Miles & More Tutorial: Part 1 – Top 15 Miles & More Award Flights to Book
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 |
Top 15 Miles & More Award Flights to Book
1) 15,000 Miles for a Economy One-Way Within Europe
It’s only 15,000 miles for a one-way award flight within Europe and on German Wings you can avoid paying high taxes and fees. You’ll pay a high taxes and fees when you fly on Lufthansa, SWISS.
You can fly anywhere within the Europe region for only 15,000 miles one-way and many flights only run 10 € to 30 € for taxes and fees on German Wings. This is the best option for cheap economy awards within Europe using Miles & More miles.
The Miles & More Europe zone includes:
- Albania, Austria, Belarus
- Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria
- Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark (excl. Greenland), Czech Republic
- Estonia, Finland, France
- Germany, Great Britain , Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland, Ireland, Italy
- Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg
- Macedonia , Malta, Moldova, Montenegro
- Netherlands, Norway
- Poland, Portugal (excl. Azores, Madeira)
- Romania, Russia
- Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (incl. Balearics but excl. Canaries), Sweden, Switzerland
- Turkey
- Ukraine
2) ~50% Off Business Class Round Trip Flights from Europe to Select Destinations
Miles & More offers hugely discounted Business Class round trip flights from select Europeans cities to destinations around the world. You can fly on Lufthansa, LOT and Austrian Airlines and save around 50% miles off the normal award price.
These deals are only offered as round trip flights and both flight booking and actual travel must be completed within a certain date.
For instance, it’s only 55,000 miles for a round trip Business Class flight from Europe to the US on a Mileage Bargain award.
Note that there are also strict booking policies on these awards that include no refund of your miles if you cancel the flight, limited award seat availability on each flight, booking and travel date restrictions, and limited destinations.
The bad news is that fuel surcharges are still high when you fly on Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines. You will pay around ~ 500 € for a round trip from Europe to the US, but if you fly on Polish lot you will only pay ~170 €.
3) 30,000 Miles for a Economy Round Trip from Europe to US
For only 30,000 miles you can book a Mileage Bargain round trip economy flight from Europe to the US. Miles & More releases a discounted award price for select Lufthansa, LOT and Austrian Airlines flights when you book and travel within certain dates.
To avoid high fuel surcharges you should book on Polish LOT which costs between 100 to 200 € for a round trip flight from Europe to the US. If you book on Lufthansa or Austrian you will pay close to ~500 € in fees!
There are limited seats and strict cancellation policies, so be sure you can travel on the flights before you book. These awards can be booked online at Miles & More.
4) 52,000 Miles for a Business Class One-way from the Europe to the US
It only costs 52,000 miles for a one-way Business Class award flight from Europe to the US on Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian and Polish LOT. When you book a one-way flight the award price is rounded down, so you save 1,000 miles per roundtrip.
With Miles & More you also get much better access to Business Class award space on Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian than using other United or other Star Alliance airlines’ miles. This makes it easier to book an award you want.
The drawback is that you will pay high taxes and fuel surcharges (~500 €) if you fly on Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian. Although if you fly on Polish Lot you will have much low fees (~80 €).
Also note that fuel surcharges on Business Class flights from the Europe to the US are about half of what they are from the US to Europe. This could make it a great use miles to book a one-way Business Class to the US on Lufthansa, Austrian, or SWISS to avoid fuel surcharges. Then return to Europe on Polish LOT and connect back to your home city to avoid higher fuel surcharges in this direction of travel.
You can book this one-way award and connect anywhere within the US on United as long as you have no more than 3 flight segments.
5) 60,000 Miles for an Economy Round Trip Flight From Europe to the US on Polish LOT
If you are planning a trip the USA using Miles & More Miles you can fly on Polish LOT and pay much lower fuel surcharges than on Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines.
An economy round trip flight on Polish LOT costs 60,000 miles and ~ 110 €, which makes it one of the cheapest award flight options for flying to the USA.
6) 100,000 Miles for a Economy 3-Region Flight from Europe to USA – South America (Brazil) to Europe
Miles & More’s 3-region award can be a great way to visit two continents on one trip. This itinerary is a great way to maximize your miles and minimize paying taxes on fees, and if you fly on Polis LOT you can avoid all fuel surcharges!
