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Flight Benefits

Award miles for flights: this is how they are calculated

Woman lying on the sofa looking at her tablet – your award miles: this is how they are calculated

Would you like to know how many award miles you will get for your booking? Find out all about the calculation methods here.

Depending upon how you booked, there are two different ways that they are calculated: either according to the airfare or according to the flying distance and the booking class. With our interactive animation, you can find out quickly and easily which calculation method will be used for your booking. You can calculate the miles you can expect to receive quickly and easily using our mileage calculator, both before and after booking your flight.

 

Which calculation method applies to my flight?

Calculation method 1: based on the airfare

Award miles = airfare x factor

What should I take into consideration?

  • Valid for flight bookings via a Lufthansa Group Airline1booking channel
  • With bookings made via a travel agency or online travel agent, it is the ticket number2 that determines the award miles calculation
  • The airfare in euros (ticket price + supplements charged by the Miles & More partner airline) forms the basis of the calculation
  • The factor is dependent on the frequent flyer status and the operating airline3
  • Airfares in a foreign currency are converted at the precise time of booking (OANDA currency converter)
  • Does not apply to the calculation of Status, Select and HON Circle miles

Calculation method 2: based on the flight distance and booking class

Award miles on European flights = flat rate according to booking class

Award miles on intercontinental flights = booking class x distance flown

What should I take into consideration?

  • Valid for flight bookings via the booking channels of airlines that do not belong to the Lufthansa Group1
  • With bookings made via a travel agency or online travel agent, it is the ticket number2 that determines the award miles calculation

The mileage calculator will do it for you

mileage calculator

Our mileage calculator calculates the miles you can expect to receive per flight and has two modes: Easy Mode and Expert Mode. Easy Mode is available in the Miles & More app and is primarily intended for calculating the miles you can expect to receive before you have booked your flight. In addition, the mileage calculator is also available in Expert Mode on the website. This allows you to calculate your miles in more detail and is most useful after you have booked a flight, since it also takes factors such as the booking class into account.

Go to mileage calculator

Is there something you are still unsure about?

How are award miles calculated under the sales-based system?

Under the sales-based system award miles are calculated as follows: Airfare (ticket price + supplements levied by the Miles & More partner airline) x factor = number of award miles earned. You can find further information about earning miles on flights here on the website of our airline partner concerned.  

 

What factor is used for Miles & More members under the sales-based system?

If you are a Miles & More member but not a Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle Member, the airfare (ticket price + supplements charged by the Miles &More partner airline) is always multiplied by a factor of 4. Award miles = airfare x factor.

What factor is used for Frequent Travellers, Senators and HON Circle members?

For members with frequent flyer status, the criterion is the airline that operates the flight. 
The factor is 6 if the flight is operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, LOT Polish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Air Dolomiti or Brussels Airlines; the factor is 5 for Eurowings and all other Miles & More partner airlines. You can find information about Miles & More partner airlines here.

Do I still receive an Executive Bonus with the sales-based system?

As a Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle Member, you also benefit from an Executive Bonus under the sales-based system. The bonus has already been taken into account in the factors and is 25% on flights with Eurowings and other Miles & More partner airlines, or 50% on flights with Austrian Airways, Lufthansa, SWISS, as well as Air Canada, Air Dolomiti, All Nippon Airways, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines or United Airlines.

How do I know whether my flight comes under the sales-based system?

The criterion for this is the booking channel. The new system applies to all tickets sold by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings or Brussels Airlines. If you book via a direct sales channel of Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings or Brussels Airlines, miles are awarded based on the new system. If you book via a third-party sales channel, i.e. travel agents or portals, you can see whether award miles are awarded based on the new system from the ticket number. If the first 3 digits of your ticket number are 220 (Lufthansa), 724 (SWISS), 257 (Austrian Airlines), 082 (Brussels Airlines) or Eurowings, your flight comes under the new system – if not, award miles are calculated using the previous system. An exception are tickets you bought via a tour operator. Here award miles are awarded according to the booking class, irrespective of the ticket number. In rare cases where no airfare information is available, Miles & More reserves the right to continue to award miles according to the booking class system.

Does the fare-based system also apply to Status, Select and HON Circle miles?

No, the new system does not apply to Status, Select and HON Circle miles. These will continue to be awarded in the usual way according to the present system. All the privileges associated with your frequent flyer status also remain unchanged.

Are upgrades incentivised?

With Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS, from 1.1.2019 this will apply to flight bookings for which you have chosen an upgrade online or by telephone:

 

Award miles = upgrade price x 4 (or x 6 for members with frequent flyer status)

 

You can find further information under the menu item “Earn miles/Flights” on the website of each respective partner airline.

How is foreign currency converted if I do not pay in EUR?

The amount of the currency you paid is converted into EUR at the conversion rate valid at the time the ticket was issued. This is based on the OANDA conversion rate at the time the ticket was issued. you can find this at: www.oanda.com.

Are award miles awarded based on the total price of the flight?

No, award miles are calculated based on the airfare, i.e. the ticket price + supplements charged by the Miles & More partner airline.

How is the airfare calculated exactly?

The airfare is the ticket price + supplements charged by the Miles & More partner airline.

I have a codeshare flight. What factor is relevant for me?

The awarding of miles is based on the factor of the airline operating the flight. As a member the factor is 4; as a Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle Member the factor is 6 on flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and United Airlines, Air Canada, LOT Polish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Air Dolomiti or Brussels Airlines, or 5 on Eurowings flights.

Where can I find the ticket price which, with supplements, makes up the airfare?

Either on the airline website during the booking process or on the booking voucher. You will find the ticket price and the national/international supplement (shown as YQ) there. 

When does the fare-based system come into effect?

The new system will apply to tickets issued after 12.3.2018 and to flights operated after 12.3.2018. Both conditions must be met.

What is the mileage credit procedure?

Miles will still be credited to you after every flight. The price of the tickets is allocated to the individual segments for this. Once you have completed your entire journey, the total miles for the individual flight segments make up the mileage amount for the entire ticket.

Do I get award miles for product and service charges?

No. You only receive award miles for the airfare paid (ticket price + supplements charged by the Miles & More partner airline).

Can I also earn miles for cancelled or uncompleted flights?

No. Award miles are still credited solely for flight segments actually flown (a single route with both a take-off and a landing). For further information please see 2.3.2 in the General Terms & Conditions.

1

Lufthansa Group Airlines are Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.

2

For tickets beginning with the numbers 257 (Austrian Airlines), 220 (Lufthansa), 724 (SWISS), and 082 (Brussels Airlines) that have been issued by Eurowings, award miles are calculated according to the airfare. For ticket numbers different from the ones specified above, award miles are calculated according to flying distance and booking class.

3

If you are a Miles & More member, but not a Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle member, miles are always multiplied by a factor of 4. For members with frequent flyer status, the criterion is the airline that operates the flight.
If the flight is operated by Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, as well as Air Canada, Air Dolomiti, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines or United Airlines, the factor is 6; for Eurowings and all other Miles & More partner airlines, the factor is 5. You can find information on Miles & More partner airlines here.