Our Verdict
While there are some niche situations where using this card to acquire Lufthansa Miles & More may represent solid value, it’s hard to make a case for the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®* to be in the wallets of too many U.S.-based customers.
The main appeal is that it’s the only way to earn Lufthansa Miles & More miles since no U.S. bank or hotel programs can transfer into it. If you are already a Lufthansa elite, the up to 5,000 status miles you can earn by converting your miles to status miles once per year may be a worthwhile reason to hold this card.
Pros
- Two complimentary Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers annually
- Companion Ticket after each account anniversary (taxes and fees apply)
- Get up to 5,000 elite status miles per calendar year
- Annual fee waived for Senator and HON Circle status
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Earns just 2 miles per dollar on Miles & More integrated flights
- Annual fee of $89
Highlights
- Earn 50,000 award miles after spending $3,000 in purchases and pay the annual fee, both within the first 90 days of account opening
- Earn 2 award miles per $1 spent on ticket purchases directly from Miles & More integrated airline partners
- Earn 1 award mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
- $89 annual fee
- Receive two complimentary lounge vouchers after each account anniversary
Introduction
The Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®* issued by Barclays is an interesting option as it’s a card for U.S. residents that earns Lufthansa Miles & More miles, a Germany-based rewards program. Aside from actually flying a Miles & More integrated airline, this is one of the only ways for those who are U.S.-based to earn these miles.
A rich signup bonus where you can earn 50,000 award miles after spending $3,000 in purchases and paying the annual fee, both within the first 90 days is the main draw of the card along with its ability to earn Miles & More miles. Miles & More is unique among frequent flyer programs as no transferable programs can convert rewards directly into it. That includes Marriott Bonvoy, which has the most airline transfer partners of any program.
Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard With Other Cards
Quick Facts
- 2 award miles per dollar spent on ticket purchases directly from Miles & More integrated airline partners and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
- N/A
- Get two complimentary Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers after each account anniversary.
- Receive a companion ticket (you pay taxes and fees on the companion) after every account anniversary, although restrictions apply.
- Convert miles earned on purchases into elite status miles once each calendar year. Each 5,000 miles becomes 1,000 status miles with a maximum yearly transfer of 25,000 miles.
- The card’s annual fee will be waived if you have Miles & More Senator or HON Circle status, for as long as you maintain that status.
- Award miles won’t expire as long as you make a qualifying purchase on the card at least once per month and you have held the card for at least three months. A return may invalidate the exemption.
- $89 annual fee
Miles & More World Elite Mastercard Rewards
Earning Rewards
The card currently has a welcome offer where you can earn 50,000 award miles after spending $3,000 in purchases and paying the annual fee, both within the first 90 days.
Beyond that, you’ll earn 2 award miles per dollar spent on ticket purchases directly from Miles & More integrated airline partners and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases. Miles & More integrated airline partners include: AirDolomiti, Austrian Airlines Group, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair and SWISS.
Redeeming Rewards
Miles & More publishes an award chart where you can see how many miles a redemption will run. And while its award chart doesn’t have the best redemption rates, there are a few options that could make sense if you have Miles & Smiles miles in need of burning. A round-trip flight in business class, for example, from the U.S. to Europe would be 112,000 miles. All fuel surcharges would be passed on to the customer.
By comparison, if you have other miles, you would be much better off redeeming them with one of Lufthansa’s Star Alliance partners like Turkish Airlines. Turkish airline’s program also passes on surcharges, but it prices a round-trip business-class award from the U.S. to Europe at 90,000 miles.
Additionally, Lufthansa offers Mileage Bargains. The deals change frequently, but sometimes a solid redemption can be found. Just make sure to watch out for hefty fees.
Rewards Potential
Using data from various government agencies, Forbes Advisor has developed estimates for how much a family in the 70th percentile of income spends annually in various categories. We base our assumptions on a sole proprietor in this income range. The 70th percentile of wage-earning households brings in $116,000 annually and has $36,177 in expenses that can be charged to credit cards. These figures are used to estimate the potential rewards from this credit card.
