Lufthansa Miles & More Transfer Partners

Last updated: February 2026

Lufthansa’s Miles & More program is one of the most valuable frequent flyer programs in Europe, but for years, it was nearly impossible for U.S.-based points collectors to transfer credit card points into it. That changed in November 2025 when Rove Miles became the first (and currently only) transferable points currency to add Lufthansa Miles & More as a direct transfer partner. If you’re researching Lufthansa Miles & More transfer partners expecting a long list of options from Chase, Amex, or Capital One, the reality is much simpler—and more limited—than most other airline programs.

This guide covers exactly which programs transfer to Miles & More, the transfer ratio and timing, what makes this partnership worth considering, and when you’re better off booking Lufthansa flights through a different program entirely.

Key Takeaways

• Rove Miles is the only direct credit card transfer partner for Lufthansa Miles & More as of 2026. No other major U.S. transferable points program (Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, Bilt) offers direct transfers.
• Transfers from Rove to Miles & More are 1:1, with a minimum of 2,000 miles and processing times ranging from instant to 1 business day.
• Miles & More uses dynamic pricing on many routes, so award costs fluctuate. However, periodic “Mileage Bargains” promotions can offer strong value, such as round-trip Business Class to Europe from 55,000 miles.
• Lufthansa first class award space is significantly easier to book through Miles & More directly than through Star Alliance partner programs like Aeroplan or United MileagePlus.
• High fuel surcharges on Lufthansa-operated flights remain a major drawback, sometimes exceeding $1,000 in premium cabins. Always calculate the total out-of-pocket cost before transferring points.

Quick Answer: Which Programs Transfer to Miles & More?

Only Rove Miles transfers directly to Lufthansa Miles & More. The transfer ratio is 1:1 (1 Rove Mile = 1 Miles & More mile), with a minimum transfer of 2,000 miles. No other major U.S. credit card points program—including Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Points, or Bilt Rewards—offers a direct transfer path to Miles & More.

This makes Miles & More one of the most transfer-restricted major airline programs for U.S. points earners. If you don’t hold Rove Miles, your options are limited to earning Miles & More through co-branded credit cards, flying Lufthansa Group airlines, or purchasing miles directly.

Complete Lufthansa Miles & More Transfer Partners Table

Here is the full picture of where every major U.S. transferable points currency stands with Miles & More:

Bottom line: If transferring credit card points to Miles & More is your goal, Rove Miles is the only game in town.

For a full comparison of which banks transfer to which airline and hotel programs, see the complete credit card transfer partners guide.

Why Can’t Chase, Amex, or Capital One Transfer to Miles & More?

Lufthansa ended its last remaining points transfer partnerships (including with Marriott Bonvoy) around 2019 and went roughly six years without any transferable points partner. The Rove Miles partnership, announced in November 2025, marked the program’s return to the transfer ecosystem.

The reasons Miles & More has stayed out of most U.S. bank partnerships likely include:

• Lufthansa Group’s preference for direct revenue. Miles & More is the loyalty program for Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings. The group may prefer selling miles directly or earning revenue through co-branded cards rather than discounting miles through bank transfer deals.
• European market focus. Miles & More is headquartered in Germany and primarily serves European travelers. U.S. bank partnerships haven’t been a strategic priority.
• Rove’s niche positioning. Rove Miles, a newer entrant focused on hotel-based earning, likely offered terms that made the partnership viable.

For U.S. points collectors accustomed to programs like Air Canada Aeroplan or ANA Mileage Club—both of which accept transfers from multiple banks—this limitation is significant. It means you can’t simply shift Amex points or Chase points into Miles & More when a good deal appears.

What Is Rove Miles and How Does It Work?

Rove Miles is a transferable points program primarily tied to hotel spending. It differs from the major bank programs most readers are familiar with. Here’s what matters:

• Earning: Rove Miles are earned through hotel bookings made via the Rove platform, with earning rates up to 45 Rove Miles per dollar spent at participating hotels.
• Transfer partners: Rove offers transfers to a growing list of airline loyalty programs, including Miles & More. For the full list, see the Rove Miles transfer partners guide.
• No traditional credit card: Unlike Chase or Amex, Rove isn’t a credit card issuer. You earn Rove Miles through hotel bookings, not everyday spending.

Who this matters for: Travelers who book hotels frequently and want to funnel those earnings into airline miles—particularly programs like Miles & More that aren’t accessible through other transfer currencies.

Who this doesn’t help: Readers sitting on large balances of Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, or Bilt points. Those points cannot be transferred to Miles & More through any transfer path.

How to Transfer Rove Miles to Lufthansa Miles & More

The transfer process is straightforward, but because all point transfers to airline programs are irreversible, it’s worth walking through the steps carefully.

