Now elite statuses of the S7 Priority bonus program can not only fly, but also buy: if you do not fly as often as you need, but you have, for example, a lot of bank miles or money, then silver, gold and platinum status can be obtained for a modest bribe.

It's very simple: see how many miles or segments you need to get a status, and buy them. One missing segment or a thousand miles will cost 3000 rubles or 7200 miles. The same rules apply to the renewal of previously received statuses. Statuses are valid throughout the OneWorld alliance.

Embraer-170 VQ-BBO in new S7 Airlines livery

There is, however, one caveat: you can get no more than 20% of the missing miles or segments. However, there is another way: gold card S7 Airlines can be purchased for an arbitrary period with a monthly payment. It costs 15 thousand rubles or 30 thousand miles. Great scheme: "gold" allows you to carry for free extra space luggage, including baggage-free fares, and visit business lounges with one fellow traveler: that is, the costs are repaid many times over, even if you just fly somewhere together from the regions with a transfer in a month.

By the way, elite statuses in general have become much more attractive since September 6: now members of platinum status receive two free upgrades a year from economy to business for themselves and fellow travelers, made in the same booking with them. Fees have also been canceled for platinum members, and rates for reward ticket changes have been lowered for gold and silver passengers.

S7 Airlines now credits miles of its bonus program for purchasing various additional services: in particular, the carriage of excess baggage, ordering a pre-booking point or seat superior comfort, special meals or an upgrade to business. Moreover, miles can be earned completely free of charge for online registration.

However, be careful: in this case, if you have not paid for the seat selection, the algorithm will try to put you as close to the tail of the cabin as possible and at the same time between the passengers. This is done not out of harm, but because it is these places that are the least popular with those who pay for their choice, so it is logical more popular places leave to those who are willing to pay for it (the choice costs 350 rubles). Meanwhile, at check-in at the counter, you can ask for a seat by the window or at the aisle for free (they just usually remain free), so choose: 50 miles per segment or the chance to get a more comfortable seat.

Miles & More is the world's largest airline loyalty program. Her story began in 1993. Then, from year to year, new partners joined it, new rewards appeared, and so on. More than 40 airlines worldwide and 25 million air passengers are now Miles & More members.

To register for the Miles & More program and start earning miles, you just need to fill out a simple application form. This can be done on the official website of the program, or through mobile app.

Also, Miles & More members automatically become those passengers who have checked in at bonus program any of the Star Alliance member air carriers.

Which airlines participate in the Miles & More program

Airlines that recognize points Miles and More (allowing them to accumulate or spend on their services) are divided into two types: airlines and partners fully integrated into the program.

Fully integrated into the airline program:

• All air carriers belonging to the Lufthansa Group (including Eurowings and SWISS);
• LOT - Polish Airlines;
• Adria Airways;
• Condor;
• Luxair.

Program partners:

• All members;
• Air Astana;
• Air Malta;
• Air dolomiti
• Jet Airways.

How to earn Miles & More miles

The more miles - the more profitable it is to participate in the program. The first and most obvious way to top up your bonus balance is to fly frequently with airlines that participate in the bonus program. The rules for earning miles differ from carrier to carrier, but on average they look like this:

• Flights within Europe are credited with a fixed number of miles;
• For flights around the world, the number of miles is accrued equal to the actual distance between the airport of departure and the airport of arrival;
• For international flights, miles are credited with a certain coefficient - as a rule, from 0.25x (for the cheapest tickets) to 2x (in business and first class).

That is, a passenger flying in economy class on the cheapest ticket is awarded only a number of points for the flight, which is only a quarter of the actual distance in miles, while a passenger who chooses to fly in first or business class, the bonus balance may be credited with the number of miles twice the distance actually covered.

Exists different types miles: bonus, status, HON Circle and bonus.

We provide details and up-to-date information on how miles are credited with a particular carrier in detailed reviews airlines participating in the bonus program. This information can also be found on the official Miles & More website or on the rewards program mobile app.

We also mention other ways to earn miles:

• Book a room at a hotel - a partner of the program;
• Rent a car from a rental company that is a partner of the program;
• Make a purchase from an affiliate store.

