Can You Use United Miles to Upgrade a Ticket on Lufthansa?
TPG follower Jason has a flight booked on Lufthansa that he would like to upgrade using United miles:
"@thepointsguy can you use United miles to upgrade a ticket you already bought on Lufthansa?"
Yes you can upgrade a Lufthansa ticket using your United miles, but be aware that you must be booked in the most expensive fare classes.
That's the big downside to using miles to upgrade across alliances, because even though airlines have these agreements where you can use miles on one to upgrade tickets on another, you're often paying much higher fares in order to qualify to do so. And once you book a ticket in one of those fare classes, the cost is already so high that it usually isn't worth it to then redeem your hard earned United miles for an upgrade.
In this particular case, United's partner upgrade page says that your ticket must be in Y or B class in economy - expensive full-fare - or B, C or J in business class in order to use miles to upgrade on Lufthansa. There's not much of a bargain to be had there.
This is the downside to alliances - while they have agreements where you can upgrade across the board using one airline's miles to upgrade on another (which is nice since you have many more options), in order to qualify to do so, you often need to purchase a full-fare or refundable economy ticket. Some carriers do have agreements with other airlines to allow upgrades in more fare classes, but in general you're going to be slammed with having to book that higher fare class.
The other alliances, like SkyTeam and OneWorld, do have the alliance-wide upgrades though not every carrier participates. Either way, it is going to cost you. Basically unless you are a full-fare business traveler who isn't so concerned with the high cost of a refundable ticket, these alliance upgrades are likely not going to be worth it.
What I would recommend is to forget alliance-wide upgrades and stay within one airline. It's usually much less restrictive to buy a ticket on United and then use your United miles to process an upgrade. When you're staying within one carrier, they usually have more fare classes available since it's the airline's own upgrade scheme.
What is your take on alliance-wide upgrades, do you feel they are worth it?
[card card-name='Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card' card-id='22125056' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees