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Miles & More is one of our favorite hard-to-get mileage currencies. Having Miles & More miles unlocks the ability to book Lufthansa First Class without waiting until the last moment. Plus, Miles & More Mileage Bargains consistently offers 55,000-mile round-trip business class awards between the U.S. and Europe.
However, Miles & More just announced “exciting changes” this morning — which will almost certainly decrease the value of Miles & More miles. As of June 3, 2025, the Miles & More program will adopt dynamic award pricing for awards on Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines), adjust its award chart for partner flights, and eliminate its Mileage Bargains program.
Here's what to know about these Miles & More program changes.
Miles & More Dynamic Award Pricing
As of June 3, 2025, Miles & More award redemptions on Lufthansa Group airlines “will no longer be determined by a fixed chart, but will instead be based on the ticket price set by the airline.”
Inherent to the nature of dynamic award pricing, we don't know if this will mean lower or higher award prices. But dynamic award pricing is rarely good news for award travelers.
Some premium cabin awards may drop in price when Miles & More switches to dynamic pricing — like what we saw with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club's recent switch to dynamic pricing. However, it's likely that premium cabin awards will only become more expensive. So, book now if there's an award that you've been eyeing.
Elimination of Mileage Bargains and Flex Plus Awards
Buried in the announcement, Miles & More notes that it's “simplifying the way we structure our offer” by eliminating its Mileage Bargains discount program and “Flex Plus” awards. Both of these are significant devaluations of the Miles & More program.
Along with booking Lufthansa First Class awards, Mileage Bargains is one of the most valuable Miles & More redemption options. Each month, Miles & More selects a few hundred city pairs that it discounts to just:
- 30,000 miles round-trip in economy class.
- 40,000 miles round-trip in premium economy.
- 55,000 miles round-trip in business class.
With Miles & More's switch to dynamic award pricing, it's possible that awards will price this cheap — but these award prices won't be reliably available like they are now.
Flex Plus awards charged a higher mileage cost in return for eliminating the significant cash co-pay on Lufthansa Group awards. In one Lufthansa First Class example we found, you could pay 24,000 more miles to offset $917 — for a redemption rate of 3.8¢ per mile. So, it's not necessarily a surprise that Miles & More is “simplifying” its program by eliminating this option.
New Miles & More Partner Award Chart
In addition to switching to dynamic award pricing for Lufthansa Group flights, Miles & More is adjusting its award chart for partner awards. Lufthansa highlights that these changes “means we’ll be able to offer you lower and more attractive mileage amounts on some routes in Economy Class.” However, as you might expect with any airline award chart change news, Miles & More is increasing the rates for premium cabins.
Here's an overview of the changes for North America-based travelers:
| Route | Cabin | Old Price | New Price | % Increase (Decrease) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe - North America | Economy | 60,000 | 50,000 | (17%) |
| Europe - North America | Premium Economy | 80,000 | 85,000 | 6% |
| Europe - North America | Business Class | 112,000 | 125,000 | 12% |
| Europe - North America | First Class | 182,000 | 215,000 | 18% |
| North America - South America | Economy | 60,000 | 50,000 | (17%) |
| North America - South America | Business Class | 112,000 | 125,000 | 12% |
| North America - Southeast Asia / Central Asia | Economy | 80,000 | 75,000 | (6%) |
| North America - Southeast Asia / Central Asia / Australia | Business Class | 142,000 | 170,000 | 20% |
| North America - Australia / New Zealand / Oceania | Economy | 80,000 | 85,000 | 6% |
| North America - Australia / New Zealand / Oceania | Business Class | 142,000 | 150,000 | 6% |
Due to the difficulty of earning Miles & More miles, miles have generally been best redeemed for flights on Lufthansa Group airlines. However, the Miles & More award chart can be appealing for travel on partner airlines.
If you can find availability on United, business class awards from North America to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Far East, Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania currently cost 142,000 miles round-trip. Award rates are increasing to either 150k or 170k round-trip as of June 3, 2025.
Even after this increase, those are reasonable mileage rates. However, just note that Miles & More passes along fuel surcharges, and these can be high on certain partners.
Final Thoughts
While Miles & More is highlighting potential lower redemption costs for economy awards and “simplification,” the reality is that most award travelers value business and first-class redemptions — which will now likely be much more expensive on Lufthansa Group airlines. The elimination of the Mileage Bargains promotion and Flex Plus awards further reduce opportunities for getting outsized value from your miles.
If you have a large Miles & More balance, now's the time to act. Make sure to redeem miles before June 3, 2025 to secure award flights at current rates before these devaluations take effect.
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