This card earns 2 Miles & More miles per dollar on eligible Lufthansa-family flights. Forbes Advisor estimates that this household would spend $2,443 on airfare, which would earn 4,886 Miles & More miles if all flights were on Miles & Smiles integrated airlines. In addition, the card would earn 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
That leaves $33,734 of credit card spend. If the entirety of that is put on the Miles & More Mastercard, at 1 mile per dollar for all other purchases, you would net 33,734 miles. All together, you would net 38,620 Miles & More miles.
Fine Print
Interest Rates
- Regular APR: 21.24% - 29.99% variable APR
- Purchase Intro APR: N/A
- Balance Transfer Intro APR: 0% intro APR for the first 15 billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening
Fees
- Annual Fee: $89
- Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Cash Advance: Forbes Advisor never recommends using this card for a cash advance.
- Foreign Purchase Transaction Fee: None
Other Miles & More World Elite Mastercard Benefits
This card is a World Elite Mastercard (the highest tier Mastercard available) and comes with the following benefits:
- Travel Insurance and Protections provided by Mastercard for World Elite cardholders
- Lyft: A $5 credit towards a future Lyft ride when you take three Lyft rides in a month
- Door Dash: Three free months of DoorDash’s DashPass subscription ($9.99 thereafter) plus $5 off at DoorDash each month when you use your card at checkout until Sept. 30, 2023
- Free ShopRunner membership, which offers free two-day shipping with a variety of online merchants
- Fandango / Vudu: Spend $20 on movie tickets at Fandango or at home on Vudu and you will receive a $5 Fandango Reward which you can redeem towards your next movie ticket purchase, at-home movie or TV show
- Access to the World Elite Concierge
- Access to Mastercard® Travel & Lifestyle Services, which offers extra benefits on select hotel stays
Miles & More World Elite Mastercard 0% APR Offer
The card offers a 0% intro APR for the first 15 billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening.
How the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® Stacks Up
Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®* vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
For a similar annual fee of $95, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards®, which provide much more flexibility and make more sense for the majority of people.
While Chase’s Ultimate Rewards points cannot be transferred to Miles & More, you could still book Lufthansa-family flights by transferring your miles to either United MileagePlus or Air Canada’s Aeroplan.
You’ll also earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Plus, you’ll get this same rate on absolutely all flights, hotels and other travel, unlike the Miles & More card which earns just 2 award miles per dollar spent on ticket purchases directly from Miles & More integrated airline partners and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Additionally, the Sapphire Preferred comes with a slew of ancillary benefits like Purchase Protection, Trip Delay and Cancellation insurance and auto rental collision damage waiver (CDW) coverage.
Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®* vs. United℠ Explorer Card
For a U.S.-based customer that flies Star Alliance airlines like Lufthansa, but not enough to earn status in their program, the United℠ Explorer Card might be a better choice. With a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee, you’ll get a free checked bag for you and a companion on all United-operated flights when you pay for the flights with your United Explorer card.
You’ll earn 2 miles per dollar on dining including eligible delivery services, hotel stays and United® purchases and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Similar to the Miles & More® card, you’ll receive two lounge passes annually for the United Club lounge. You’ll additionally receive expanded award availability on United flights for economy award seats. Also, you’ll get priority boarding on United flights and a $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS fee credit every four years as reimbursement for the application fee.
While in most cases a transferable points card is a better option, the United Explorer card would still be a better choice for most people in the United States when compared with the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®*.
Is the Miles & More World Elite Mastercard for You?
The Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®* would probably only appeal to two types of frequent flyers: Someone that wants to be able to book Lufthansa first-class awards more than two weeks in advance and wants to earn the only frequent flyer mile that can do so. Or, someone who lives in the U.S. but is primarily based in or frequently flies to and from one or more of the countries well served by Miles & More and earns Lufthansa Senator status. For that flyer, the possibility of 5,000 extra status miles per year might be worthwhile.
For anyone else, it would make more sense to put spend on a card that earns points transferable to multiple airlines and hotels, earns more on travel and other bonus category purchases and carries a wider range of benefits.
*The information for the following card(s) has been collected independently by Forbes Advisor: Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
