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The Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard can play a vital role for travelers who are members of the Miles & More® loyalty program. This is pretty specific, so this card won’t typically be considered one of the best airline credit cards available.
However, when you compare credit cards with mid-tier travel benefits, it’s easy to see where the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard can offer value, especially when redeeming rewards on partner airlines.
In this Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard review, we’ll discuss the card’s benefits, perks, and drawbacks so you can understand who this card is designed for. This will help you decide whether the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard would be the right fit for you.
Great Rewards for Lufthansa Fans
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Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®
Current Offer
Earn 80,000 miles after spending $3,000 and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days
Annual Fee
$89
Rewards Rate
2X miles per dollar on tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines and 1X per dollar on all other purchases
Who should get the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard?
The miles you earn with the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard can be redeemed for flights on Lufthansa or its partner airlines, including airlines in the Star Alliance network. So this card makes the most sense if you frequently fly Lufthansa or a partner airline. If you don’t use these airlines or only use them occasionally, this card likely wouldn’t be a good fit for you.
Also, make sure you consider this card’s $89 annual fee as you compare credit cards. You need to earn enough miles and/or get enough value from the card’s benefits to offset the cost. Because you earn bonus rewards only on tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines, you need to fly often with these airlines to earn a lot of rewards.
To get approved for this card, you’ll likely need at least a good credit score, which means your score would need to be in the high 600s or above.
Card basics
| Card type | Travel |
| Credit card issuer | Barclays |
| Credit card network | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $89 |
| Intro bonus | Earn 80,000 miles after spending $3,000 and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days of account opening |
| Reward rate | 2X miles per dollar on tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines and 1X per dollar on all other purchases |
| Recommended credit score | Good |
| Intro APR | 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 billing cycles, then 20.74% to 29.99% (variable) |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard benefits and perks
- Generous welcome offer: Earn 80,000 miles after spending $3,000 and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days.
- Earning potential: Earn 2X miles per dollar on tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines and 1X per dollar on all other purchases.
- Companion tickets: Receive a companion ticket after your first purchase with this card and each year after your account anniversary. Each companion pass is good for one economy class fare, minus the taxes and fees.
- Lounge access: Receive two complimentary Lufthansa business lounge vouchers after your first purchase with this card and each year after your account anniversary. These vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date they’re issued and can be used by the cardmember or a travel companion for access to Lufthansa business lounges worldwide.
- Transfer partners: Redeem your miles for flights on Lufthansa and Star Alliance partner airlines.
- No foreign transaction fee: Avoid paying foreign transaction fees when using this card on purchases while traveling abroad.
- Hotels and cars discount: Receive up to 15% off your eligible hotel stay or car rental when booking through the Miles & More® program.
- Status miles conversion: Convert up to 25,000 award miles per calendar year into status miles at a 5:1 ratio. This can help you reach elite statuses quicker and take advantage of their benefits. For example, Senator and HON Circle members get to waive the $89 annual fee on this card.
- World Elite® benefits: Receive World Elite® Mastercard benefits, including cell phone protection, complimentary ShopRunner membership, monthly Lyft credits, and more.
Drawbacks to the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard
- Annual cost: This card has an $89 annual fee, so you have to leverage its rewards and benefits to make it worth it.
- Low earning flexibility: The only increased earning rate on this card is the 2X miles you can earn on tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines. All other purchases earn 1X miles. This makes it harder to earn a lot of miles because you don’t earn bonus rewards in common categories like groceries, general travel purchases, and gas.
- Miles & More® program: Because you’re restricted to the Miles & More® loyalty program, you won’t have the flexible redemption options of programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards. This card makes the most sense if you’re interested in redeeming miles with Lufthansa, its partner airlines, or airlines within the Star Alliance network.
Earning & redeeming Lufthansa Miles & More rewards
Potential earnings in years one and two
Here's a look at how your miles can add up with the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard. To calculate these values, we used a point valuation of 1.4 cents.
Remember, this is an estimation. The actual value will be determined by how much you spend and in which categories you spend.
Year one earnings: $1,140
Year two earnings: $490
These values are based on the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model, which looks at points earned via spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee.
Note that these amounts account for general travel spending only, not spending with Lufthansa or partner airlines. You can earn 2X on tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines. If you spend frequently in those categories, you’re likely to get much more value from this card.
Best ways to earn
Earning miles with the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard is simple and straightforward, though you don’t have many earning opportunities. The best way to earn is on tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines. This includes Lufthansa itself, as well as eight other airlines.
So if you have consistent travel plans in areas where Lufthansa and its select airline partners fly, buying flights on these airlines will net you the most value from your rewards. Otherwise, you won’t earn miles very quickly.
| Categories | Rewards rate |
| Tickets purchased from Miles & More partner airlines | 2X |
| All other purchases | 1X |
Maximizing your redemptions
The miles you earn with your Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard can be redeemed through the Miles & More® program in a variety of ways. You can book flights on partner airlines, donate to charity, book a rental car, book hotel stays, get shopping vouchers, and more.
