelers.
The most powerful ways to earn the miles are not only from flying but also taking advantage of Miles & More credit cards, and other offers. To take a look at the best current Miles & More credit card offers and other deals to earn miles go here.
PART | MILES & MORE TUTORIAL |
---|---|
1. | Top 15 Miles & More award flights to book |
2. | Miles & More program introduction |
3. | Miles & More FAQ (Everything You Need to Know) |
4. | Rules, fees, mile expiration |
5. | Who should earn Miles & More miles |
6. | Best Ways to Earn Miles & More Miles |
7. | Miles & More award pricing and charts |
8. | Miles & More partners |
9. | Miles & More award rules - segments, stopovers, and open-jaws |
10. | How to find a book a Miles & More award |
11. | One-way award flights can save 1,000 miles |
12. | Top Miles & More awards within Europe |
13. | Tips and tricks for maximizing Miles & More miles |
14. | Avoiding fees and high fuel surcharges |
15. | Maximizing 3 region Miles & More awards |
16. | Miles & More mileage bargains |
17. | How to get extra award seats on Lufthansa, SWISS, and more |
18. | Miles & More credit card - everything you need to know |
Introduction to Miles & More
Miles & More is the largest frequent flyer program in Europe. Airlines in the Miles & More program include:
- Lufthansa
- Austrian Airlines
- SWISS
- Air Dolomiti
- German Wings
- Brussels Airlines
- Luxair
- LOT
- Adria Airways
- Croatia Airlines
Members of the Miles & More program can earn award and status miles in various ways, including flying, credit cards, bank account welcome bonuses, shopping portals, and signing up for newspaper subscriptions.
Award miles can be used to book award flights which can save you a lot on travel! You can redeem miles for award flights on Miles & More airlines, Lufthansa’s partner airlines, and also Star Alliance airline partners.
Miles & More members get excellent access to award space within the program, especially First and Business Class award space. With Miles & More miles it is much easier to book awards on Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines than with other Star Alliance mileage programs such as United MileagePlus.
Sign-up for Miles & More
If you are not already a Miles & More member you can quickly sign-up for the program here on the Miles & More website.
To search for award flights you will need to have some miles in your account which you can earn from flying or signing up for a Miles & More credit card. You will get your membership number immediately online when you create a Miles & More account. However you will receive your membership card PIN in the mail.
To make award bookings you need the PIN number, but you can call the Miles & More service center and request to have you PIN emailed to you so you don’t have to wait.
Miles & More Miles
With most frequent flyer programs you can earn both award and status miles. You can use award miles to book award flights and for upgrades on paid flights. Status miles (or Tier Points) are earned separately within an airline program.
Status miles are earned to acquire elite status with the airline and give you special travel benefits such as lounge access, free or extra checked bags, and higher award mileage earning rates on paid flights. You will earn both award and status miles at the same time when you fly, so you don’t need to choose which to collect.
Award Miles
The easiest ways to earn Miles & More award miles are through flying and using a Miles & More credit card. Earning miles from a generous credit card welcome bonus and using the card for everyday spending is one of the most powerful ways to earn miles without flying.
You generally earn award miles per mile flown on a paid flight or per Euro charged on your credit card. These miles are constantly collected and will not expire as long as you keep you account active within the last 36 months. The miles will continue to collect in your account year after year.
Status Miles
Status miles are different than award miles in a way that they reset at the beginning of each calendar year. This means that every January your status level resets and you have to earn it again through earning status miles. There is an exception for HON Circle miles which are collected over a period of 2 years.
Miles & More distinguishes two types of status miles. There are standard status miles and also HON Circle miles.
The status levels within the Miles & More program include:
- Miles & More member – automatic with Miles & More registration
- Frequent Traveller – 35,000 status miles earned within a calendar year
- Senator – 100,000 status miles earned within a calendar year
- HON Circle Member – 600,000 status miles earned within two consecutive calendar years
Read more about Miles & More status levels and how to earn them later in the guide!
Using Miles for Award Flights
Award miles can be used to book award flights on both Miles & More airlines and any of their partner airlines. These include Miles & More’s unique partner airlines and also Star Alliance partner airlines. This means you can use your miles to fly to almost anywhere in the world!
You can use Miles & More miles to book a flight anywhere Miles & More partner airlines fly.
Miles & More Airlines
Miles & More is Europe’s largest frequent flyer program and includes these airlines:
- Lufthansa
- Austrian Airlines
- SWISS
- Air Dolomiti
- German Wings
- Brussels Airlines
- Luxair
- LOT
- Adria Airways
- Croatia Airlines
Star Alliance Airlines
Star Alliance is the largest group of airlines that include 28 member airlines that fly to 1,321 airports around the world.

The alliance includes large airlines with extensive route networks such as United, ANA, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Thai, and many others.
Lufthansa’s Partner Airlines
You can also fly on any of Lufthansa’s independent partner airlines, which include:

These airlines seem to fly to more specific regions around the world, but could be useful if you plan on traveling a unique trip.
Quick Summary
The Miles & More program the largest and most useful frequent flyer program in Europe. For Europeans the program is one of the valuable ways to earn airline miles and use them to book award travel around the world.
If you have not already signed up for the program, you can sign-up here. After you have some miles in your account you can search for award flights on the Miles & More website.
Some of the best ways to earn Miles & More miles is through flying, using a Miles & More credit card, and taking advantage of other promotions and offers.