The Best Ways to Book Lufthansa First Class Using Points [Step-By-Step]
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Without a doubt, the most famous first class experience from Europe is the Lufthansa first class cabin. Their service inflight is tough to match, and the lounge experience in Frankfurt is simply stunning!
Carriers from the Middle East and Asia continue to provide amazing first class experiences, but the Lufthansa first class cabin remains one of the best experiences in the sky.
Let’s look at what you’ll get when you book Lufthansa first class, and then dive into booking this amazing flight using points.
Table of contents
Table of Contents
A Look Inside Lufthansa First Class
Let’s say you’re flying out of Lufthansa’s hub in Frankfurt, Germany. When you arrive at the First Class Terminal, you will be greeted by a personal assistant and a valet parking service.
If you arrive in your own car, the valet parking service will take care of parking it for you. Have a rental car? They will return it to the agency on your behalf. Your personal assistant will then be with you through check-in and security.
With these formalities complete, you can start enjoying the amazing First Class Terminal experience. Many airlines provide great first class lounges, but Lufthansa takes it to another level!
The Wining & Dining area is complete with food from expert chefs and your choice of beer, wine, and liquor. Cigar aficionados can also enjoy a fine smoke with their drink in a dedicated cigar lounge.
If you’d like to relax before your flight, you can choose from one of the famous Relax chairs or a quiet room with a daybed. Perhaps you’d prefer to relax by taking a bath? Well, you’re in luck! One of the 4 shower rooms also has a bathtub for you to enjoy.
As you can see, Lufthansa goes out of its way to ensure you have a fantastic experience upon arriving at the airport. Now, let’s talk about the flight.
For maximum comfort, each first class suite includes a lie-flat seat with direct aisle access. If traveling with a companion, the middle section has a divider that can be raised when you need some quiet or lowered when you’d like to have a chat.
On board, the amazing Lufthansa service only continues in first class. From fine wine and champagne to high-end scotch like Johnnie Walker Blue to more amazing cuisine, you won’t be disappointed. Just ask your flight attendant for whatever you need!
From start to finish, the Lufthansa first class cabin makes flying fun and relaxing.
How to Book Lufthansa First Class With Points & Miles
Now that you’ve had a taste of what to expect from this amazing cabin, let’s talk about how you can book this flight and try it yourself!
Lufthansa is a member of Star Alliance, which is the largest airline alliance in the world. This provides plenty of options for booking Lufthansa first class, but we’re going to focus on 3 of the best ways.
Miles & More
Miles & More is the frequent flyer program for several European airlines including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss Air, Brussels Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, and Croatia Airlines.
You will need 7,000 miles in your Miles & More account to search for award availability online. If you don’t have the required miles to search online, call Lufthansa’s U.S. customer service center at 800-581-6400.
Hot Tip: Child tickets for flights on Adria Airways, Austrian Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair, and SWISS can be booked at a 25% mileage discount.
The main benefit of this method is that you will have access to first class award availability more than 15 days in advance. Partner bookings typically will only receive award inventory in first class around ~2 weeks before departure, making planning in-advance difficult.
With Lufthansa’s own Miles & More frequent flyer program, you will be able to book first class up to 355-359 days before departure!
To complete a booking online, follow these simple steps:
- Go to Miles & More
- Log into your Miles & More account
- Select your desired travel dates and route
- Select “First” as your class of service
- Select your desired flight
- Make sure you select a Lufthansa flight, as the search results will show other Miles & More partners
You will be required to pay the carrier-imposed surcharges on award tickets when booking with Miles & More. The fees can be steep, but they are lower on flights from Europe rather than the U.S.
If you want to book a round-trip itinerary, search for both round-trip tickets and one-way tickets. Booking 2 one-way tickets might have lower combined surcharges than the round-trip option.
Hot Tip: We’ve got an entire post dedicated to the best ways to utilize your Miles & More Miles for max value if you need more ideas.
United MileagePlus
United MileagePlus has long been the go-to method for many people in the U.S. when booking Lufthansa First Class. Unlike Miles & More, United does not pass on the carrier-imposed surcharges on award bookings.
