EXCLUSIVE: Cornercard scraps plans for a new UK Miles & More credit card

Back in November 2020, the Miles & More Global Traveller payment cards were closed to new applicants.

In April 2021, existing cardholders had their cards closed too.

This meant that Lufthansa was without a Miles & More credit card partner in the UK, despite offering cards in over 20 other countries – probably the widest network of any airline.

This was a bigger deal than most credit card closures because holding a Miles & More credit card stops your miles from expiring.

For many HfP readers, irrespective of whether they used the card, it was worth paying the £79 annual fee to keep a large pot of miles active.

The other reason it was a big deal was that, because of the odd way the card was structured, it was more like a debit card than a credit card. You could, for example, pay HMRC with it for free. This was a great result for someone like myself with substantial VAT, employers PAYE and self assessment bills to pay.

A replacement card was promised

At the time the card was closed, we were told that a replacement would launch in Summer 2021.

The old card was a joint venture between two companies, Affiniture and Cornercard. The plan was for Cornercard, a Swiss credit card group, to be the sole issuer of the new Lufthansa UK credit card.

Of course, Summer 2021 came and went with no news.

To stop cardholders losing their miles to expiry, Lufthansa continued to add 1 mile per quarter to the balances of all ex-Miles & More cardholders. This meant that the Lufthansa computer believed that you still had a credit card and your miles were not earmarked for expiry.

Cornercard has now confirmed that it has scrapped plans for a new card

Cornercard has been pushed for information on the new project. It has now said that:

“CCUK have recently taken the decision not to pursue this project any further”

The only potential bit of good news was the following statement:

“Miles & More are looking into partnerships with alternative card issuers“

Will your Miles & More miles now start to expire?

It’s not clear.

If you had the old Miles & More credit card and you have some miles in your account which are older than three years, you will see – if you log in to your Miles & More account – that those older miles are showing as expiring on 30th September.

It is possible, if Lufthansa is serious about launching a new card, that it will continue to add 1 mile to your balance every quarter to protect your balance.

This is not contractual, however, and Lufthansa could stop doing this at any time. It would be disappointing if they didn’t give written notice in advance, but it isn’t technically necessary.

All we can hope is that, if Lufthansa is serious about launching a new product, it continues to halt expiry on existing accounts as a goodwill gesture. It would be good if they could let ex-cardholders know what they are planning, even if it isn’t good news.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – September 2024 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current sign-up bonuses.

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

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You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

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For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.