Sweet Spot Sunday: Booking Lufthansa first class to South Africa with Aegean miles
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Booking Lufthansa's first class is the "holy grail" of Star Alliance award tickets. Historically, we've advised using Avianca LifeMiles to book long-haul first class flights on Lufthansa, but today, we're exploring a lesser-known way to book Lufthansa's first class.
With Aegean's Miles+Bonus, you can book a one-way Lufthansa first class flight from the United States to South Africa for 75,000 miles. And while these miles are hard to earn in the U.S., it's not impossible. Let's take a closer look.
Why it's special
Flying first class to Europe for 75,000 miles is already a lucrative price point. When you can fly on to South Africa after connecting through Frankfurt (FRA) for no extra miles, you've got a steal of a deal.
While the downside is that you'll run into around $1,000 in taxes and fees using Aegean miles, these flights routinely sell for over $9,000 one-way. So even after applying the taxes and fees to the award rates, you're getting over 10 cents per dollar on your Aegean miles for this award.
The same exact seat when using other airline currencies would cost:
- 130,000 Aeroplan points
- 143,000 United MileagePlus miles
From the U.S., Lufthansa operates its first class product to/from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), O'Hare International Airport (ORD), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Miami International Airport (MIA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Related: The holy grail of award tickets: Flying Lufthansa first class on the Boeing 747-8
How to book this award
Step 1: Enroll in Aegean's Miles+Bonus program
First, sign up for Aegean's Miles+Bonus program. I was given 1,000 award miles and 1,000 tier points upon enrollment.
Step 2: Check availability and book
One caveat is that you can only book Lufthansa's first class Star Alliance award bookings 30 days prior to departure. Additionally, award tickets in Lufthansa's first class cabin are far and few between. Still, you can search for an award ticket here.
I found award space between Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB). Unfortunately, since Lufthansa flights from the U.S. arrive in Frankfurt in the morning and flights to South Africa don't leave until the evening, there's a long layover in Frankfurt on most eastbound flights.
Once you find award space, follow the on-screen prompts to finalize your booking,
Related: Flight review: Lufthansa first class on the Airbus A380
How to earn miles for this award
The easiest way to earn miles for this award is transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to Aegean Miles+Bonus at a 3:1 ratio (225,000 Marriott points equals 75,000 Aegean miles).
Marriott routinely runs sales where you can either buy points with a discount or with a bonus. We will continue to monitor Marriott's point sales and update this page as they become available.
You can also earn Marriott points with a Marriott cobranded credit card, and the welcome bonus can get you well on your way to earning enough miles for this award.
Right now, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers 185,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card in your first six months.
Alternatively, business owners might consider applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. This card earns three free night awards after you use your new card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership. Redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for each bonus free night award, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.
You might also consider buying Aegean miles outright. Aegean sells miles in 1,000-mile increments for €40 (roughly $43.28). Members without flight activity can purchase up to 30,000 miles for €750 (roughly $811.43) per calendar year, while members with flight activity can purchase up to 50,000 miles for €900 per calendar year.
Aegean has run mileage sale promotions in the past. In one such sale, members could buy points with a 100% bonus, so you could have bought 60,000 miles for roughly $811.
Related: Earn up to 95,000 points with Marriott Bonvoy credit cards
Bottom line
The opportunity to get more than 10 cents per dollar on Aegean Miles+Bonus by flying Lufthansa's first class product from the U.S. to South Africa is highly appealing. While it's hard to earn Aegean miles here in the U.S., it's possible to transfer Marriott points to the program at a 3:1 transfer ratio.