Card benefits change often, and this page may be out of date by the time you read it. Always check the bank’s page and your card’s guide to benefits for the current terms before you rely on a benefit.
The Miles & More World Elite Mastercard from Barclays is the only U.S. card that earns Lufthansa’s Miles & More miles: an $89 annual fee, 2x on tickets bought directly from Miles & More airlines, a companion ticket and two Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers after each anniversary, and a way to turn miles into status points.
Miles & More isn’t a transfer partner of the big U.S. banks, which is the whole reason this card exists. Below is how it earns, what the anniversary perks actually take, the rule that keeps your miles from expiring, Barclays’ approval quirks, and my verdict.
Lufthansa card at a glance
- Annual fee: $89; waived for Senator and HON Circle members while they keep that status
- Current public offer: 70,000 miles after $4,000 in purchases and paying the $89 annual fee, both within the first 90 days (as of October 14, 2026, per Frequent Miler)
- Is it the best ever?: No. It has been 100,000 miles after just $3,000 of spend, and 80,000 in September 2024, per Doctor of Credit. Doctor of Credit’s best-bonuses list doesn’t include this card right now; Barclays’ and Miles & More’s own pages both show the 70,000 offer.
- Foreign transaction fee: None
- Best for: People who fly Lufthansa, SWISS or Austrian and want Miles & More miles specifically, for example to book Lufthansa First Class awards that are often released only to Miles & More members.
- Skip it if: You don’t fly the Lufthansa Group or won’t use the card every month (the miles can expire). Transferable points cover Star Alliance awards better.
- Bank’s page: Miles & More World Elite Mastercard on barclaycardus.com
Jump to: Highlights · Earning · Anniversary perks · Perks · Insurance · Application rules · My take · The catch · Keep it? · Offer history · Quick Answers
The highlights
- 2x on tickets bought directly from Miles & More integrated airlines (Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels and others), 1x on everything else
- A Companion Ticket after each account anniversary (taxes and fees apply)
- Two Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers each year (single visits, not a membership)
- Miles don’t expire only if you make a purchase every billing cycle (account open 3+ months)
- Once a calendar year, convert 5,000 to 25,000 miles earned on purchases into status Points and Qualifying Points
- Annual fee waived for Senators and HON Circle members; no foreign transaction fees; no travel insurance listed
How it earns
| Category | Rate | Caps and fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets bought directly from Miles & More integrated airline partners | 2x | No cap. Lufthansa Group airlines; other airlines and travel earn 1x. |
| Everything else | 1x | — |
Miles redeem on Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance flights, but awards carry the airlines’ taxes, fees and often heavy fuel surcharges. Normally Miles & More miles expire after 36 months; this card stops that only as long as a qualifying purchase posts every billing cycle.
Credits and how to use them
There are no statement credits on this card. These are the yearly perks that stand in for them.
| Credit | Amount | How often | Where / how | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Companion Ticket | One ticket | After each account anniversary | A second ticket for a companion traveling with you (economy, booked by phone, per NerdWallet) | Taxes, fees and surcharges apply and can run several hundred dollars on a transatlantic trip, so it’s worth much less than it sounds. |
| Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers | Two single-use vouchers | Each year after the anniversary | Present at Lufthansa Business Lounges | Only useful if you fly Lufthansa from one of its hubs or partner airports; they’re single visits, not a membership. |
| Status conversion | 5,000–25,000 miles | Once per calendar year | Convert miles earned on purchases into Points and Qualifying Points (5,000 miles = 20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points) | Only helps if you’re close to a Miles & More status level. |
Other perks
- What are Points and Qualifying Points? Since 2024, Miles & More status is earned with Points (and Qualifying Points) rather than miles flown. The card lets you convert up to 25,000 purchase miles a year into them, which can push you over a status threshold.
- Redeem miles for flights and upgrades across the Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance.
- Senators and HON Circle members pay no annual fee as long as they keep that status.
- Mastercard World Elite card, with chip technology and no foreign transaction fees.
Insurance and protections
| Benefit | What the bank says |
|---|---|
| Trip delay, cancellation and baggage coverage | None listed on Barclays’ or Miles & More’s card pages |
| Auto rental collision damage waiver | None listed |
| Cell phone protection | None listed |
Neither Barclays nor Miles & More lists any insurance for this card, so I’d book trips on a card that has trip delay and rental coverage in writing.
For how this compares with other cards, see my card travel benefits comparison.
Application rules for this card
- Barclays’ terms say the bonus can only be earned once and that you may not be eligible if you “currently have or previously had an account with us in this program.” In practice that hasn’t been strictly enforced, and about 6 months after closing the same card is the usual practice (details).
- Barclays is sensitive to recent accounts: there’s an unofficial 6/24 (6 or more new cards from any bank in 24 months), not consistently enforced, and roughly one new Barclays card every 6 months is the norm (per Doctor of Credit’s data points).
- You need a Miles & More membership number to apply. Barclays almost always pulls TransUnion.
The full rules for every bank are in my credit card application rules guide.
My take
An $89 fee, and nothing on the card offsets it automatically, so the real fee is $89. The companion ticket and the two lounge vouchers can be worth more than that, but only if you fly the Lufthansa Group, and the companion ticket’s taxes and surcharges eat into it.
The reason to get it is the miles themselves. Miles & More isn’t a transfer partner of Amex, Chase, Citi or Capital One, and Lufthansa often releases First Class award seats only to its own members close to departure, so if that’s your goal, 70,000 miles is a big head start.
In any case, I personally would hate to sign up at 70,000 when 100,000 (for less spend) was available in the past.
The catch
The miles expire unless a purchase posts every billing cycle, so this has to be a card you actually use every month. Lufthansa awards carry heavy surcharges, so a “free” ticket can still cost a lot in cash, and outside of Lufthansa First, transferable points from the big banks book the same Star Alliance seats more cheaply.
The companion ticket and lounge vouchers only help if you already fly Lufthansa, and Barclays, like other banks with perks like these, is counting on most people never using them.
Keep it after year one?
The fee to me is the full $89, since there’s no easy credit to subtract. If you fly Lufthansa at least once a year and use the companion ticket or the lounge vouchers, keep it, and put a small purchase on it every month so your miles don’t expire. If not, I’d cancel it before the second fee; I haven’t confirmed any no-fee version to downgrade to.
Offer history
| Offer | Ended |
|---|---|
| 75K miles (best ever) | 2025 |
Doctor of Credit has also reported 80,000 miles (after $3,000, September 2024) and 100,000 miles (after $3,000, its highest ever).
Quick Answers
$89 a year as of October 2026, and it’s waived for Senator and HON Circle members while they keep that status. The bonus requires paying the fee within the first 90 days.
As of October 14, 2026 it’s 70,000 miles after $4,000 in purchases and paying the $89 annual fee, both within the first 90 days. It has been as high as 100,000 miles after $3,000.
Not as long as a qualifying purchase (one that isn’t returned) posts every billing cycle and the account has been open at least three months. Miss a cycle and the normal expiration rules apply.
Only two single-use Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers each year. It isn’t a lounge membership.
No. Miles & More isn’t a transfer partner of the major U.S. banks, which is why this card is the main way to earn the miles in the U.S. without flying.
Last checked: October 14, 2026. Card terms change often, so confirm on the bank’s page before you apply. There are no affiliate or referral links on this site, ever; links go to the bank’s own page.