You can book your flight online by following these steps:
- Visit United’s website
- Sign in to your account
- Select “Search for award travel”
- Select your travel dates and your desired route
- Select your cabin of choice
- Select your flight (make sure it is operated by Lufthansa!)
- Review your flight choice
Hot Tip: Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio if you need some United miles to complete your booking.
When you search on United’s site, confirm award availability before you transfer any Chase Ultimate Rewards. Once you have selected your flights, you will be able to review your choice.
Occasionally, United will show phantom space — this means that the flight will show as an option, but after selecting it you will be notified that space no longer exists.
Asiana Club
Our third option isn’t the most commonly used method of booking, but Asiana Club provides another great way to book Lufthansa first class.
You will be required to call Asiana to book the award, as they do not allow partner bookings online.
Also, you must reserve and have your ticket issued 3 days prior to departure, which prevents snagging last-minute awards.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Search for availability using United’s site (see above for the steps)
- Call Asiana at 1-800-227-4262
- The U.S. call center is open between 8:30am-5:30pm PT (Monday-Friday)
- Tell the phone representative you’d like to book an award with their Star Alliance partner Lufthansa
- Provide your travel dates and flight numbers
- Once you confirm space, you will be prompted to give your credit card for any necessary taxes and fees
Asiana Airlines will pass on surcharges when booking award tickets, so include that in your calculation.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is another great option to book first class awards on Lufthansa.
The booking process is simple and can be done online. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Visit Aeroplan’s site
- Log into your Aeroplan account (you’ll need your account number)
- Under “Use Your Miles” select “Travel”
- Select your travel dates, cities, and class of service
- Select your flight and complete your booking
Be aware that Aeroplan passes on carrier-imposed surcharges for many partner award bookings, which can be steep.
Hot Tip: Check out our Aeroplan region definition guide to make it easy to find out how many miles you need to book your award.
If you are short on Aeroplan points, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. Transfers are almost instant.
Other Options for Booking First Class
Several other Star Alliance partners you might want to consider when booking Lufthansa first class are Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus, and ANA Mileage Club.
Great Lufthansa First Class Redemptions
If you’re looking for the cheapest mileage cost, Asiana Club might be your best bet. While you’ll still have to pay the surcharges, a one-way first class flight on Lufthansa is only 50,000 Asiana miles.
Air Canada Aeroplan is another great opportunity at 70,000 miles one-way, as there are more ways to earn Aeroplan points.
On a one-way award from the U.S., you can expect $500+ in taxes and fees, while a one-way from Germany to the U.S. will be roughly $400. Depending on your origin in Europe, the taxes and fees will vary.
Visiting Europe from Asia? You can book Lufthansa first class from Hong Kong to Frankfurt or Munich for 105,000 Miles & More miles. Thanks to Hong Kong’s prohibition on surcharges, the taxes and fees on this booking are very low.
To fly between Europe and the U.S., you can use 110,000 United miles for a one-way flight without carrier-imposed surcharges.
How to Earn Enough Miles for Lufthansa First Class
Earning Lufthansa Miles & More Miles or Asiana Club Miles
Barclays provides a co-branded card with Miles & More, and Bank of America provide a co-branded card with Asiana Airlines.
You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those to Asiana at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 Asiana miles. There are a number of Marriott credit cards that you can use.