Step-by-Step Transfer Process

1. Confirm your Miles & More account number. You’ll need an active Lufthansa Miles & More membership. If you don’t have one, sign up for free at miles-and-more.com.
2. Log in to your Rove Miles account. Navigate to the transfer partners section.
3. Select Lufthansa Miles & More as your transfer destination.
4. Enter your Miles & More membership number. Double-check this—transfers to the wrong account can be difficult or impossible to reverse.
5. Choose the number of miles to transfer. The minimum is 2,000 Rove Miles, and transfers move in set increments (verify current increment requirements in your Rove account).
6. Confirm and submit. Transfers typically post instantly or within one business day.

Before You Transfer: The Pre-Transfer Checklist

• ✅ Search for award availability on the Miles & More website or app before transferring any points.
• ✅ Calculate the total cost, including taxes and surcharges (more on this below).
• ✅ Confirm the award price hasn’t shifted due to dynamic pricing.
• ✅ Make sure you have enough miles for the full booking—partial transfers that leave you short are a common and costly mistake.
• ✅ Remember: transfers are one-way and permanent. Once Rove Miles are converted to Miles & More miles, they cannot be converted back.

Common mistake: Transferring points before confirming award space. Miles & More uses dynamic pricing on many routes, so the price you saw yesterday may not be the price today. Always search first, then transfer.

Best Uses of Lufthansa Miles & More Miles

Miles & More miles are most valuable in specific scenarios. Here’s a decision framework for when this program shines versus when alternatives are better.

Best For

• Lufthansa first class bookings. This is the signature use case. Lufthansa releases first class award seats to its own members far in advance—often months ahead—while Star Alliance partners like Aeroplan and United typically only see these seats 1-2 days before departure. If you want to plan a Lufthansa First Class trip with certainty, Miles & More is the way to book.
• Mileage Bargains promotions. Miles & More periodically runs “Mileage Bargains” with discounted award pricing. The February 2026 promotion, for example, featured round-trip business class from the U.S. to Europe starting at 55,000 miles. These promotions can offer outstanding value when they align with your travel plans.
• Lufthansa Group flights broadly. Booking Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, or Eurowings flights through Miles & More gives you access to member-only award inventory that partner programs can’t see.

Not Ideal For

• Low-surcharge bookings. Lufthansa Group flights carry significant fuel surcharges on award tickets. A First Class award can carry surcharges exceeding $1,000, and even Business Class surcharges often run $400-$700. If minimizing out-of-pocket costs is your priority, programs like Avianca LifeMiles offer Lufthansa bookings with lower fees.
• Star Alliance partner flights. While Miles & More can book flights on other Star Alliance carriers, the dynamic pricing often makes these redemptions less competitive than booking through Aeroplan or other partner programs.
• Domestic U.S. flights. Miles & More isn’t designed for domestic U.S. travel. You’re better served by programs like United MileagePlus or transferring points to partners accessible through Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards.

Value Check: A Real-World Calculator Example

Let’s walk through a concrete example to illustrate when transferring to Miles & More makes sense—and when it doesn’t.

Scenario: U.S. to Frankfurt, Lufthansa Business Class

Assumptions:

• Route: New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA), one-way
• Cabin: Business class on Lufthansa metal
• Mileage Bargains pricing: ~27,500 miles one-way (promotional rate)
• Standard dynamic pricing: ~50,000-70,000 miles one-way (varies by date)
• Cash ticket price: approximately $3,500 one-way
• Taxes and surcharges on award: approximately $500

At Mileage Bargains pricing (27,500 miles + $500):

• Value of points: ($3,500 – $500) / 27,500 = 10.9 cents per point (CPP)
• Verdict: Excellent value. Well above the ~1.5-2 CPP baseline for most transferable points.

At standard dynamic pricing (65,000 miles + $500):

• Value of points: ($3,500 – $500) / 65,000 = 4.6 CPP
• Verdict: Still solid for business class, but less compelling. Compare against booking through Aeroplan (which charges fewer surcharges on some routings).

At high dynamic pricing (90,000+ miles + $500):

• The CPP drops below 3.3, and the high surcharges make this a weaker redemption. Consider alternatives.

For more tools to run these calculations yourself, check the Award Travel Hub calculators.

Decision rule: Transfer to Miles & More when Mileage Bargains are active or when you need Lufthansa first class space that isn’t available through partner programs. At standard dynamic pricing with high surcharges, compare against Aeroplan, LifeMiles, or other Star Alliance programs first.

Surcharges and Fees: The Miles & More Trade-Off

This is the single biggest drawback of booking through Miles & More, and it deserves its own section.

Lufthansa Group imposes carrier-imposed surcharges (often called fuel surcharges) on award tickets. These fees vary by route, cabin, and specific airline within the group, but they are consistently among the highest in the industry.

