While often overlooked by points and miles enthusiasts, Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program, Miles and More, is on the rise. In December, the program announced that families will be able to “pool” miles together starting later this month. The program has now further improved by allowing you to book awards online on more of its airline partners including Cathay Pacific and, notably, United.

Here’s a list of the previous and new airline partner awards that can be booked online:

This unlocks the potential for some excellent online redemptions, especially for domestic flights within the US. One-way domestic awards booked on United metal cost 12,000 miles in economy and just 17,000 in business, versus 12,500 and 25,000 respectively on most routes using United MileagePlus miles.

If you can find award space, you can also get phenomenal value on premium transcontinental business class seats on United by using Miles & More. United charges a 10,000 mile premium on business class seats between New York/Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO), meaning you’d pay 35,000 MileagePlus miles in one direction. But that same business class seat is just 17,000 Miles & More miles.

Plus, Miles and More doesn’t charge close-in booking fees on award tickets, so those last-minute United flights that carry an extra $75 cost per person can be had for the same number of miles and just the standard taxes and fees.

If you’re short on Miles & More miles, Starwood Preferred Guest points can be transferred to Miles & More at a 1:1 ratio, though it may take time. Remember that if you transfer Starpoints in blocks of 20,000, you’ll also get a 25% bonus, meaning you can effectively get these United business class seats for just 13,600 Starpoints by transferring and booking through Miles & More.

The best beginner points and miles card out there.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

NEW INCREASED OFFER: 60,000 points! With great travel benefits, 2x points on travel & dining and a 60,000 point sign up bonus worth up to $1,200 in value, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great card for those looking to get into the points and miles game. Here are the top 5 reasons it should be in your wallet, or read our definitive review for more details.

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More Things to Know

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Chase Sapphire Preferred named "Best Credit Card for Flexible Travel Redemption" - Kiplinger's Personal Finance, June 2018
• 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
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• No blackout dates or travel restrictions - as long as there's a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards

Intro APR on Purchases

N/A

Regular APR

18.24% - 25.24% Variable

Annual Fee

$95

Balance Transfer Fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Recommended Credit

Excellent Credit