Flights on Polish LOT from Europe to the USA taxes and fees are only ~$80. If you book a flight on Lufthansa, SWISS, or Austrian you will pay ~$300 in fuel surcharges, but these are still lower than flying from in the other direction from the USA to Europe.
There are also no fuel surcharges on flights from the USA to South America, and remember that Brazil does not allow airlines to collect surcharges for flights departing Brazil. This means you will only pay fuel surcharges on the flight from Europe to the USA!
Example of this 3-region award:
- Fly from Europe to USA and have a stopover
- Possible airlines: Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS, Polish LOT
- Fly from the USA to South America (Brazil) and have a stopover
- Possible airlines: United, Air Canada, Avianca, Copa
- From from Brazil to Europe
- Possible airlines: Lufthansa, SWISS, Turkish Airlines, TAP, Singapore Airlines, Air China
Overall the 3-region award visiting the US and South America in this direction of travel is a great use of miles and avoids almost all fuel surcharges!
7) 17,000 Miles for a First Class One-Way Within the US
For only 17,000 miles you can fly First Class within the US on United and pay only 2.20 € in taxes. You don’t have to pay fuel surcharges on any award flights on United. It’s also possible to fly from mainland US to Alaska for the same 17,000 miles and no fuel surcharges, but this prices excludes Hawaii & the Virgin Islands.
It’s even possible to fly on a flat bed across the US on United’s First Class premium service flights offered between Los Angeles and New York (LAX – JFK) and San Francisco and New York (SFO – JFK).
To book these flights on United you will have to call in and book over the phone through the Miles & More call center. If you can find Saver Award availability on United.com with 2 or fewer connections then you can book the same flight over the phone.
8) 12,000 Miles for a Economy One-way Within the US
It only costs 12,000 miles to book one-way awards within the US (excluding Hawaii or the Virgin Islands). On United you won’t pay any fuel surcharges and fees a very low.
Domestic US awards includes flights from the continental US to Alaska, but Hawaii and the Virgin Islands are excluded. If you search and find Saver Award availability on United Airlines with no more than 2 flight segments you can book this flight using Miles & More miles.
Note: One-way awards using Lufthansa Miles & More miles are rounded down to the nearest 1,000 increment. This means that an award flight within US booked as a round trip will cost 25,000 miles, but when you book two one-way awards you can fly the same round trip for only 24,000 miles. You’ll save 1,000 per round trip when you book two one-way awards, well worth the few extra minutes of booking a separate award reservation.
6) 17,000 Miles for a Economy One-way Flight From the US to Central America or the Caribbean
Both United and Avianca are Star Alliance partners, so you can fly on these airlines to Central American and the Caribbean. Using Miles & More miles for a one-way award flight from mainland US to Central American or the Caribbean only costs 17,000 miles one-way and no fuel surcharges.
This qualifies as a 2 region award and you are allowed 3 connecting flights per one-way. If these flights area available as a Saver Award on United.com then you will be able to call in and book the flight using Miles & More miles.
If you want to add stopovers you can book a roundtrip award for only 35,000 miles and add up to two stopovers and two open jaws. This means you can visit 3 destinations in Central America on one roundtrip!
10) 20,000 Miles for a Economy One-Way from Mainland US to Hawaii
A one-way award flight from the US to Hawaii is only 20,000 miles in economy and you won’t pay fuel surcharges on United. You can book this flight using Miles & More miles as long as you find Saver Award availability on United with no more than 3 flight segments. Although you will have to book this award through the Miles & More call center (online booking is not possible).
If you are traveling to the US and want to add a trip to Hawaii this can be a use of miles and you can fly direct from any of these cities: Denver, Houston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington.
11) 20,000 Miles for a Economy One-Way Flight From Hawaii to Australia/New Zealand or Oceania
It’s only 20,000 miles for an economy flight on Air New Zealand from Hawaii to Australia, New Zealand or Oceania. Plus you will only pay 20 € in fees for this long and normally very expensive flight.
If you want to fly from Hawaii to Australia, New Zealand or Oceania in Business Class it will cost 35,000 one-way.
