Miles & More Status 2026: Points, QP & Senator Explained

Quick answer: Since 1 January 2024, Miles & More no longer has status miles. Per calendar year, you need 650 Points + 325 Qualifying Points for Frequent Traveller, 2,000 Points + 1,000 Qualifying Points for Senator and 6,000 HON Circle Points for HON Circle. Points are awarded per flight segment at a fixed rate based on travel class and route — e.g. 200 for intercontinental Business. With 30,000 or 40,000 Qualifying Points over the years, you become Frequent Traveller or Senator for life.

The question “How many miles do you need for Senator?” has a surprising answer: none. Miles & More no longer counts status in miles, but in Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points. Here I explain the system, how many flights you realistically need, and what you get out of it. All values have been checked on miles-and-more.com, as of: November 2026.

Which statuses does Miles & More have and what do you need for them?

There are three statuses: Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle Member. For Frequent Traveller and Senator, you need both Points and Qualifying Points within one calendar year; for HON Circle, only HON Circle Points. The count runs from 1 January to 31 December and starts again at zero every year.

Status	Points	Qualifying Points	HON Circle Points
Frequent Traveller	650	325	—
Senator	2,000	1,000	—
HON Circle Member	—	—	6,000

The former “status miles” and segment counts no longer exist since 1 January 2024. If you read about 35,000 or 100,000 status miles in old forum posts, you are reading the pre-2024 rules.

What is the difference between Points and Qualifying Points?

You earn Points on flights operated by the Lufthansa Group, the co-issuing Miles & More airline partners and all Star Alliance airlines. Qualifying Points are only awarded on flights operated by the Lufthansa Group and the co-issuing partners — for example Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels, ITA, LOT, Eurowings or Discover, but not United or Thai. HON Circle Points are only awarded in Business and First.

The Qualifying Points therefore ensure that you have to earn part of your status on group airlines. An example from Miles & More: Frankfurt–Bangkok in Economy with Thai Airways earns 60 Points, but no Qualifying Points.

How many Points do you get per flight?

The amount depends on only two things: the travel class and whether the flight is continental or intercontinental. The ticket price plays no role for Points, and all members receive the same amount. Counting is per flight segment — a connecting flight is therefore two segments.

Per flight segment	Economy	Premium Economy	Business	First
Continental	20	20	40	40
Intercontinental	60	80	200	400

On Lufthansa Group flights, you receive Points, Qualifying Points and (in Business/First) HON Circle Points in equal amounts. Example according to Miles & More: Zurich–Munich–Bangkok in Business with SWISS and Lufthansa earns 240 Points, 240 Qualifying Points and 240 HON Circle Points (40 + 200).

How many flights do I need for Frequent Traveller and Senator?

Because Lufthansa Group flights earn Points and Qualifying Points in equal amounts, the Points threshold is the real hurdle for pure group flights. For Frequent Traveller, two intercontinental Business round trips are enough (4 × 200 = 800). For Senator, you need around five such round trips (10 × 200 = 2,000).

Goal	Example with Lufthansa Group nonstop flights only	Result
Frequent Traveller	2 × Business long-haul round trip	800 Points + 800 QP
Frequent Traveller	11 × Economy long-haul (segments)	660 Points + 660 QP
Senator	5 × Business long-haul round trip	2,000 Points + 2,000 QP
Senator	3 × First long-haul round trip	2,400 Points + 2,400 QP
HON Circle	15 × First long-haul (segments)	6,000 HON Circle Points

Connecting itineraries add extra segments: a feeder flight within Europe in Business adds 40 per leg. Star Alliance flights outside the group help with Points, not with Qualifying Points.

Can I earn Points with the credit card?

Yes, but to a limited extent. Regular card spend earns miles, not Points. With the Miles & More credit card, Points are available in two ways: the welcome bonus (currently 40 Points each with Blue and Gold) and the miles exchange, which is included with Gold. With it, you exchange up to 25,000 miles once per calendar year for a maximum of 100 Points + 100 Qualifying Points.

Miles exchange (once per calendar year)	Result
5,000 miles	20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points
10,000 miles	40 Points + 40 Qualifying Points
15,000 miles	60 Points + 60 Qualifying Points
20,000 miles	80 Points + 80 Qualifying Points
25,000 miles	100 Points + 100 Qualifying Points

The conditions according to Miles & More: only miles from credit card spend in the current and the previous calendar year can be exchanged. Welcome bonus miles and multiple miles from promotions are excluded, no HON Circle Points are awarded, and an exchange cannot be reversed. In Germany, the miles exchange is reserved for the Miles & More Gold Credit Card and the Lufthansa Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle Credit Cards — the Blue does not have it.

