Lufthansa Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® Review: Is It Worth It?

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 80,000 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 80,000 miles if you spend $3,000 in purchases and pay the annual fee, both within the first 90 days.
• Rewards: Earn 2 award miles per $1 spent on Miles & More ticket purchases and 1 award mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• 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: 21.24% - 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: Companion ticket, Lounge access, Achieve Miles & More status faster and Access to World Elite Mastercard® benefits

• Sign-up bonus (3.7 out of 5 stars)

  With the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®, you can earn 80,000 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.

  Who’s eligible to earn this offer? This offer is available only to applicants who are residents of the United States, with the exception of U.S. territories. Cardmembers must be at least 18 years old and must not have previously been Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® cardmembers. If you are thought to have abused or misused the system in regards to your offer, you will not be eligible.

  How does it compare to other cards?

  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 allows you to get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

  Another example is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which allows you to 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.

  How does it compare to other cards?

  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 allows you to 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, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. You can also earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025.

  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:

• Flights on Lufthansa and its partner airlines: Including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS and other Star Alliance partners.

• Upgrade to a higher booking class
• Offset your flight-based CO2 footprint: You can donate miles to the “myclimate” program or for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
• Rental cars or hotels with Miles & More partners
• Donation: Support aid projects by help alliance, Lufthansa’s charitable organization.
• Products in the Worldshop: This includes travel accessories, electronics, home products, sports equipment, fashion, cosmetics and more.

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 Travel^SM 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.

• Other benefits (3 out of 5 stars)

  • Earn Miles & More® status faster: You’ll get the unique option to put your award miles toward earning Miles & More status with Lufthansa instead of redeeming them for flights or upgrades. You can do this once per calendar year, and you have the option to convert 5,000 miles to 20 points plus 20 qualifying points.
    Tip: This isn’t your best choice for redemption. You’ll need 650 points to achieve the lowest level of status with Lufthansa (Traveler status). 25,000 miles will only get you a sixth of the way there.
  • Companion ticket: You’ll get an economy class companion ticket after every account anniversary. But while this can be valuable, the companion ticket doesn’t include taxes and fees, which can end up being quite expensive. Plus, the benefit only applies to full economy fares booked with cash through Lufthansa’s companion ticket service phone number (award tickets don’t qualify). These fares can be much more expensive than fares found online. Still, the companion ticket is probably the card’s most significant benefit. It’s a perk that you’ll qualify for every year after you make your first purchase.
    Many Reddit users report that the cost of booking a fare with a Lufthansa companion ticket can exceed the cost of booking two online fares with cash. You’ll need to investigate whether this benefit is worth your while before applying to get it.
  • Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers: You’ll get two complimentary Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers annually. Business lounge access starts at $25, so this can save you $50 annually.
  • World Elite Mastercard® benefits: This card is a World Elite Mastercard®, meaning you’ll get access to a few additional benefits. This includes World Elite Concierge, zero liability protection and discounts from Peacock, Instacart, Lyft and more.

  How does it compare to other cards?

  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.

Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

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, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. Plus, your points are 25% more valuable when you redeem them for travel through Chase Travel^SM.

You can also get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year. 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).

Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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®.

Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® vs. Citi^® / AAdvantage^® Platinum Select^® World Elite Mastercard^®

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:

• A free checked bag free on domestic American Airline flights for you and up to four companions
• A $125 American Airlines flight discount after you spend $20,000 during your card membership year and renew your card
• Preferred boarding and 25% savings on in-flight food and beverage purchases

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.