You can book a roundtrip flight from Hawaii to New Zealand or Oceania for a cost of 40,000 miles and you can add stopovers as well to maximize your trip!
Note: It’s not possible to book Air New Zealand Award flights online, so you must call into the call center of Miles & More to book.
12) 20,000 Miles for a Economy One-Way Hawaii to Asia
Another great Miles & More award is booking a one-way flight from Hawaii to Asia in Economy for 20,000 miles. You can fly to Beijing with Air China (10 € in taxes), Seoul with Asiana Airlines (~100 € in taxes), or Tokyo with United (~120 € in taxes).
If you want to fly Business Class it will cost 35,000 miles one-way.
You can book these flights if you find Saver Award availability on United.com, but they cannot be booked online so you will have to call into the Miles & More call center to make the booking.
13) 40,000 Miles for a Economy One-Way from South America (Brazil) to Europe (or Europe to South America)
Brazilian law restricts airlines from charging fuel surcharges on flights, which makes it a great country to start an award flight from. You won’t have to pay any fuel surcharges on flights departing from Brazil on any airline.
It only costs 40,000 miles and ~ 50 € or less in taxes for an economy flight from Brazil to Europe. These are the following routes and airlines it’s possible to fly on:
Sao Paulo (GRU) to:
- Lufthansa: Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC)
- Turkish: Istanbul (IST)
- TAP: Lisbon (LIS), Porto (OPO)
- Swiss: Zurich (ZRH)
- Singapore Airlines: Barcelona (BCN)
- Air China: Madrid (MAD)
Rio De Janeiro (GIG) to:
- Lufthansa: Frankfurt (FRA)
- TAP: Lisbon (LIS), Porto (OPO)
You can also fly on TAP to Lisbon from:
- Brasilia (BSB)
- Fortaleza (FOR)
- Belo Horizonte (CNF)
- Salvador (SSA)
- Recife (REC)
- Porto Alegre (POA)
14) 30,000 Miles for a Economy One-way Flight From the USA to South America
You won’t pay fuel surcharges when you book an award flight to South America on United or Avianca. This makes it a great value to fly from the USA to South America for only 30,000 miles one-way in economy. It costs 52,000 miles to book a Business Class award from the USA to South America.
United generally flies to South America from these cities:
- Newark (EWR)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Houston (IAH)
- Washington DC (IAD)
- Charlotte (CLT).
Avianca has flights to/from South America from these US cities:
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Los Angelos (LAX)
- Houston (IAH)
- Dallas (DFW)
- Chicago (ORD)
- New York (JFK)
- Washington D.C. (IAD)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
- Miami (MIA)
From Bogota you can connect to many Latin American destinations within South America, Central America and the Caribbean on Avianca.
15) 15,000 Miles for a Economy One-way Flight Within the Middle East and Africa
You can book a one-way economy award within the Middle East and Africa for 15,000 miles. Miles and More’s award chart defines the Middle East/ Caucasus/ North/ Central Africa region as a huge region and some of the these flights can be long and expensive.
You can fly on Ethiopian Airlines which has a large route network across Africa and the Middle East. If you are planning a trip using 15,000 Miles & More miles to get to one of these destinations can be a great deal.
Want to Splurge? 85,000 Miles for a First Class One-way Award From Europe to the US
Although expensive trip, First Class Lufthansa and SWISS offer some of the most luxurious and highest quality first class flights. These are arguable the best premium cabins in the world and if you want you can use your Miles & More miles to book a trip!
First Class Lufthansa and SWISS awards are hard to book using other Star Alliance airlines’ miles such as United’s MileagePlus. The good news is that Lufthansa’s Miles & More members get much better access to First and Business Class awards and can book these awards more than two weeks in advance.
Quick Recap
There are many great uses of Miles & More miles and earning them to redeem them for amazing flights around the world is a great idea. The award flights mentioned here are only some of the options and great value awards that can be booked using Lufthansa Miles & More miles.
And remember that Miles & More allows generous multiple stopovers and open-jaws on international tickets. Using these tricks and tips is one of the best ways to maximize your miles, keep reading the series to learn how to maximize your miles!