Book Lufthansa First Class For Under $2,000 With This Mileage Sale [Until November 7]

Technically, Miles & More (the rewards program of Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Swiss, Austrian, and others) doesn’t sell miles. However, you can buy Miles & More miles right now through a special offer on “bundles” for the next week only.

What’s a bundle? And should you buy Miles & More miles through this offer? There are pros and cons to this deal, so let’s take a look.

What Are Miles & More Bundles?

Miles & More is the shared rewards program of multiple airlines. This includes everything from the namesake Lufthansa to Swiss, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Discover Airlines, and Eurowings. You’ll also find non-Lufthansa Group airlines using Miles & More as their rewards program, such as Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, and Luxair.

While there are several ways to earn Miles & More miles — including the Miles & More^® World Elite Mastercard^® for U.S. residents — these miles aren’t as easy to earn as those in other programs, given the lack of transfer partners.

While Miles & More still claims it doesn’t sell miles, it’s doing exactly that — though in a creative manner.

Through November 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CET (6:59 p.m. ET in the U.S.), you can buy bundles with up to a 50% mileage bonus. This sale is “while supplies last,” meaning bundles could run out before the deadline.

To buy Miles & More miles, you’ll choose from 4 bundle options — ranging from extra small to large — and get the associated number of miles. The bundles also come with other parks from Avis and Priority Pass, but we’ll focus exclusively on the aspect of buying miles here:

• XS bundle: 4,500 miles for $100 (2.22 cents per mile)
• Small bundle: 15,000 miles for $280 (1.87 cents per mile)
• Medium bundle: 75,000 miles for $1,140 (1.52 cents per mile)
• Large bundle: 150,000 miles for $1,960 (1.31 cents per mile)

You can purchase these bundles after logging in. Note that bundle purchases are nonrefundable.

Should You Buy Miles & More Miles on Sale?

We value Miles & More miles at 1.3 cents apiece. If you purchase the Large bundle, you can buy miles for right around that number, so it might make sense.

However, this sale also makes sense if you view it as a discounted method of accessing premium redemptions through Miles & More. Booking Lufthansa first class with points and miles is an aspirational maneuver that isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Lufthansa doesn’t provide seat availability to partner programs like United MileagePlus or Avianca LifeMiles until roughly 2 weeks before departure. (Plus, Avianca just recently devalued Lufthansa first-class awards).

Using Miles & More miles, you can book flights up to 360 days in advance, though this comes with much higher fees than booking through other programs.

There is a way around these hefty fees, however. With Miles & More, you can book Lufthansa first class with First Flex or First Flex Plus options. Between the U.S. and Germany, you can expect to pay 91,000 miles plus about $925 in fees with the First Flex option. Using First Flex Plus, you’ll pay 115,000 miles each way (per person) plus about $10 in fees. (Essentially, you’re paying extra miles to reduce the cash copay.)

Whether you’re looking for a one-way or round-trip redemption, buying Miles & More bundles can be a cost-saving method to book Lufthansa first class.

Consider this: booking a one-way ticket in first class from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) will set you back roughly $4,500. Therefore, buying the Miles & More Large bundle for under $2,000 is a great deal in comparison.

We won’t call it “cheap,” but it’s definitely cheaper than paying for these tickets outright.

Final Thoughts

Through November 7, you can buy Miles & More miles by purchasing bundles. However, this sale is marketed as “while supplies last” on the offer page, so the bundles might not last until the final day. If you’re interested in purchasing miles, check the math to see if this offer works for you.