Typical surcharge ranges on Lufthansa-operated transatlantic flights:

These surcharges apply in addition to the miles required. A First Class redemption costing 85,000 miles plus $1,100 in surcharges is fundamentally different from a program that charges 85,000 miles plus $100 in taxes.

How to reduce surcharges:

• Book Swiss or Austrian flights instead of Lufthansa-branded flights when possible—surcharges can be lower on certain routes.
• Watch for Mileage Bargains, which sometimes include reduced surcharges.
• Compare the total cost (miles + cash) against booking the same Lufthansa flight through a low-surcharge partner like Avianca LifeMiles or ANA Mileage Club.

Common pitfall: Focusing only on the miles price and ignoring surcharges. A “cheap” 55,000-mile round-trip business class award that carries $900 in surcharges may not actually be a better deal than paying 70,000 miles through a program with $50 in fees.

How to Earn Miles & More Without Rove (Alternative Methods)

Since Rove Miles is the only transfer partner, it’s worth knowing the other ways to build a Miles & More balance.

Co-Branded Credit Cards

The Barclays Miles & More World Elite Mastercard is the primary U.S. co-branded option. It typically offers:

• A sign-up bonus (varies; check current offers)
• 2x miles per dollar on Miles & More purchases and Lufthansa Group flights
• 1x mile per dollar on all other purchases

The ongoing earning rate of 1x on general spending is not competitive with most transferable points cards. The card is best used for its sign-up bonus and for purchases directly with Lufthansa Group airlines.

Flying Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance Airlines

You earn Miles & More miles when flying Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, and Star Alliance partner airlines with your Miles & More number attached to the booking. Earning rates depend on fare class, route, and your Miles & More status tier.

Purchasing Miles

Miles & More periodically offers promotions for purchasing miles directly, sometimes with bonuses of 30-50% extra miles. Buying miles can make sense for topping off an account for a specific redemption, but the base cost per mile is typically high enough that purchasing large quantities rarely represents good value.

Hotel and Shopping Portals

Miles & More operates its own shopping portal and periodically partners with hotel booking platforms. These tend to offer modest earning rates but can supplement your balance over time.

Miles & More Dynamic Pricing: What to Expect

Unlike programs with fixed award charts (such as ANA), Miles & More uses dynamic pricing on many routes. This means:

• Award costs fluctuate based on demand, season, route, and how far in advance you book.
• There is no single published award chart that guarantees a specific price for a given route and cabin.
• Mileage Bargains are the closest thing to predictable pricing—these promotions publish specific discounted rates for defined routes and travel periods.

Practical impact: You cannot plan a transfer weeks in advance and assume the price will hold. Search for availability, note the current price, and transfer promptly if the price and availability meet your criteria.

Devaluation risk: Dynamic pricing means Miles & More can effectively devalue redemptions at any time by raising prices on popular routes. This is a reason to avoid speculatively transferring points to Miles & More “just in case.” Transfer only when you have a specific booking in mind.

Comparing Miles & More Against Star Alliance Alternatives

If you hold Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, or Bilt points and want to fly Lufthansa, you can’t transfer to Miles & More—but you can transfer to other Star Alliance programs that book Lufthansa flights as partner awards.

Decision framework:

• Choose Miles & More if you specifically want Lufthansa first class booked well in advance, or if a Mileage Bargains promotion offers compelling pricing.
• Choose Aeroplan if you want flexible Star Alliance routing with stopover options and can accept limited LH first class access. See the Air Canada Aeroplan Guide for details.
• Choose LifeMiles if minimizing surcharges is your top priority. The Avianca LifeMiles Guide covers this in depth.
• Choose United if you want the simplest booking experience with no fuel surcharges, and you don’t need first class.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with Miles & More Transfers

1. Transferring before searching. Always confirm award availability and pricing on the Miles & More website before moving any points. Transfers are irreversible.

2. Ignoring surcharges in your value calculation. A 55,000-mile business class award sounds great until you add $700 in surcharges. Calculate CPP based on (cash price minus surcharges) divided by miles, not just cash price divided by miles.

3. Assuming fixed pricing. Miles & More uses dynamic pricing. The 27,500-mile Mileage Bargains price is a promotion, not the standard rate. Don’t assume you’ll always find that pricing.

4. Transferring too many miles. Miles & More miles expire after 36 months of account inactivity. If you transfer a large balance and don’t use it promptly, you risk losing miles. Keep your account active with any earning or redemption activity.

5. Not comparing partner program options. Just because you can book Lufthansa through Miles & More doesn’t mean you should. Run the numbers against Aeroplan, LifeMiles, and United before committing.

