1

I am new to these programs, and my flight is always the Athens-Munich ale re tour, with a Lufthansa flight (booked via the Lufthansa website). I fly on the economy class, with my hand luggage only.

I have a Miles & Bonus (Aegean) and a Miles & More (Lufthansa) frequent flyer card, both on the basic tier (I didn't have any upgrade).

Which card should I use in order to maximize the miles I earn?

Edit: I am only interested in using these miles to book my next ATH-MUC flight with Lufthansa, via Lufthansa website.


My attempt:

Aegean has these rules:

enter image description here

For Lufthansa, as @jcaron said, you earn 4 miles per euro (src).

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  • I don't understand why you say the page you linked is only applicable for domestic flights within Germany. I don't see anything on the page to suggest that's the case. The words 'domestic' and 'Germany' don't even appear on the page, and it mentions non-domestic flights (Innsbruck, Salzburg, or Graz <-> Frankfurt/Main) as being particularly affected by the introduction of this system.
    – Chris H
    Jan 21, 2019 at 12:31
  • Lufthansa seem to have changed the way miles are accrued based on the sales channel. If you buy from the LH website, you will get miles based on the price, while if you buy through other channels, it's based on distance or a flat rate. In your case, as you're buying from the LH website, it would be based on the price paid.
    – jcaron
    Jan 21, 2019 at 12:32
  • Can't find the actual ratios on their site, it's probably only available once logged into your account or through the LH app.
    – jcaron
    Jan 21, 2019 at 12:37
  • Note that beyond miles earned, you should also check the cost of the awards you're intending to use.
    – jcaron
    Jan 21, 2019 at 12:37
  • 1
    How often do you fly? The Lufthansa miles expire after a few years, which is not the case with A3 if you have a transaction every few years.
    – DCTLib
    Jan 21, 2019 at 14:45

1 Answer 1

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Considering the miles you get from a single flight is the same with both cards, either cards will maximize the number of miles you get for that one flight. When you get a more advanced tier level, some programs have a multiplier which makes a difference, for example getting 1.25 miles for each mile flown, instead of 1.

The main point is not maximizing the number of miles for a flight but maximizing your balance so that you get to a reward level before the points expire. In that case, you should use the card for which you have the most points with already. Unless you fly truly a lot, the best advice is to keep only one program active per alliance since that will make you reach an award level faster.

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  • Aegean's miles seem to expire later than the ones of Lufthansa (comment), and I have the same amount of miles pretty much at that point..thanks Itai, you help me fly! :)
    – gsamaras
    Jan 21, 2019 at 14:51
  • I don't understand how the miles you get are the same for both cards? Aegean gives a fixed number of miles based on booking class, while Lufthansa gives 4 miles per euro spent. Makes comparisons quite difficult, one would have to make a number of simulations to see which one gives the best results overall (probably depends how far ahead OP books).
    – jcaron
    Jan 21, 2019 at 17:00
  • Also, if you only buy the cheapest Lufthansa tickets, you might not earn miles at all with Aegean Miles+Bonus (booking classes K, E, L, T are exluded, which are the cheapest discount classes).
    – dunni
    Jan 22, 2019 at 20:00
  • Must be relatively new. I used to have both cards too but consolidated, so must have missed some of the recent program changes. I will check them out.
    – Itai
    Jan 22, 2019 at 20:21

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