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Lufthansa drops UK Miles & More gift voucher redemptions

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Lufthansa Miles & More has a strict expiration policy for its miles.  Irrespective of what other activity you have on your account, miles expire after three years.

The only way around this is to have either Miles & More status or to have a Luthansa credit card, which is no longer possible in the UK.  I am expecting a letter from MBNA soon to confirm the closer of the UK credit cards for existing cardholders.

Miles and More expiry options

Because of the strict expiration policy, I get quite a few emails from people looking to use up miles about to expire.  Beggars can’t be choosers and the options are not great.

They are now even fewer, because the range of UK High Street retailer gift cards has gone from the Miles & More website.

The only redemption options for small amounts of Lufthansa miles now seem to be Heathrow shopping vouchers (£20 for 7500 miles, a terrible deal in any other scenario) or a discount on a hotel room via the Miles & More booking portal.


How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards

How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

None of the Star Alliance airlines currently have a UK credit card.

There is, however, still a way to earn Star Alliance miles from a UK credit card

The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to over 40 airlines at the rate of 3:1.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 airline miles per £1 spent on the card.

There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2 : 1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

The Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners are: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

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