Currently, the Miles & More Gold Credit Card* comes with 20,000 miles + 4 lounge vouchers + 40 Points for applications through 30 November 2026, and the Blue with 500 miles + 40 Points through 31 December 2026 (official info: miles-and-more-kreditkarte.com). Details on the bonuses are in the article Miles & More welcome bonus. To be honest: 100 Points a year do not replace a Senator status, but they help you close the last gap.

Another route without flying: if you link your account with Marriott Bonvoy, you get 40 Points per qualifying hotel stay, up to a maximum of 120 Points per calendar year. According to Miles & More, however, you cannot buy Points or Qualifying Points.

What benefits does status bring?

The most important differences are in lounges, baggage and booking. In addition, your miles do not expire as long as you hold a status, and with the Executive Bonus you earn up to 50% more miles on flights.

Benefit	Frequent Traveller	Senator	HON Circle
Lounge	Business Lounges	Senator and Star Gold Lounges, + 1 guest	First Class Lounges, + up to 2 guests
Check-in	Business Class check-in	First Class check-in	First Class check-in, FCT Frankfurt
Free baggage (piece concept)	+ 1 piece in Economy	+ 1 piece in all classes	+ 1 piece in all classes
Upgrade eVouchers	—	2 on reaching and renewing	4 on reaching and renewing
Waitlist priority	Third highest	Second highest	Highest
Priority boarding	—	Group 2	Group 1
Mileage protection	Yes	Yes	Yes

Senators can also reserve seats free of charge on flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels, ITA, Discover, Air Dolomiti and Lufthansa City (excluding the Light fares, among others). The eVouchers are valid for 24 months and intended for upgrades to the next higher class, but they can only be redeemed when seats are expected to be available. More on lounges in general in the lounge guide.

How long is the status valid?

Since 2024, a status that is reached or renewed is valid for at least one year. It starts immediately as soon as you reach the threshold and ends at the end of February of the year after next. So if you reach Senator in April 2026, it is valid until the end of February 2028. If you do not manage to renew, you receive the next lower status for one year — Senator becomes Frequent Traveller.

How do I get lifetime status?

For lifetime status, all Qualifying Points you have collected over the years count. At 30,000 Qualifying Points, you automatically become Frequent Traveller for life; at 40,000 Qualifying Points, Senator for life. According to Miles & More, the status has no time limit; the date on the card applies only to the card itself. Miles & More only awards lifetime status for Frequent Traveller and Senator, not for HON Circle.

You do not need to hold a current status when you reach the threshold, and even as a lifetime Senator you can still qualify for HON Circle. You can see your progress from mid-January in the status section of the app or on miles-and-more.com.

Can I redeem Points for upgrades or awards?

No. Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points are a pure status currency: they only count for the current calendar year and are reset to zero at the start of the year (for lifetime status, the Qualifying Points remain counted). You can only redeem your miles, for example for an award flight or a Business Class ticket. Upgrades as a status member work via the eVouchers for Senator and HON Circle.

Important for mile collectors without status: your miles expire after 36 months at the end of the quarter if you have neither a status nor a suitable credit card — all the rules are in the guide Miles & More miles expiry.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many miles do you need for Senator?

None. Since 1 January 2024, status miles no longer count. For Senator, you need 2,000 Points and 1,000 Qualifying Points within one calendar year. With Lufthansa Group flights, that equals around five Business long-haul round trips.

How many Points do you need for Frequent Traveller?

650 Points and 325 Qualifying Points within one calendar year. Two long-haul Business Class round trips with a Lufthansa Group airline already earn 800 Points and 800 Qualifying Points.

Do Star Alliance flights earn Qualifying Points?

No. Star Alliance partners such as United or Thai only earn Points. Qualifying Points are awarded exclusively on flights operated by the Lufthansa Group and the co-issuing Miles & More airline partners such as Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels, ITA or LOT.

Can I buy Points or a status?

According to Miles & More, you can buy neither miles nor Points, Qualifying Points or HON Circle Points. With a Miles & More Gold Credit Card, you can exchange up to 25,000 miles from card spend once a year for a maximum of 100 Points + 100 Qualifying Points.

How long is Senator status valid?

At least one year: it is valid from the moment you reach it until the end of February of the year after next. If you do not renew it, you become Frequent Traveller for one year.

When do you become Senator for life?

From 40,000 Qualifying Points collected over the years. You become Frequent Traveller for life from 30,000 Qualifying Points. There is no lifetime HON Circle status.

Conclusion

Miles & More status in 2026 is simpler than before: fixed Points per segment, clear thresholds per calendar year. Many reach Frequent Traveller with two Business long-haul trips; Senator requires around five. Credit card and hotel stays provide small top-ups at most — you earn the status by flying.

For most mile collectors, status is not the goal anyway, but award flights in Business and First. How to collect the miles and points you need for that with AMEX, Miles & More and PAYBACK is what I show in the Premium Handbook.