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Don't worry — you can still book Lufthansa first class to Europe with partner miles

May 23, 2025
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4 min read
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
Don't worry — you can still book Lufthansa first class to Europe with partner miles
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Lufthansa first class has been challenging to book with miles for years. Unless you have Lufthansa Miles & More miles — which are hard to earn stateside — you're restricted to booking within just a few days of departure. This window has gotten smaller over the years, dropping from 15 days to just three days before departure in most cases. So to book a first-class Lufthansa ticket, you must be flexible.

Recently, however, rumors started circulating that Lufthansa was no longer opening first-class award space from the U.S. to Europe for partners like Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus. While it's true that booking these awards has become more difficult over the past few months, rest assured that you can still do so.

Points Path — a browser extension that runs on top of Google Flights to show award pricing — tracks Lufthansa award space from the U.S. to Europe and vice versa for its Lufthansa first-class dashboard. Available to Pro subscribers, this gives you a one-stop shop for finding available Lufthansa first-class seats.

Points Path Lufthansa first class dashboard
POINTS PATH

Points Path shared 30 days' worth of Lufthansa first-class award space with us, going back to late April 2025. The data shows us that while it's indeed easier to book Lufthansa first-class awards from Europe to the U.S. with partner miles, it's still possible to book U.S.-to-Europe awards.

In fact, at the time of writing, we're seeing available award seats from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Munich Airport (MUC) and O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) bookable with partner miles.

Lufthansa first class award chart showing on Air Canada's website
AIR CANADA

Historical data from Points Path shows that over the past month, most routes from the U.S. to FRA and MUC have had open award space at one point. This includes farther-flung West Coast airports like San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to FRA and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to MUC. However, flights with the new Allegris first-class product are still not bookable with partner miles.

Points Path's data also shows that there was a five-day period during which there was no Lufthansa first-class award space from the U.S. to Europe — this may be when the rumor about Lufthansa blocking first-class award space from the U.S. to Europe started. During this time, Europe-to-U.S. awards were still available.

If you're looking to book a Lufthansa first-class ticket for yourself, you'll typically find the best deals with Aeroplan and MileagePlus.

Related: Lufthansa’s new Allegris cabin — with its swanky 2-person, first-class suite — is headed to the US this spring

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Bottom line

Lufthansa Allegris first class
Lufthansa first class. ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

While there were rumors that Lufthansa began blocking first-class award space to partner loyalty programs, these are largely unfounded. Our friends at Points Path shared a month's worth of Lufthansa first-class space, and — while there are more Europe-to-U.S. awards — the opposite still appears consistently. That said, you will still only be able to book three days out from departure.

Related reading:

Featured image by BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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