How LendingTree Rates Credit Cards?
Our experts rate credit cards based on several factors including card benefits, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers do not influence or have a say in our card ratings. Read our credit card methodology here.
Estimated value of rewards earned the first year: $890*
Estimated value of rewards earned each year after that: $667*
For travelers who frequently fly Lufthansa and its partner airlines, the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® can be worth it. For those who don’t regularly fly Lufthansa or travel within Europe, though, other airline and travel rewards cards are a better fit. This card lets you redeem your miles for flights and upgrades on Lufthansa and its partner airlines. While this can provide great value, U.S. travelers may not find much use for it.
If you think you can make decent use of the Lufthansa credit card, it comes with a generous sign-up bonus. You can earn 60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in purchases and pay the annual fee, both within the first 90 days. And despite its relatively low earning rate, cardholders can enjoy perks like an annual companion ticket after each account anniversary, two complimentary Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers annually and a low intro APR on balance transfers.
→ Want better airline rewards? See the best airline credit cards.
Annual fee: $89
Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 miles
Rewards: Earn 1X - 2X miles
Intro balance transfer APR: 0% introductory APR for the first 15 billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening
Regular purchase and balance transfer APR: 20.24% - 29.99% (variable)
Balance transfer fee: The balance transfer fee is either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee: 0% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Other benefits:
Sign-up bonus (3.7 out of 5 stars)
With the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®, you can earn 60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in purchases and pay the annual fee, both within the first 90 days. This sign-up bonus is worth around $650.
This is a decent sign-up bonus for a travel credit card with a lower annual fee, but there are cards that offer more value. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card lets you earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Another example is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which lets you earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
Earning miles (3.7 out of 5 stars)
The Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® has a subpar earning rate. You’ll earn 2 award miles per $1 spent on Miles & More ticket purchases and 1 award mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
If you’re looking to get the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® for the sole purpose of earning travel rewards, you’d do better with another credit card. The earning rate only applies to Miles & More® airline partner purchases. Meanwhile, other cards offer higher rewards rates in everyday spending categories, which can help you rack up miles for travel with more flexible redemption options.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card lets you enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases. You can also earn 5X points on Lyft rides.
There are several airline credit cards cards with similar annual fees that have higher earning potential:
Redeeming miles
Miles earned with the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® can be redeemed in the following ways:
How does it compare to other cards?
For those who rarely fly Lufthansa or its partner airlines, these redemption options are very limiting. There are several travel rewards programs that can provide you with more value.
For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which are some of the most valuable and flexible rewards. You can redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel through the Chase TravelSM portal, transfer points to loyalty programs or pay with points on Amazon.com and PayPal.
Redemption for travel purchases have a rate of at least 1.25 cents per point. You can also transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to 10-plus airline and hotel partners for a value of around 2 cents per point.
Capital One also has a much more valuable travel rewards program. With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, miles are worth around 0.5 to 2 cents each and can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, Amazon.com or PayPal purchases, for travel through the Capital One Travel portal or transferred to airline and hotel partners.
→ Learn more about redeeming credit card travel points.
Other benefits (3 out of 5 stars)
This card is lacking when it comes to travel benefits outside of Lufthansa. You won’t get any travel insurance or protections like you would with other travel credit cards. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers car rental insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection and more.
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® offers a $125 American Airlines flight discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases and renew your card. You’ll also get your first checked bag free on American Airlines flights for you and up to four companions, preferred boarding and a 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases.
→ Looking for more travel benefits? See our full list of travel credit cards.
| Credit Cards | Our Ratings | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Welcome Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®*
|
$89 | 1X - 2X miles
| 60,000 miles
Earn 60,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in purchases and pay the annual fee, both within the first 90 days.
| ||
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
 Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
$95 | 1X - 5X points
| 75,000 points
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Chase's secure site Rates & Fees |
|
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
|
$95 | 2X - 5X Miles
| 75,000 miles
75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
| ||
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
$99, waived for first 12 months | 2X miles / 1X points
| 50,000 miles
Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $2,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
|
Apply Now
on Citibank's secure site Rates & Fees |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the top travel rewards cards on the market, and for good reason. You can enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases. Plus, your points can be worth up to 75% more when you redeem them for travel through Chase TravelSM.
You can also earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. These features alone are much more valuable than what you’ll get with the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®, at an annual fee that’s only slightly higher ($95).
Similar to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers consumers flexibility and top travel perks, all for a moderate $95 annual fee (see rates & fees). You’ll earn 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
Additionally, earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Using a general travel rewards card like this one can end up being more beneficial long-term than sticking with a more limiting co-branded card like the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®.
Apply Now
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is an example of a branded airline credit card that offers a chance to accumulate miles outside of airline purchases. You’ll earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases. Earn 1 Loyalty Point for every 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
With this card, you’ll get:
We would only recommend getting the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® if you frequently fly with Lufthansa and its partner airlines. If you don’t, there are plenty of other, more rewarding travel rewards cards available that may offer you greater value like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
Whether you choose a co-branded travel card or a general travel rewards card, you’ll need to make sure your travel and spending habits align with what’s offered by the card before making your decision.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply
The information related to the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication. Terms apply.
The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.