It’s nice to have different options to choose from, but the best redemption rate will typically be for award flights. As an airline credit card, it makes sense that your miles will offer the best value when used for flight redemptions. However, you’ll have to search around on the Miles & More® website to see which types of flights will be the most valuable for you. Once you know how to book Lufthansa and Lufthansa partner flights, it becomes a lot easier to find flight redemptions that work with your travel plans.
Miles & More® rewards are typically worth about 1.4 cents per mile, which would make 50,000 miles worth about $700 (50,000 x $0.014 = $700). This value will fluctuate depending on the redemptions you choose, so it could be higher or lower.
Lufthansa Miles & More® credit card travel partners
The Miles & More® loyalty program includes loads of airlines that Lufthansa partners with. You can use your Miles & More® rewards to book flights with these airlines through your Miles & More® online account. Many of Lufthansa's Integrated airline partners are based in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Partners within the Miles & More® program include:
- Aegean Airlines
- Air Astana
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air Dolomiti
- Air India
- Air Malta
- Air New Zealand
- All Nippon Airways
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines Group
- Avianca Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Condor
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- EgyptAir
- EVA Air
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Eurowings
- LATAM Airlines
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Luxair
- Olympic Air
- Scandinavian Airlines SAS
- Shenzhen Airlines
- SilkAir
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- Swiss International Air Lines
- TAP Portugal
- Thai Smile Airways
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard FAQs
What credit score do you need for the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard?
You likely need a good credit score to qualify for the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard. Good credit starts in the high 600s and leads to excellent credit around the 800 mark.
Is the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard a good card?
The Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard is a good card if you typically fly on Lufthansa or one of its partner airlines. Because the Miles & More® program has more than 30 partner airlines, including United and Air Canada, it’s easy to find redemption options for your miles. Cardmembers also receive quality travel benefits, including business lounge vouchers and companion tickets.
How many miles do you need for a free flight on Lufthansa?
Lufthansa uses the Miles & More® rewards program to provide award flight redemptions for Lufthansa flights or flights with partner airlines. You won’t be able to access the award flight search unless your account has a minimum of 7,000 miles in it, though you’d typically need more than that for a one-way flight depending on the carrier. For example, a one-way economy award flight with Lufthansa typically costs 15,000 miles.
What are the benefits of a World Elite Mastercard?
World Elite Mastercards receive many benefits, including cell phone protection, complimentary ShopRunner membership, monthly Lyft credits, and Boxed discounts. Cell phone protection is especially valuable as not many credit cards offer this benefit anymore.
What's the best way to redeem your Lufthansa miles?
The best way to redeem your Lufthansa miles is on award flights through the Miles & More® program. If you log into your Miles & More® online account, you can look for award flights across more than 30 partner airlines. The value of your redemption rate will vary depending on your destination, preferred airline, and the time of year, but you’ll likely find quality options if you search hard enough.
Other cards to consider
The Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard is an excellent choice for fans of Lufthansa and Star Alliance airlines, but it doesn’t have the most flexible earning potential and redemption options. For travel rewards cards with increased flexibility, consider the American Express Green Card® and Chase Sapphire Preferred.
The Amex Green has a lot more flexibility with its earning categories, which can make things easier if you're a frequent traveler. This rewards card offers 3X points on eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.; and 1X points on all other eligible purchases, which is a lot more flexible than what you earn with the Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite® Mastercard. Plus, the earning rate is higher, and you earn Amex Membership Rewards points. These points open up your redemption options because they can be transferred to more than a dozen Amex transfer partners, including Delta SkyMiles, Hilton Honors, and Radisson Rewards.
All information about American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by FinanceBuzz.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is easily one of the best travel rewards cards available. The Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn on this card are immediately worth 25% more when redeemed through the Chase travel portal, and they offer a lot of flexibility. You can redeem through Chase, transfer them to Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners, and also combine them between multiple Chase cards to stack your rewards. The most common way to maximize rewards between multiple cards is by using the Chase trifecta.
Great Rewards for Lufthansa Fans
Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®
Why We Like It
Earn 80,000 miles after spending $3,000 and paying the annual fee in the first 90 days
See how these cards compare:
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American Express® Green Card
- Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months
- 3X points at eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- Up to $199 annually as a statement credit for CLEAR Plus
- Up to $100 LoungeBuddy credit per year
- See rates and fees | Terms Apply
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Generous welcome offer valued at $750 when redeemed via Chase Travel
- High rewards on dining and bookings via Chase Travel
- 25% more value when redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel
- Up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel
- Receive valuable travel protections like trip delay reimbursement and primary rental car insurance