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In the realm of European frequent flyer programs, SAS EuroBonus and Lufthansa Miles & More stand out as two prominent options. Both programs offer a range of benefits tailored to reward loyal travelers. As of 2025, understanding the nuances of each program is essential for travelers aiming to maximize their rewards. This article provides an in-depth comparison to help you determine which program aligns best with your travel preferences.
SAS EuroBonus is the comprehensive loyalty program from Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), designed to reward travelers regardless of how frequently they fly. Launched initially to encourage traveler loyalty, EuroBonus has expanded beyond flights, allowing members to earn points through daily activities like shopping, dining, hotel stays, and car rentals.
Members can accumulate points effortlessly, not only through flights with SAS and its extensive Star Alliance network but also through a wide variety of partners. Everyday purchases at affiliated stores, restaurants, or online merchants can significantly boost your EuroBonus balance, especially if you link your regular credit or debit cards directly to your EuroBonus account.
EuroBonus also provides co-branded payment cards—such as SAS Mastercard and SAS American Express—that offer additional points for every transaction. By leveraging these payment options, travelers can accelerate their point accumulation, bringing their milage redemption trips within closer reach.
Once accumulated, points can be redeemed in several valuable ways, enhancing travel experiences significantly:
EuroBonus membership is structured around tiered levels—Member, Silver, Gold, and Diamond—each offering progressively more substantial benefits. The more points earned, the quicker you advance through tiers, unlocking enhanced experiences along the way, including:
EuroBonus uniquely offers members the ability to pool points with family and friends. This innovative feature makes it easier to reach collective travel goals, enabling group vacations or memorable family trips to happen sooner.
In line with SAS’s commitment to sustainability, EuroBonus incentivizes eco-conscious travel decisions. Members choosing environmentally friendly options, like biofuel tickets, are rewarded with additional recognition and points, encouraging a responsible travel lifestyle while contributing to SAS’s broader carbon-neutral objectives.
Lufthansa Miles & More remains Europe’s largest frequent flyer and award program, providing extensive benefits across the Lufthansa Group airlines—including Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines—as well as over 40 additional airline partners worldwide. Designed to enhance every aspect of travel, Miles & More rewards frequent flyers not just in the skies but also through daily activities on the ground.
Miles & More members collect valuable miles every time they fly with Lufthansa Group airlines and Star Alliance partners. Miles earned are categorized into different types:
Beyond flights, miles can also be earned from daily activities such as hotel bookings, car rentals, shopping, and dining through Miles & More’s extensive network of global partners. Linking your payment cards to Miles & More allows for seamless accumulation of miles on everyday expenses, speeding up your progress towards rewarding experiences.
Members enjoy flexibility in how they use their miles. Options include:
Recent changes in June 2025 introduced dynamic award pricing, impacting the number of miles required for flight redemptions, particularly affecting premium-class bookings. While premium-class redemptions require more miles, members still benefit from a broad range of redemption opportunities on both flights and everyday rewards.
In January 2024, Miles & More simplified its status qualification structure, enhancing transparency and ease of achieving elite tiers. The program maintains three clearly defined levels of frequent flyer status:
The newly adjusted structure has streamlined how members reach these coveted statuses, making the program more accessible and rewarding for frequent travelers.
Membership benefits significantly elevate the travel experience. Even Frequent Travellers enjoy privileges like greater baggage allowances and simplified booking processes through prefilled forms and saved card details, saving valuable time at every stage of travel.
Senator and HON Circle members enjoy elevated comfort with exclusive lounge access, priority boarding, and, in the case of HON Circle members, bespoke limousine services that provide seamless and stress-free travel experiences from door-to-door.
Miles & More emphasizes that travel rewards aren’t limited to the air. Members accumulate miles through everyday activities, with convenient methods such as downloading the Miles & More app—providing instant miles upon registration—and linking existing payment cards to capture miles effortlessly. With nearly 40 partner airlines and countless retail, dining, and hospitality partners, members continuously boost their mileage balances, accelerating their progress toward valuable rewards.
SAS EuroBonus: Points are awarded based on the fare class and distance traveled. Higher fare classes accrue more points, and SAS often provides promotions to boost point accumulation.
Lufthansa Miles & More: As of June 2025, Miles & More has implemented dynamic pricing and adjusted its award charts. For instance, a round-trip Business Class flight between Europe and North America now requires 125,000 miles, up from the previous 112,000 miles.
SAS EuroBonus: Members can earn points through co-branded credit cards, hotel stays, car rentals, and retail partnerships through its shopping portal.
Lufthansa Miles & More: Miles can be accumulated via the Miles & More credit card, hotel bookings, car rentals, and shopping with program partners.
SAS EuroBonus: Points can be redeemed for SAS flights, Star Alliance partner flights, cabin upgrades, and various non-flight rewards. SAS is known for reasonable taxes and fees on award tickets as well as a generally straight forward award booking system.
Lufthansa Miles & More: Miles redemption includes flights with Lufthansa Group airlines and Star Alliance partners. However, the introduction of dynamic pricing in June 2025 has led to increased mileage requirements for premium cabins and the discontinuation of the popular Mileage Bargains program.
SAS EuroBonus:
Lufthansa Miles & More:
In 2024, Lufthansa Miles & More offered a status challenge for SAS EuroBonus members, allowing them to obtain Frequent Traveller or Senator status until February 2025. Such opportunities can be advantageous for travelers considering a switch between programs.
SAS EuroBonus:
Pros:
Cons:
Lufthansa Miles & More:
Pros:
Cons:
Choosing between SAS EuroBonus and Lufthansa Miles & More depends on individual travel habits and preferences. For travelers frequently flying within Scandinavia or on SAS-operated routes, EuroBonus offers attainable elite status and favorable redemption options. Conversely, those seeking a broader global network may find Miles & More appealing, despite recent devaluations and increased redemption costs. Evaluating personal travel patterns and program specifics is crucial in determining the most suitable frequent flyer program.
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