RIP: Lufthansa’s Miles & More Program Moves to Dynamic Pricing

Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program has officially scrapped its old fixed award charts in favor of dynamic pricing as of June 3, 2025. Now, mileage redemptions are tied to cash fares, and that shift means you're paying more miles for less certainty.

Miles & More has ditched its fixed award charts for Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian flights. In practice, that means there’s no single “saver” award cost anymore. Instead, your miles price is now tied to the ticket’s fare class (Light, Classic, Basic, Flex, etc.) and cash price.

In other words, your miles are being treated more like money than ever. The cheapest Light award fares (which often reflect basic economy) don’t even include free seat selection or checked bags, so even a Senator might find they must pay for luggage on an award flight.

So, what does this actually mean on popular routes?

Let’s talk numbers. The new round-trip prices between Europe and North America are:

Economy: 50K (↓17%)

Premium: 85K (↑6%)

Business: 125K (↑12%)

First: 215K (↑18%)

U.S.–South America: Economy 60K → 50K (↓17%), Business 112K → 125K (↑12%)

U.S.–Southeast Asia: Economy 80K → 75K (↓6%), Business up to 150K (↑6%)

Australia: Economy 80K → 85K (↑6%), Business up to 150K+ and €600 in fees.

Even short-haul island trips jumped: continental US–Hawaii one-way awards cost 45,000 miles roundtrip now (all cabins), versus the old 40k. In short, almost every premium-cabin award on a long route now costs more miles than before. The only consistent “winners” are certain economy awards. But those were already the lowest-value awards to begin with.

Lufthansa didn’t just tweak the prices; it killed off the charts altogether. For flights on Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian, there is no longer a Mileage Bargain or Saver chart.

In case you forgot, Mileage Bargains used to offer rock-bottom round trips every month: 30,000 miles (RT) in economy, 40k in Premium Economy, 55k in Business. Many of us booked transatlantic business for 55k roundtrip (instead of the usual 112k!). Now that option is gone. Lufthansa’s site blandly notes it’s “simplifying our offer”, which means you won’t see those cheap fares reliably anymore.

Flex Plus, which used to let you use miles to cover surcharges (e.g. 24K miles instead of €917 on a LAX–FRA First Class ticket), is also gone. You’ll now pay full fees in cash. And unlike some programs, Miles & More doesn’t let you redeem miles toward taxes and fees.

In short, Miles & More has ripped out every special award option that used to boost value for those willing to plan ahead.

To be fair, Lufthansa’s not the first to go dynamic. Air France–KLM’s Flying Blue has been doing it since 2018. Aeroplan mixes zone charts with demand-based pricing. Even Delta went there long ago. But Lufthansa’s execution feels especially customer-unfriendly.

The difference is that Lufthansa’s approach still feels half-fixed. Unlike JetBlue or Delta (where every seat is available once you have enough points), Miles & More still limits you to those old fare buckets. Lufthansa even noted their dynamic awards are tied to Light/Basic/Flex fare families – we’ll earn status benefits based on that fare, too, meaning an elite member gets zero free perks if booked into a Light award.

Flying Blue at least offers Promo Rewards. Aeroplan gives you stopovers. But Lufthansa? Just fewer perks and higher prices.

All this hits hard if you’ve been hoarding Miles & More. Unlike United or American miles, Miles & More has no transferable points (no Amex/Chase/etc.), so most of us collected miles by flying Lufthansa/Austrian/Swiss, or via a Lufthansa credit card. Now those hard-earned miles are worth less (almost worthless).

And the timing is brutal. Lufthansa’s PR even calls these “exciting changes” to “continuously improve” what they offer, a choice of words that’s hard to take seriously when we know Lufthansa recently cut free snacks in short-haul economy and called that progress.

Basically, Miles & More has shifted from a somewhat transparent chart to a mostly-blind market. The only people who might win are those flying empty economy seats on sale, which, frankly, is rare in Europe.

I, for one, feel compelled to burn some miles on any legitimate trip I was planning before the full impact lands. Sadly, Lufthansa now expects customers to think like cash buyers: compare pay-for-seat fares and only pay miles if that yields good value.

The old Miles & More award chart is history. Lufthansa’s dynamic pricing slashes economy rates in some cases but hikes premium cabin awards across the board. With Mileage Bargains and Flex Plus gone, the program now offers fewer sweet spots and more cash surcharges. If you’ve got a stash of Miles & More, consider using them now, because their value just took a nosedive.

Lufthansa says this change brings “more flexibility.” From where I’m sitting, it just brings higher prices and fewer reasons to stay loyal.