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You may recall around this time last year, that MBNA closed all of its airline mileage earning cards – including the Lufthansa Miles & More card. A perk of this card was that it prevented your miles from being subject to Miles & More’s draconian 36 month expiration rule if you don’t have elite status.

Use ’em or lose ’em

Upon closure – Miles & More gave card holders extended mileage protection until 30th June 2019 – i.e. today – so unless you have gained Miles & More elite status in the meantime, you need to decide what to do with your miles TODAY or risk losing a chunk of them if you earned them more than 36 months ago.

If you don’t redeem miles earned before this rolling 36 month period today, they will disappear from your account over night, never to be seen again.

Lufthansa has seemingly improved their non-flight redemption options since my last article with the introduction of a wider variety of gift cards including Amazon – but I have attempted to buy £100 of Amazon gift cards THREE TIMES now and every time my order has been cancelled without notice. According to Cadooz who run the gift card service, it was Miles & More who cancelled my order – so I have a query open with them but have yet to hear back – so don’t pin all your hopes on cashing your miles out as gift cards.

But I’ve been saving up for something special…

The only option open to you if you want to stop them expiring without elite status, is to successfully apply for the new Lufthansa Miles & More Diners Card/Mastercard duo pack – which comes with a £79 fee and is a charge card so must be cleared in full each month. Currently they are offering a 10,000 mile sign up bonus – but whether the mileage protection and bonus miles are worth it will depend on your personal circumstances and mileage situation.

Conclusion

Personally I have decided the Miles & More scheme is a waste of time for me – and I’d rather focus my efforts on collecting Avios and hotel points to use in Europe (given the ridiculous taxes Miles & More levy on reward flights). To that end – I want to cash them out as gift cards to at least get something useful, and £120 of Amazon vouchers is more useful to me than nothing.

Hopefully my issues redeeming are isolated, and you will have better luck getting some kinda value for any orphaned miles you might have –  or donate them to charity – just don’t let Lufthansa write them off their balance sheet!