Miles & More

SWISS Miles & More and the Lufthansa Group program

In Austria, Austrian Airlines offers direct flights from Vienna to Graz (GRZ) and Innsbruck (INN). There is also a connection to Klagenfurt (KLU).

How a frequent flyer program works with miles, Points and Qualifying Points

At Miles & More, the booking route decides how many miles a flight earns: depending on the route, the paid ticket price including airline surcharges counts, or the paid booking class. Miles are the currency for rewards. Status runs on Points and Qualifying Points instead, and their number depends only on the travel class and on whether the flight is continental or intercontinental.

The official points page works through two routes. Zurich to Bangkok in business class on SWISS yields 200 Points, which also count as Qualifying Points and as HON Circle Points. Frankfurt to Bangkok in economy on Thai Airways yields 60 Points, but neither Qualifying Points nor HON Circle Points. If you are flying toward status, check before booking whether the airline and class earn Qualifying Points at all.

Status holders also get an Executive Bonus when miles are calculated from the fare: 25% on Discover Airlines, Eurowings, Luxair and other partners, and 50% on flights with Air Canada, among others. Stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels earn 40 Points per qualifying stay, capped at 120 Points per calendar year.

Miles & More mile expiry and how long miles stay valid

Miles expire after 36 months, at the end of the quarter in which the period runs out. The period starts with the event, such as taking the flight. Miles & More flags an upcoming expiry in your account at least one quarter before the expiry date.

There are two ways to stop expiry. The first is a status: with Frequent Traveler, Senator or HON Circle Member, your miles are protected. If the status is lost, expiry applies again, and the miles then stay valid for another 36 months. The second is a Miles & More credit card, which prevents expiry under conditions in some countries. Under the German terms, you must have held the card for at least three months and make at least one mile-eligible purchase per month. The card does not bring back miles that have already expired.

Status tiers Frequent Traveler, Senator and HON Circle

Each of the three tiers requires its performance within one calendar year. Frequent Traveler needs at least 650 Points and 325 Qualifying Points. Senator needs at least 2,000 Points and 1,000 Qualifying Points. HON Circle needs at least 6,000 HON Circle Points.

Each status is valid for at least one calendar year, from the date you reach it until the end of February of the year after next. Lifetime Frequent Traveler status comes with 30,000 Qualifying Points, and lifetime Senator status with 40,000 Qualifying Points.

Within Star Alliance, Frequent Traveler equals Silver status. Senators and HON Circle Members hold Gold status.

Benefits by status tier

Benefits grow with the tier, but the individual airlines often set the details.

Frequent Traveler

• Access to the business lounges of Austrian, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Lufthansa and SWISS, among others.
• Business class check-in on scheduled flights of the airline partners, whatever class you booked.
• Mileage bonus of up to 50% with certain partners.
• Free standard-zone seat selection on LOT Polish Airlines.
• More baggage allowance on many airlines, with the details set by the airline.
• Extra benefits such as upgrade vouchers once you reach a certain number of Qualifying Points per calendar year.

Senator

• Access to the Senator Lounges or Star Alliance Gold Lounges, with one companion.
• First class check-in, even with an economy ticket.
• Two eVouchers for an upgrade to the next class, on appointment and at every renewal. The eVouchers are valid for 24 months.
• Free seat reservation in all booking classes on Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City and SWISS, with exceptions for individual fares.
• Mileage bonus of up to 50% on numerous partner airlines.
• An award flight that is 50% cheaper for a companion booked together.
• Boarding in Priority Group 2.
• More baggage allowance on many airlines.

HON Circle Member

• Access to the Lufthansa First Class Lounges, the SWISS First Lounges, the Austrian HON Circle Lounge and the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt.
• Up to two companions and your own children under 18 can come into the lounges.
• Four eVouchers for an upgrade on appointment and at every renewal.
• Boarding in Priority Group 1.
• Mileage bonus of up to 50% on certain partner airlines.
• Free seat reservation on the same airlines as for Senators, with exceptions for individual fares.
• On request, your spouse or partner is appointed Senator for as long as you hold the status.
• More baggage allowance on many airlines.

Award flights, mile price, surcharges and fees

The mile price of an award flight depends on the airlines involved. If each direction, or at least the intercontinental leg to or from Europe, consists only of flights by Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City Airlines and SWISS, the price follows the current online offer. All other award flights use the award flights chart. Booking needs at least 1,500 miles and is possible up to 361 days before departure. A one-way award flight costs half the miles of a regular round-trip award flight (50%).

Taxes, fees and surcharges of the airline partners come on top. They are charged separately, must be paid by credit card and cannot be paid with miles.

Rebooking award flights with static mile values costs EUR 50 per person and rebooking. At the working assumption of EUR 1 = CHF 0.93, that is roughly CHF 46.50. If you cancel and want miles and surcharges refunded as well, you pay the amount stated in the fare conditions, at least EUR 50 per person and cancellation, where the fare allows it. The free variant refunds only taxes and fees, not miles and surcharges.

Earning miles in Switzerland, Germany and Austria

Besides flights, credit cards and partner programs are the main routes, and they differ by country.

In Switzerland, you can convert Coop Supercard Superpunkte into miles. A Miles & More credit card earns miles on every purchase. The SWISS Miles & More Classic Plus credit cards earn 1.5 miles per CHF 2 of card spending. In Germany, card spending also earns miles on every purchase. From 200 collected PAYBACK points, you can exchange them for miles on demand or automatically twice a year through the miles subscription.

In Austria, the card likewise earns miles on every purchase. Erste Bank und Sparkasse has issued the Austrian Miles & More Premiumcard for private customers since 29.12.2025.

Miles & More alternatives and the question of the best miles program

Which miles program is best depends on your home airport and on the airlines you actually fly. Miles & More fits if you mostly travel with SWISS, Lufthansa or Austrian Airlines. If you use other networks, look at more programs in the program overview and at the alliances.