Why I Love Miles & More: What's Left After the 2025 Overhaul
Miles & More went through a massive overhaul in June 2025. Some sweet spots survived, some got better, and a few got destroyed. Here's where things stand from India.
I've had a soft spot for Miles & More for years. Lufthansa's loyalty program isn't the most popular one in India, and earning miles in it takes real effort. But the redemption sweet spots have always been what kept me interested.
That said, a lot changed in June 2025. Miles & More moved to dynamic pricing for Lufthansa Group flights, killed some of its best features, and revised the partner award chart. Some sweet spots survived, some got better, and a few got destroyed.
Here's where things stand in 2026.
Quick primer: what is Miles & More?
Miles & More is the loyalty program for the Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and a few smaller carriers. It's part of the Star Alliance network, giving you access to 25 airlines including Air India, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, ANA, and Thai Airways.
The program used to have a fixed award chart for everything. You knew exactly how many miles any flight would cost, regardless of when you booked or what the cash fare was. That predictability was one of its biggest strengths.
What changed in June 2025
On June 3, 2025, Miles & More switched to dynamic pricing for all flights on Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Lufthansa CityLine. Award prices now fluctuate like cash fares based on route, dates, and demand.
The impact was brutal. A one-way Lufthansa First Class from New York to Munich went from a fixed 115,000 miles to over 250,000 on some dates. Business Class from Zurich to Mexico jumped from 101,000 to 158,000 miles.
They also killed Flex Plus awards (which let you pay extra miles to reduce cash surcharges) and removed Mileage Bargains for Lufthansa Group airlines. More on that below.
The good news: the fixed award chart still exists for Star Alliance partner airlines. All the sweet spots below use the partner chart, which has published, predictable rates.
Japan: still one of the best deals
Japan remains an incredible Miles & More sweet spot. The partner chart puts India to the Far East at 42,000 miles round trip in Economy and 75,000 miles in Business.
Before the June 2025 revision, this zone cost about 40,000 Economy and 70,000 Business round trip. So the increase was modest: just 2,000 more in Economy and 5,000 more in Business. The value is still excellent.
ANA Business Class from Mumbai or Delhi to Tokyo for 75,000 miles round trip, with about ₹9,000 to ₹13,000 in taxes, is hard to beat when cash fares on that route regularly exceed ₹3-4 lakh. And since this is the partner chart, the rate is fixed. It costs the same whether you're flying during cherry blossom season or a quiet November weekday.
ANA only serves Mumbai and Delhi directly from India, but the beauty of Star Alliance connectivity is that if you're based in Kochi, Bengaluru, Chennai, or anywhere else, you can connect through Delhi or Mumbai on Air India without spending extra miles. Just a modest bump in taxes.
Maldives: barely changed
The Maldives sweet spot survived almost untouched. You can reach Male for about 35,000 miles round trip in Economy and 60,000 in Business, with minimal taxes.
The old rates were roughly 34,000 Economy and 60,000 Business round trip, so Economy went up by about a thousand miles. Business didn't change at all. Whether you're flying from Leh or Bengaluru, the mileage requirement stays the same, and availability is generally good even during peak season.
Africa: the sweet spot that got hit hardest
This one hurts. Africa used to be one of the most compelling Miles & More sweet spots. Flying from India to Nairobi or Addis Ababa cost around 30,000 miles round trip in Economy and about 55,000 to 60,000 in Business. I used to love comparing this to Air India's Maharaja Club, which charged around 1 lakh points for the same routes.
The new chart puts India to Southern Africa at 50,000 miles round trip in Economy and 125,000 in Business. That's a 67% increase in Economy and more than double in Business. The Africa Business Class sweet spot that made Miles & More special for safari trips is essentially gone.
Economy at 50,000 miles round trip is still reasonable, but it's no longer the standout deal it was.
Mileage Bargains: mostly dead
One of my favourite Miles & More features was the monthly Mileage Bargains, where selected routes went for 50% off the standard award rate. Mumbai to Warsaw for 30,000 miles round trip in Economy or 60,000 in Business. Delhi to Barcelona at half price. These deals made the program exciting every month.
As of June 2025, Mileage Bargains on Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian are gone. They still exist in a reduced form for Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Eurowings, and Luxair. But the selection is much weaker, and the destinations are less interesting from an Indian perspective.
In March 2026, Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti move to dynamic pricing too, which will shrink the Mileage Bargains pool even further.
Europe: a mixed bag
Europe is interesting because Economy actually got cheaper while Business got more expensive. The new partner chart rates from India: 50,000 miles round trip in Economy (down from 60,000) and 125,000 in Business (up from 112,000). First Class is 215,000 (up from 182,000).
For Economy travellers, 50,000 miles round trip to Europe on partner airlines is genuinely better than before and competitive with other Star Alliance programs.
For Business Class, 125,000 miles is decent but not the bargain it used to be. It works well if you can find availability on Air India's A350 with the private suites or Turkish Airlines through Istanbul, where surcharges are reasonable (around ₹8,000). LOT Polish Airlines remains one of the lowest surcharge options at under ₹5,000.
