Another way to use up small amounts of Miles & More miles

A lot of people end up with a small amount of Lufthansa Miles & More miles – usually because they take the odd Star Alliance flight and Lufthansa seems the most convenient (for a Brit) place to deposit it.

Only then do you realise that short haul redemptions are a waste of time and you will never earn enough for a long-haul!

Back in August I wrote this article on how you could cash out 7,500 miles for a £20 Heathrow shopping voucher.  (Until 31st December the vouchers are also valid at the other BAA airports – Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton, Stansted.)

There is now another short-term option.  You can redeem 8,250 miles for a Euro 25 Radisson hotels gift card.   See here for details.  You can also use them at Park Inn and Country Inn properties.  The cards are only valid in Europe, though – see the link above for a list of participating countries.

It is not any better a deal than the Heathrow voucher, but if you live in the regions it might be more useful.

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How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (September 2024)

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.