FCF’s Favorite Upgrade Strategy
We love First Class (our name is a big hint), and we love buying miles (one of the great flying strategies, in our humble opinion). So, put them together, add a little German flavor in the shape of a Lufthansa flight, and you have the recipe for a
European trip in First Class that’s amazingly affordable.
First Class Ain’t Dead Yet
I’ll say it with a heavy heart: First Class is losing altitude. Of the big three U.S. carriers, only American Airlines has a First Class cabin, and that won’t be around for much longer.
And apart from British Airways, whose First Class cabin I don’t typically rate, it’s rare to find deals up front. Other First Class options to Europe right now are on Air France and SWISS, but you’d need to be a top-tier elite to use miles.
That said, I believe First Class will never go away completely. People will always want a high-end experience, and companies like Rolls Royce, Louis Vuitton, and Maserati will be there to provide it. That aforementioned First Class trip to Europe can cost between $8,000 and $16,000. The trick is to get it without selling your firstborn. FCF wasn’t created for billionaires — they can easily please themselves — it was created for smart people like you who want comfort and well-being at an affordable price.
Buying Miles to Fly with Guile
Like I said, buying miles is a genius play and SO UNDERUSED. It’s like buying stock at way under the market price.
For example, we recently reported on several mileage purchase promotions where you can buy miles affordably: Air Canada for 1.4 cents per mile, Air France for 1.5 cents, Alaska for 1.8 cents, and Lifemiles for 1.4 cents.
But then came the Germans. Lufthansa has topped them all by selling their miles at the lowest price we’ve yet seen from them: 1.2 cents each. A Wunderbargain!
That makes for a fantastic Lufthansa First Class deal, bringing those $8,000 to $16,000 prices down to just $2,960 round-trip.
Lufthansa’s Miles & More New Bundle&Go Offer
Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program recently introduced the opportunity to buy miles for 1.2 cents each with a 50% bonus, which ran through November 7, or for 1.3 cents with a 40% bonus, which runs through November 30. The maximum purchase has been extended through December 31–Up to 500,000 miles (normally 250,000) can be purchased through Bundle&Go in a calendar year. Whispered so only you can hear: Smart travelers can always get around these max limits with FCF’s unlimited buy-miles strategy.
Lufthansa’s Bundle&Go deal lets you buy award miles in increments, which means members can buy one bundle per transaction and bonus miles do not count towards their annual limit.
You should know:
- You need to have at least 7,000 miles in your Miles&More account to be able to view award availability.
- You have to be signed in to see the current Lufthansa’s Bundle&Go deal.
- Their fine print indicates it could take up to five days for the miles to post. However, when we bought miles through this promo, they were credited almost instantly (maybe we got lucky).
Two Different Types of Mileage Awards
There are two award types you can book using Lufthansa miles: First Flex (fewer miles, more cash) and First Flex Plus (more miles, less cash). Depending on your itinerary, there are benefits to each.
Save Up to $7,616+ / 68%+ ~ With a Cool Way to Save an Extra $636 In Taxes ~
The round-trip cost for First Class between the U.S. and Europe on Lufthansa is 182,000 miles, or 91,000 each way, so the cost of buying those miles with this deal is $2,184 round-trip. Taxes on tickets between the U.S. and Europe are about $1,973, if you book roundtrips, for a total of $4,157.
But watch this: One-way taxes are about $925 on the outbound and only $412 on the return flight. That means you could book two one-ways and save an additional $636. Get booking quick, before the airline reads this!
Save Up to $8,177+ / 73%+
The round-trip cost of a First Flex Plus ticket between the U.S. and Europe on Lufthansa and two of its Miles & More member airlines is 230,000 miles (115,000 each way). So the cost of buying those miles during this sale, plus taxes of about $200 on round-trip tickets between the U.S. and Europe, comes to a total cost of $2,960.
As we said, with published First Class fares to Europe generally hovering between $8,000 and $16,000, your savings can range anywhere from 53% to 73%+. That’s strudel with icing on top.
est Long-Haul Routes to Find First Class Award Availability
These are the best routes at the time of publication, but they will certainly change with time:
- For multiple travelers, the best availability from numerous cities is generally to/from Munich.
- Chicago and Washington, DC, have the best availability to/from Frankfurt.
- Boston, Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC, have the best availability to/from Munich.
Sweet Redeems Survey Lufthansa First Class Treasure Map
To / From Frankfurt
To / From Munich
*Connecting flights may not always offer a First Class cabin
Not Flying to Germany? Kein Problem
~ Get Connecting Flights Within Europe from Frankfurt or Munich ~
Fly almost anywhere in Europe on one ticket: Lufthansa offers awards that allow connections on its own and on its partners’ flights. That means you can tack on the other destinations as long as they’re available beyond Germany with the airline or its partners: Aegean Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Air Malta, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, LOT Polish Airlines, Luxair, Olympic Air, Scandinavian Airlines, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines and more.
Don’t Live in a Lufthansa U.S. Hub? Kein Problem
~ Get Free Connecting Flights to Lufthansa’s Hubs Within the U.S. ~
Lufthansa offers awards that allow for partner travel between its U.S. hubs and countless other U.S. cities, so you can get free domestic connecting flights with United.
Here are sample routes United flies to Lufthansa’s U.S. hubs:
Chicago To/From: Boston, Dallas, Denver, Ft. Lauderdale, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Raleigh
Houston To/From: Atlanta, Columbus, Denver, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Tulsa
Los Angeles To/From: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle
Newark To/From: Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Francisco
San Francisco To/From: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa, Toronto
Washington, DC To/From: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle
*Connecting flights may not always offer a First Class cabin
Lieben Buying Miles!
“Lieben” is German for “to love,” and as we love to say, the world is your schnitzel — especially when Lufthansa’s buy-miles sale will get you there for a lot less than the published price. So collect those miles, keep your eyes on FCF’s reporting, learn about all the possible departures (50+) and destinations (100+), and get ready to really fliegen!