6. Forgetting about married segments. When booking multi-segment itineraries through Miles & More, the program may price segments together (married segments) differently than individually. This can make certain routings more expensive than expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Lufthansa Miles & More?

No. Chase Ultimate Rewards does not offer a direct transfer to Miles & More. To book Lufthansa flights with Chase points, transfer to a Star Alliance partner like Aeroplan or United MileagePlus instead. See the Chase transfer partners guide for all available options.

Can I transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Miles & More?

No. Amex does not transfer to Miles & More. Amex points can be redeemed for Lufthansa flights through Aeroplan, ANA Mileage Club, Avianca LifeMiles, or other Star Alliance partners. The Amex transfer partners guide has the full list.

What is the Rove Miles to Miles & More transfer ratio?

The transfer ratio is 1:1. One Rove Mile converts to one Miles & More mile. The minimum transfer is 2,000 Rove Miles.

How long do Rove Miles to Miles & More transfers take?

Transfers are typically instant or complete within one business day. However, during high-volume periods, allow up to 24-48 hours before contacting support.

Is Lufthansa Miles & More worth it with high surcharges?

It depends on the specific redemption. For Lufthansa first class booked far in advance—a product that’s nearly impossible to book through partner programs—many travelers consider the surcharges acceptable given the product quality. For business class, compare the total cost (miles + surcharges) against low-surcharge alternatives like LifeMiles before deciding.

Do Miles & More miles expire?

Yes. Miles & More miles expire after 36 months of account inactivity. Any qualifying activity (earning or redeeming miles, including small transactions through shopping portals) resets the clock. Members with Senator or HON Circle status are exempt from expiration.

Can I book Lufthansa First Class through Aeroplan instead?

Technically, yes, but Lufthansa releases very limited First Class award space to partner programs. Aeroplan typically only sees Lufthansa First Class seats 1-2 days before departure, making advance planning nearly impossible. Miles & More members get access to a much larger pool of First Class award seats, often available months in advance.

What are Mileage Bargains?

Mileage Bargains are periodic promotions run by Miles & More that offer discounted award pricing on specific routes and travel dates. They’re published on the Miles & More website and can significantly reduce the miles required for a booking. The February 2026 promotion, for example, featured U.S.-Europe Business Class round trips from 55,000 miles.

Can I transfer hotel points to Miles & More?

Lufthansa ended its hotel transfer partnerships (including Marriott Bonvoy) around 2019. As of 2026, there are no hotel loyalty programs that transfer directly to Miles & More. Rove Miles, which is earned through hotel bookings, is a distinct transferable points currency rather than a traditional hotel loyalty program.

Is Rove Miles the same as Bilt Rewards?

No. Rove Miles and Bilt Rewards are separate programs with different earning structures and transfer partners. Bilt focuses on earning points through rent payments and everyday spending, while Rove focuses on hotel bookings. Bilt does not transfer to Miles & More. For Bilt’s partner list, see the Bilt transfer partners guide.

What Star Alliance airlines can I book with Miles & More miles?

Miles & More miles can be redeemed for flights on all Star Alliance member airlines, including United, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, EVA Air, and many others. However, availability and pricing vary significantly by partner, and the best value tends to come from booking Lufthansa Group airlines directly.

Should I speculatively transfer points to Miles & More?

No. Because Miles & More uses dynamic pricing and miles expire after 36 months of inactivity, speculative transfers carry real risk. Transfer only when you’ve confirmed specific award availability at an acceptable price and are ready to book.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Lufthansa Miles & More has exactly one direct transfer partner for U.S.-based points collectors: Rove Miles. That’s it. If you hold Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, or Bilt points, you cannot transfer them to Miles & More. Instead, you’d book Lufthansa flights through Star Alliance partner programs like Aeroplan, LifeMiles, or United MileagePlus.

The Rove-to-Miles & More pathway is most valuable in two specific scenarios: booking Lufthansa first class well in advance (where Miles & More has a genuine advantage over every partner program) and taking advantage of Mileage Bargains promotions that offer discounted award pricing.

Your next steps:

1. If you have Rove Miles and want to fly Lufthansa in a premium cabin, search Miles & More for availability first, calculate the total cost including surcharges, and transfer only when you’re ready to book.
2. If you hold Chase, Amex, or other bank points, review Star Alliance partner options. Start with the complete transfer partners overview to see which programs you can reach.
3. If you’re deciding between programs for a Lufthansa booking, compare the total redemption cost (miles + cash) across Miles & More, Aeroplan, LifeMiles, and United before committing to any transfer.
4. Watch for Mileage Bargains on the Miles & More website. These promotions are time-limited but can offer some of the best value in the program.

The transfer landscape for Miles & More is unusually narrow, but for the right redemption—especially Lufthansa first class—it’s a program worth understanding.

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