Rove Miles, the new credit card-free rewards program that lets you earn points on hotels, flights and shopping, has added Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program as its newest transfer partner.
This should be on your radar because Miles & More opens the door to book Lufthansa’s bucket-list-worthy first-class award seats well in advance of partner programs. Plus, until now, this airline loyalty program hasn’t been widely accessible through transferable U.S. currencies.
Here’s why you should consider this increasingly valuable rewards offering.
Related: What is Rove Miles? Everything you need to know about this new loyalty program
What is Rove Miles?
Rove Miles is a stand-alone rewards platform (not a credit card) aimed at travelers who want to earn miles on paid hotel stays, flight bookings and everyday shopping through its portal and browser extension.
In our searches for hotel bookings, Rove Miles offers up to an astonishingly generous 45 miles per dollar spent, making this one of the most lucrative ways to earn miles for paid travel.
You then choose to redeem miles through Rove Miles’ own travel portal (also at potentially excellent rates) or transfer your rewards to partner programs.
This means Rove Miles can work as a complement to existing credit card travel platforms that you may use, such as Chase Travel℠ and Capital One Travel, as you can mix and match depending on which program offers the best rewards for your next paid booking. It’s always a good idea to check prices across several platforms to ensure you aren’t paying more to earn those miles.
Plus, it’s free to join — you simply create an account online and start earning via the platform.
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In some ways, Rove Miles is comparable to Bilt Rewards in that both programs let you earn transferable points or miles without opening a credit card.
However, one of the main differences between Bilt and Rove Miles is in the programs’ transfer partners. Bilt seems to focus more on the domestic market, offering 1:1 transfers to programs like American Airlines AAdvantage and World of Hyatt, while Rove Miles offers transfers to more unusual international programs and provides superior earnings on hotel bookings through its portal.
Related: Bilt Rewards isn’t just for renters — here’s why there’s something for everyone now
Where can you transfer Rove Miles?
You can transfer Rove Miles to the following airline and hotel partners:
- Aeromexico Rewards
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Air India Maharaja Club
- Cathay Pacific Cathay
- Etihad Guest
- Finnair Plus
- Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club
- Lufthansa Miles & More
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- Accor Live Limitless
Airline transfers are 1:1; transfers to Accor are 1.5:1. The minimum transfer requirement is 2,000 Rove Miles.
What are the best uses of Rove Miles?
Miles & More recently introduced dynamic pricing for Lufthansa-, Lufthansa City-, Swiss- and Austrian Airlines-operated flights. Unfortunately, you need to have at least 1,500 miles in your account before you can see live award availability, which is a frustrating restriction for members. However, the great news is that the time-saving Seats.aero tool now displays Miles & More availability. You can expect to pay the following prices for Lufthansa-operated flights to Europe:
- Economy: From 4,380 miles plus $207 in taxes, fees and surcharges one-way, though note that Miles & More is currently offering a flash sale for last-minute awards from only 88 miles (yes, just 88) plus the same $207 co-pay
- Premium economy: From 12,313 miles plus $498 in taxes, fees and surcharges one-way
- Business: From 62,551 miles plus $1,045 in taxes, fees and surcharges one-way
- First: From 153,742 miles plus $1,155 in taxes, fees and surcharges one-way
So while the carrier-imposed surcharges are substantial in all cabins, a big benefit of redeeming through Miles & More is the ability to book Lufthansa first class well in advance. Lufthansa typically releases first-class seats to partners like Air Canada Aeroplan only one to two days prior to departure.
Note that Lufthansa’s new Allegris first-class cabin cannot be booked with points and miles from any program.
Though Seats.aero is a great starting tool, before transferring your points, we recommend confirming availability directly with the airline. If you’re based in the U.S., call 1-800-581-6400 and be prepared with your Miles & More pin, your travel dates, the applicable airport codes and the flight number. This will help the attendant quickly confirm award availability.
Aside from transferring your Rove Miles to Lufthansa, here are some other great redemptions:
- Book United Polaris to Europe for 62,500 miles with no surcharges through Lufthansa Miles & More.
- Transfer to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program and book first-class suites or long‑haul business class, which is usually unavailable to partner programs.
- Book business-class flights to Europe from just 60,000 miles by transferring your Rove Miles to Air France-KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 rate.
- Transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book saver awards starting from 6,000 Virgin points to London on select dates and routes, bearing in mind the carrier’s taxes and fees. Use Virgin Atlantic’s reward seat checker tool to find saver inventory.
Bottom line
Given just how generous the program can be for awarding transferable miles for flights, hotels and online shopping, Rove Miles is a growing rewards program that should be on your radar.
Rove Miles adding Lufthansa Miles & More is useful if you’ve struggled to earn Miles & More miles in the past.
It won’t be the cheapest path to every Lufthansa redemption, and surcharges are substantial, but if you’re looking to book Lufthansa in business and first class in advance and earn 40-plus miles per dollar spent on a hotel booking, this is a handy new option.
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