SWISS stops anyone except Miles & More elites from redeeming SWISS First

Well, this is a sad day – and with possibly a sadder one to come (in terms of ‘first world problems’, of course).

Regular readers will remember the trip review of my SWISS First Class flight from Zurich to Boston last month.  This is what I wrote about SWISS First Class.  It was a genuinely outstanding trip, especially the food, which was the best I have ever had on a plane.

It doesn’t look as if I’ll be doing it again in a hurry, though.

SWISS has announced that, from 1st January 2014, First Class awards will only be bookable for Miles & More members with Senator (Gold) or HON Circle (super, super elite) status, and only for their personal use.

That counts me out, as I am only Frequent Traveller (Silver) status, and – short of another status match – I will never get back to Senator.

You could have seen this coming.  SWISS First has been blocked to other Star Alliance airlines for a year or so.  However, you have to think that their motivation here is a bit odd.  After all, there are only so many Senator members – and most of those are in Germany.

SWISS First also requires disproportionately more miles, compared to business class, than most other reward charts, so its not as if people were falling over themselves to redeem for it.

The big question now is whether Lufthansa will follow suit.  Because Lufthansa has so many First Class seats to sell each day, it would be a little surprising if they did restrict it.  However, I wouldn’t put anything past them.

Luckily for me, my Miles & More balance is now down to roughly 1,000.  My wife has exactly enough to get our family down to the Middle East on holiday, so that will empty her account.  (If I was planning another F redemption, I would transfer some Amex points to Starwood and then move them across.)

A side lesson from this move is that holding your points in multi-convertible currencies such as Amex Membership Rewards points is very valuable.  One door has closed here, but – for most places in the world – there are other options and Amex points let you redeem into airlines which are members of all three major alliances, plus Etihad.

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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