Earning United MileagePlus Miles
If you need United miles, you can transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards, which can be earned through the following cards:
Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - This is our favorite beginners travel rewards card, which is currently offering Chase's best offer ever of 100,000 point bonus after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. The card earns 2x points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. With offering other travel benefits such as excellent travel insurance coverage, including car rental insurance and no foreign transaction fees, this card is a very rewarding card. |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card - This premium card will get you access to 1,300+ airport lounges. as well as a number of other card benefits. The current sign up bonus is 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll also get a $300 travel credit per year which wipes away a big chunk of the $550 annual fee. As an extra bonus, until 12/31/21, gas station & grocery store purchases will also count towards earning your Travel Credit. Earn big with this card, earn 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit, earn 3X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out, then 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® card - A solid, no annual fee card that earns you a $200 bonus after you spend $500 in your first 3 months. Earn 5% cash-back on grocery store purchases (not including Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year, and 5% on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Then earn 3% cash-back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% cash-back on all other purchases, but you won't get any travel benefits with this card. |
Recommended Chase Cards (Business)
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card - this is our #1 recommended business card and right now comes with a 100,000 sign up bonus after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. This bonus is worth $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Pay your cell phone bill with this card to receive up to $600 in cell phone insurance coverage per year; as well as a number of other benefits. Earn 3x on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year, plus 1x on all other purchases — with no limit to the amount you can earn. All for an annual fee of $95. |
| Ink Business Cash® Credit Card - Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening This no annual fee business card earns up to 5% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year, plus 2% cash-back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary. |
| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card - Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back rewards on every purchase made for your business. Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. There's no annual fee. |
Chase also provides co-branded cards that earn United miles directly.
Earning Air Canada Aeroplan Points
If you want to take advantage of Air Canada’s award chart, you have plenty of ways to earn Membership Rewards that can be transferred to your Aeroplan account.
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a new welcome bonus offer of This is our #1 card for accessing 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Priority Pass (enrollment required). We leverage ~$4,900+ in benefits and perks from the card every year. Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - This card has a new welcome bonus of We love using this card as it earns 4X Membership Rewards Points at restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and earns 4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly; and you'll have access to many benefits and perks. Terms apply and for rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Right now, there's a new welcome bonus of See how we get $4,000+ in value per year by leveraging many of the benefits & perks, including access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide. For rates & fees of the Business Platinum, click here. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card - one of our favorite Amex business cards because we earn 4x points across the top 2 select categories that we spend the most money in each month, such as Facebook or Google ads. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. After that, you earn 1x. Terms Apply. The current welcome bonus is 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. For rates and fees of the Business Gold, click here. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express - A super simple, no-annual-fee card that earns you 2x points on everyday business purchases, up to $50,000 in purchases per year. After that, earn 1x. Right now, you can earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus, click here. |
When Should You Search for Award Space?
Unlike Lufthansa business class award space, Lufthansa restricts first class award availability to its own Miles & More members until roughly 2 weeks before departure.
If you need to make sure you are booked on a flight ahead of time, the Miles & More program is your best bet. If you are more flexible and using a partner program to book, start looking for Lufthansa first class award space 15 days prior to your departure.
What Do You Get With Lufthansa First Class?
Lufthansa provides a luxury first class cabin experience that you won’t want to miss. With amazing service, a great lie-flat seat, and a wonderful lounge experience, there’s no doubt you will love flying on Lufthansa.
Lufthansa and Star Alliance First Class Lounges
As part of Star Alliance (the largest airline alliance), you will have access to many first class lounges across the globe when flying Lufthansa first class.
Lufthansa First Class Terminal
The Lufthansa First Class Terminal is an experience like few others. Travelers from around the world love this lounge so much, it has almost become a destination in and of itself.
This lounge does all the little things right: hot pretzels, dining from Michelin star-rated chefs, numerous beverage options, and much more. During your visit, you will have access to 130 types of whiskey!
Lufthansa Welcome Lounge in Frankfurt
If you are flying into Frankfurt, check out the Lufthansa Welcome Lounge, where you can take care of a little work or have a nice meal before heading into the city. If you need to freshen up after a long flight, you can have a quick shower to prepare for the day.
Final Thoughts
If there is a bucket list for out of this world flight experiences, Lufthansa first class is definitely on it!
From the moment you arrive at the airport, you will be blown away by the service Lufthansa provides. A Porsche or Mercedes ride to your flight plus champagne and amazing meals in the lounge and on the plane…what more could you want?
If you didn’t already stop reading this article to go book your Lufthansa first class flight — what are you waiting for? Get to it!
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Unlimited® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, click here.
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