Miles Game

How can I collect miles?

The main goal is to accumulate miles with airlines. Hotel points are a secondary option.

There are two main systems worth mentioning (I’ll ignore the smaller ones):

• Miles and More from Lufthansa
• Membership Rewards from American Express

While Miles and More works very well with Lufthansa and other Star Alliance airlines, the Amex programme is more universal. Points collected there can be converted to more partners. Direct conversion from Amex to Miles and More isn’t possible — currently you go via Payback.

Indirect points via Payback

Payback points are a well-known loyalty system in Germany. Payback now belongs to American Express.
These points can be converted 1:1 to miles. A few times a year (around 3 times) there are even promotions where the ratio is 1 Payback point : 1.25 miles.
Since Payback belongs to Amex, Amex Rewards points can also be converted to Payback points (and then to miles).
It’s a really bad deal to use Payback points to buy additional products.

Collection strategy: which cards?

It’s already clear: one loyalty system isn’t enough — you need to combine them.
The right combination of cards is key. Miles also mustn’t expire.
This matters when saving for a big trip (intercontinental travel).
To prevent Miles and More miles from expiring, you need the blue or gold Miles and More credit card.

The diagram below shows which cards work best to maximise miles per €1 spent (left → right, green = miles earned):

The trick is to first activate miles protection with a Lufthansa credit card (Blue or Gold). Of course you can just collect miles with this card alone — but the bonus (maximum 5,000 miles) is very modest. That’s why combining with an American Express card makes sense. Gold and Platinum cards have very high bonuses; the additional benefits are interesting for frequent travellers. The Platin-Amex also just has the swag. Gold too. Unfortunately Amex acceptance isn’t as good as Mastercard — so you combine it with a Miles and More Mastercard. Any other credit card (Mastercard or Visa) works as a backup but earns no points.

How to collect as many miles as possible?

Even at 2 EUR spend per mile, you’d have to spend a lot of money to reach a meaningful number of points.

The target is at least 100,000 miles. If travelling with two people, more like 200,000. That should cover a decent holiday.
A simple upgrade is available from around 55,000 miles.
But at a normal collection rate of 0.5 miles per EUR, even 55,000 miles would require €110,000 of spending. Somewhat slow…

So you need “boosters”. These come in two forms:

• High fixed point bonuses
• Multipliers

Here’s an overview of typical boosters:

1.) Amex Miles Turbo

For €15 per year you can activate a “Miles Turbo”. This gives you 1.5 Membership Rewards per €1 spent instead of 1. See diagram — this is mandatory since it has a great effect on everyday spending. You must activate this immediately after receiving the card, so that even the mandatory spend of €4,500 gives you 6,750 points instead of 4,500 — e.g. with the Gold card you’d have 61,750 points after the first 6 months.

2.) Applying for a new card with bonus points

Occasionally there are “record bonuses” when signing up for a premium card. For example right now (November 2025): Amex Gold for 55,000 points or Amex Platinum for 85,000 points. Converted to miles, these can easily offset the annual fees.
Note: bonus points are only awarded if you meet a minimum spend within a certain period. For Amex Gold, that’s €4,500 within 6 months.

3.) Payback promotions

Payback often multiplies points. Instead of half a point per euro at participating stores, you might get 5x or even 10x. If you plan your purchases, you can collect very quickly. There are further strategies around this that form the core of the miles game.
One thing is clear though: without spending money there are no points, and without following the promotions and adjusting your purchasing behaviour, you’ll only collect points normally and hardly accumulate any miles.

4.) Referral bonuses

Referring friends often yields high bonuses (e.g. 32,000 Membership Rewards) for both the referrer and the referred.

5.) All other bonuses

With the Amex card, Membership Rewards can be collected at many occasions — for hotel stays too. Monthly rotating promotions make it versatile. You can also benefit from Membership perks while collecting, such as higher hotel programme status (free breakfast, room upgrades).

Card usage strategy

This results in a simple strategy for card usage:

1. All regular costs go through the (Gold/Platinum) Amex. This includes Apple Pay, Spotify, etc. No more bank debits. No more cash — except where unavoidable (rent, tax authority…)
2. Pay at restaurants and hotels by Amex. All travel bookings too. Additionally collect miles via Miles and More for flights. Always check which is better.
3. Shopping (clothing/groceries): pay with Amex wherever possible. Collect Payback points additionally, ideally with boosters.
4. Where Amex isn’t accepted, use the blue or gold Miles and More Mastercard.
5. Use Revolut for cash withdrawals abroad / purchases in foreign online shops. They also earn miles (but not Miles & More) and importantly charge no foreign transaction fees. The other cards charge far too much.

Don’t forget:

1. Regularly check (Payback) promotions so you don’t miss booster opportunities.
2. Watch for “Payback to miles” conversion promotions and convert when available.
3. Keep an eye on the whole points system — terms change and offer new opportunities.
4. Also make use of Amex’s other benefits. Collecting points alone doesn’t justify the cost.

Good luck collecting miles!

Note: This is not financial advice! Everyone must decide for themselves what to do with their money. But if someone wants to reward this work by signing up via referral — feel free. ☺️

References:

[1] Experience with Amex Gold: https://youtu.be/vY9luOddf9Y?si=wVJP_IY6l2Tx58OY
[2] Detailed info on Amex and miles: https://youtu.be/0b3xbFqjEkY?si=dMuSHHAIiBXivBjZ
[3] Payback tips: https://youtu.be/8mykPWkF30A?si=oX3QIERj7n6YDwTU
[4] Amex for award flights: https://youtu.be/0b3xbFqjEkY?si=xjmNd8nKSjVdAmLz