Miles & More Credit Card
$89
50,000 Miles & More points
$5,000 initial spend
($450 net value, .09/$)
Signup Bonus Chart2x Miles & More Purchases
1x Everywhere Else
No Foreign Transaction Fee
For most people, the Miles & More card is primarily interesting for its signup bonus, especially when there is a higher-than-normal offer available.
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Collecting the Signup Bonus
Miles & More is a single frequent flyer program that is shared across multiple airlines: Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Croatia, Lot Polish, and Luxair. You earn and use your points and status on flights operated by any of these airlines. You can also earn and use points on any Star Alliance airline (such as United) or any of their other partner airlines.
- It is worth signing up for this card just to collect the signup bonus. The typical signup bonus is 50,000 Miles & More points. That's enough for a free round trip flight to Europe.
- It is possible to earn the same signup bonus multiple times. Barclays has no real limit on the number of times you can get the bonus. Hold onto the card until close to the end of your first year, cancel it, wait a few months, and reapply.
After subtracting the annual fee and the opportunity cost of using the card for $5,000 of spending, the calculated net value for the initial year is $450 (9 cents per dollar spent). Your value may be higher or lower, depending on how much you value the miles. How Much are Points Worth?
However, if you have been actively signing up for credit cards, it can sometimes be hard to get approved for new cards from Barclays. If you really want to keep the card part of your core credit collection, don't cancel it, counting on being able to be re-approved for the card a few months later. But if you are mainly interested in the signup bonus, there is little harm in trying.
Companion Certificate
- You'll receive a Lufthansa companion certificate each year you have the Miles & More card, including when you first get the card. Many other credit cards only provide a certificate when you renew your card.
- It is hard to get any value from the certificate, even if are able to take advantage of the limited number of Lufthansa flights available from North America. Not only does Lufthansa charge high fees and surcharges on the companion ticket, but the base ticket needs to be purchased at the "full-fare" economy price. A single full-priced ticket, plus the surcharge on the free ticket, will almost always cost more than just buying two regularly priced tickets. Certificates are only good for flights from the US to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Get 2 for 1 Airplane Tickets with Credit Card Companion Certificates.
However, if you do need to purchase two tickets on an expensive flight, you might be able to get a lot of value from the certificate. And because you get your first certificate after your initial purchase, if an opportunity arises to get value from the certificate, you can decide to signup for the card.
Other Notable Benefits
- Two annual Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers. Lufthansa lounges are very nice and not usually accessible via credit card lounge programs. You'll receive your first set of certificates upon your first purchase.
- Buy up to 5,000 elite status miles each year. You can spend 5,000 credit card points to get 1,000 status miles, capped at 5,000 status miles per year.
- 15% bonus on hotel and car awards. But you shouldn't be using your Lufthansa miles for these due to the poor redemption values.
- Elite car rental status. As with all World Elite MasterCards, you get free National Emerald Club Executive and Sixt Platinum status. Instant Car Rental Elite Status.
- Access to Mastercard's luxury hotel program. Another benefit of high-end MasterCards is access to MasterCard's luxury hotel program. When you use the program to book one of the participating hotels, you'll get a number of valuable benefits, like free breakfast, a $100 hotel credit, a room upgrade, and late checkout.Take Advantage of Luxury Hotel Programs for Valuable Extra Perks.
- Free ShopRunner membership. Like all World Elite MasterCards, your card entitles you to a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which provides free two-day and return shipping from around 150 of the largest online retailers. ShopRunner.
- DoorDash and Hello Fresh discounts. Cardmembers who have a DoorDash membership get $5 off their first two orders each month when paid for by their Mastercard. If you don't have a free membership from Chase, you can get your first three months membership for free through Mastercard. You also get a 5% credit back on each HelloFresh purchase.
- Some additional discounts. If you pay for at least 5 Lyft rides each calendar month with your Mastercard, you'll receive a $10 Lyft credit good for the following month (once you enroll in the Lyft app). You also receive double Fandango points, a 5% reward rebate at Boxed, and $5 off every Postmates order of $25 or more.
Bonus Categories
- You are better off making your Lufthansa purchases with a card that earns a higher reward rate for airfare spending. 2x Miles & More points is okay but not as good as what you'd earn from one of the better cards.Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
- You don't want to use this card for your everyday spending. You'll earn higher rewards from a good general-purpose reward card. Get a Great General Purpose Reward Card and Use It for All of Your Spending.
Getting Rid of the Card
- You can cancel without worrying about losing your Miles & More miles. Once you earn them, they are treated like any other miles in your Miles & More account.
- If you keep a Barclays Card and don't spend on it, you can have a harder time getting approved for new Barclays cards.
- You can wait to cancel the card until after the annual fee shows up on your statement. As long as you cancel within 30 days of the statement closing date, Barclays will refund the fee.
- You might be able to receive a retention offer to keep your card. It could be enough to make it worthwhile to keep the card.