One routing trick from the old days that still works: combining SWISS segments with Lufthansa CityLine or Austrian Airlines can bring taxes down compared to flying pure Lufthansa routes.
How to earn Miles & More in India
This has always been the program's biggest weakness, and that hasn't changed. There's one credit card in India that earns Miles & More miles directly: the Axis Bank Miles & More World Credit Card.
It earns 6 miles per ₹200 spent (3 miles per ₹100). Annual fee is around ₹1,770 with GST, waived at ₹1.5 lakh annual spend. Welcome bonus of up to 5,000 miles if you spend ₹90,000 in 90 days.
The most important thing about this card is that your miles don't expire while it's active. Given the strict per-batch expiry rules (more on that below), the card is almost essential if you're accumulating slowly.
But the earning rate is painfully slow. A Japan Business round trip at 75,000 miles needs about ₹25 lakh in card spending. A Europe Business round trip at 125,000 miles needs over ₹41 lakh. This card works best alongside miles you earn from flying, not as your primary strategy.
No other Indian bank (HDFC, ICICI, Amex India, SBI) transfers to Miles & More. That's probably the biggest reason this program stays niche in India.
Buying miles directly from Miles & More is another option. They run regular promotions with bonuses of up to 50%, and when the math works out you can get miles for around ₹1.20 to ₹1.50 each. That puts a Japan Business round trip at roughly ₹90,000 to ₹1.1 lakh all-in, which is still excellent value against cash fares of ₹3-4 lakh. The program lets you purchase in four currencies (Euro, US Dollar, Canadian Dollar, and British Pound), so it's worth comparing forex rates before buying to squeeze out a bit more value. But only buy when you have a specific redemption in mind, not for speculative hoarding.
Miles expiry
Miles & More has one of the stricter expiry policies. Each batch of miles expires 36 months after it's earned, at the end of the quarter when that timer runs out. Unlike most programs, earning new miles doesn't reset the clock on older ones. Each batch ticks down independently.
Two ways to protect everything: hold Miles & More elite status (Frequent Traveller or above), or keep the Axis Bank Miles & More credit card active. While either is active, nothing expires. The credit card is the practical choice for most Indian earners.
For comparison, Air India's Maharaja Club expires after 24 months of inactivity but any earning activity resets the entire balance. Vietnam Airlines LotusSmiles has a flat 3-year expiry from the date miles are credited. Miles & More is stricter on the per-batch rule, but at least gives you the credit card protection option.
If Star Alliance miles are what you're after
Miles & More gives you Star Alliance access, but it's one of the harder ways to accumulate Star Alliance miles from India. If the Lufthansa First Class perks don't matter to you, there are easier paths.
Air India's Maharaja Club is also Star Alliance, and you can earn Maharaja Club points through Mag Miles on the Magnify app at a 1:1 ratio without needing a credit card. Domestic flights on Maharaja Club start at around 5,000 points, compared to 17,500 miles one-way on Miles & More. And most major Indian credit cards transfer to Maharaja Club.
There's also Avianca LifeMiles (Star Alliance), which HDFC and Axis cards transfer to and regularly runs buy-miles promotions at aggressive rates.
Where Miles & More wins: Lufthansa First Class access, Allegris exclusivity, and the Japan/Maldives sweet spots on the partner chart. For everything else, easier earning programs exist.
The annoying parts
You need at least 7,000 miles in your account to even search for award flights on the Miles & More website. Below that, the search tool won't work. You can call the service center or use third-party tools like AwardFares to check availability, but it's an unnecessary barrier.
Surcharges on Lufthansa Group award tickets are high. They pass through full carrier-imposed charges and added environmental surcharges in 2025 (EUR 1 to 72 per flight depending on cabin). On some Lufthansa routes, you'll pay EUR 500+ in taxes and fees on top of your miles. Partner airlines generally have lower surcharges, which is another reason the partner chart is where the real value is.
What's coming
ITA Airways (the Italian carrier that replaced Alitalia) is expected to merge its loyalty program into Miles & More around March 2026 and join Star Alliance. That means more route options and earning opportunities, but likely also more flights under dynamic pricing over time.
Bottom line
Miles & More got harder to love after the 2025 overhaul. The Africa sweet spot in Business is gone, Mileage Bargains are gutted, and earning from India remains a challenge.
But Japan at 75,000 miles Business round trip is still excellent. Maldives barely changed. Europe in Economy actually improved. And Lufthansa First Class access is something no other program offers the way Miles & More does.
For most Indian travellers, this works best as a secondary program. Credit your Star Alliance flights to it, keep the Axis co-brand card active to prevent expiry, and save your miles for the sweet spots that still deliver. If you're starting from zero and want the easiest path into Star Alliance miles, Maharaja Club through Mag Miles or LifeMiles through credit card transfers will get you there faster.
