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Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer be available. You can view current offers here.
Update July 1, 2014:
The current offer on the Premier Miles & More® World MasterCard® is 20,000 miles after first purchase and payment of $79 annual fee.
- Earn 20,000 award miles after your first purchase or balance transfer
- Earn up to 15,000 award miles with balance transfers (1 mile per $1 transferred) within 30 days of account opening
- Earn 2 award miles per $1 on ticket purchases directly from Miles & More integrated airline partners
- Earn 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases
- Annual Companion Ticket after first purchase
- No foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside the U.S.
- Redeem miles for flight awards and upgrades on Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, Star Alliance airlines and other partners
- $79 Annual Fee, waived for SEN and HON Circle Members
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The Premier Miles & More® World MasterCard® is now offering 50,000 bonus Lufthansa miles after spending $5k in the first three months.
This limited time offer makes the Premier Miles & More® World MasterCard® one of the best credit cards on the market with enough bonus miles for a roundtrip award to Europe.
Lufthansa charges only 50,000 miles roundtrip for an economy award between the United States and Europe (for Americans starting the roundtrip in America) according to its award chart.
This is a fantastic deal for year round award travel to Europe since most airlines charge 60,000 miles for the same trip.
The only problem is that Lufthansa collects fuel surcharges on award tickets.
The good news is that fuel surcharges on LOT Polish Airlines are very small, so you can fly from the United States to Europe roundtrip on LOT for the cost of opening one credit card, meeting its minimum spending requirement, and paying only $160 out of pocket!
- Where does LOT fly?
- How can you search its award space?
- How can you book LOT award space for 25k miles each way?
- How big are fuel surcharges on LOT?
LOT Polish Airlines flies from Warsaw (WAW) to Chicago, New York, Toronto, and all over Europe. If you don’t live in Chicago or New York, you can connect there with United flights on the same award for no extra miles or fuel surcharges.
A roundtrip economy award on LOT flights from anywhere in America to anywhere in Europe will cost 50,000 Lufthansa miles + fuel surcharges + government taxes.
LOT charges fuel surcharges of only $60 each direction between the United States and Europe.
Aviation taxes are extremely low in Poland–around $40 roundtrip between the United States and Poland. (Aviation taxes are the highest in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany if you plan to use this award space to get to those places.)
This means that a roundtrip economy award between New York and Warsaw costs only 50k Lufthansa miles and $160!
Award Space
Award space is fairly open on LOT’s transatlantic routes. You can search the award space at milesandmore.com.
Unfortunately united.com, which is a better search engine, is NOT displaying LOT award space. Aeroplan.com, which I think is no better than milesandmore.com is displaying LOT award space.
But if you plan to book LOT award space with Miles & More miles, you might as well start at milesandmore.com.
You can search and book one way awards for only half the roundtrip award price.
New York to Warsaw in October prices at 25,000 Lufthansa miles + $62.50. Of that, $2.50 is tax and $60 is fuel surcharge.
If you search the roundtrip, it prices at 50,000 miles + $160.01, of which $120 is fuel surcharge.
Recap
If you open the Premier Miles & More® World MasterCard® and spend $5,000 in the first three months, you’ll have at least 55,000 Lufthansa miles.
For 50,000 miles, you can book a roundtrip economy ticket from the United States to Europe.
If you book the transatlantic segments on LOT Polish Airlines, which flies all over Europe, you can pay as little as $120 in fuel surcharges and only $160 out of pocket.
This deal will only last as long as the Lufthansa card’s limited time offer of 50,000 bonus miles.
Full offer:
- Earn 20,000 award miles after your first purchases or balance transfer
- Earn an additional 30,000 award miles when you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening
- Earn 2 award miles per $1 on ticket purchases directly from Miles & More integrated airline partners and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases
- Cardholders receive a companion ticket after first use of the account and annually after each account anniversary
- No Foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside the U.S.
- Redeem miles for flight awards and upgrades on Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, Star Alliance member airlines and on other partners
- $79 Annual Fee. Please see Terms and Conditions for complete details
Application Link: Premier Miles & More® World MasterCard®
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.
I applied for the US Airways card a few days ago. What are my chances of getting approved for this card?
Not great. I would wait 91 days from the US Airways app date. Unrfortunately this deal will be dead by then. If you do apply, let us know the result please.
As you have noted, and I have experienced, Lufthansa charges a heavy fuel charge. LOT does not fly out of my home base, Boston, so what is my alternative on flying to Europe with Miles or More Lufthansa award miles?
Boston to Chicago to Warsaw with United and LOT. Other than that, you will pay big fuel surcharges to Europe, so you would want to use your Lufthansa miles domestically or to the Caribbean, Central America, or South America.
Scott, he can go to New York by bus and then to Europe with LOT.
Anyone have any luck with award space in LOT business class?