The latter method is more relevant for Europe, or rather, for Germany, since most of the partner stores are located precisely at German airports.

You can also earn miles using certain banking products (credit cards) and telecommunications services.

In Russia, you can earn miles using three credit cards:

• Austrian Airlines card (issued by Raiffeisenbank);
• Miles & More cards (issued by Russian Standard Bank and Citibank).

Russian Standard Bank also offers debit cards with the ability to accumulate program points.

Note! Members of the bonus program who do not have a special status have a validity period of 36 months. However, if you purchase a Miles & More credit card, your miles will not expire.

Miles and More member statuses

For those who really fly a lot, there are three special statuses in the Miles and More program:

• FREQUENT TRAVELER (issued for accumulated 35 thousand status miles or 30 flights regular flights during a year);
• Senator (for 100 thousand status miles per year);
• HON CIRCLE MEMBER (member of the venerable circle) (600 thousand miles over two years).

We will also provide a description of the main privileges, depending on the status of the program participant:

Those who maintain their status for several years in a row receive additional status stars. This is what it is:

How to spend miles & More miles

Having accumulated enough a large number of bonus points, it's time to think - what to spend them on now? At first glance, members and partners of the Miles and More program offer a fairly wide variety of services and services for which you can spend the accumulated miles, but in fact, as in most bonus programs, most of of them are simply useless to customers.

• upgrade of the class of service during the flight;
• compensation for part of the air ticket price.

If you have a lot of miles, but you do not plan to fly, then you can look at the section with partner promotions - there are many Russian companies there:

• taxi services;
• food delivery services, cafes and restaurants;
• household appliances stores;
• grocery stores;
• medical centers.

Each of them has its own conditions for redeeming points - somewhere with Miles & More miles you can get a discount, somewhere you can compensate for part of the cost of a purchase or service, and somewhere you can buy a gift certificate.

Is it worth participating in Miles & More

We would advise you to sign up for the program if you buy a ticket for a flight with a participating airline. Registration is simple, it will definitely not be superfluous. Here, as in any bonus program, it is nice when some kind of bonus is accumulated. But in order to save up for a truly worthy reward, it will take a very long time to save.

As for additional services such as co-branded credit and debit cards, we would not recommend starting them. Indeed, in this case, you are tying yourself to a limited circle of air carriers, while there are much more profitable offer, with a similar system of earning miles or points, but bonuses can be spent on flights of any airlines.

A separate advantage of Miles & More is a convenient mobile application that allows you to visually and conveniently track your bonus balance and be the first to know about promotions and special offers companies.

UPDATE: The article has been updated to reflect the changed pricing.

Welcome to the new series that many readers have asked for my attention. This series will be called Best use cases for miles…

These articles will be a mirror image of another series. How to access... If there we are talking about which miles are the most profitable to purchase award ticket to a specific product of a specific airline, here we will discuss the different options for redeeming miles for a specific loyalty program.

I hope one series of articles will organically complement the other.

So, we'll start with one of the most popular and most controversial loyalty programs in the world.

Miles & More

Miles & More is a loyalty program for several European airlines at once: Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, LOT, Adria and Croatia Airlines. In addition to these airlines, which are the "founders" of the program, and other carriers included in the Star Alliance, the program partners are Condor, Eurowings, Luxair, Air Astana, Air Malta.

Based on the number of passengers registered with Miles & More, this is the most popular loyalty program in the world.

Miles & More can be treated differently. On the one hand, there are thousands (& more) ways to earn miles with this program, including - and importantly for Russians - co-branded cards.

On the other hand, inexperienced users, having accumulated a fair amount of miles, find themselves in a stupor when they see how astronomical fuel surcharges for purchasing award tickets make the use of these very miles impractical.

The truth, as is often the case, is somewhere in between. Miles & More has enough interesting options use, but before you make this program the main one in your portfolio, you need to clearly understand its limitations.

So let's first briefly discuss the general terms and conditions of award tickets and then see what Miles & More miles are best suited for.

Miles & More award tickets and conditions

A full description of the program conditions is beyond the scope of this article, but here are the highlights.

This is what the pricing table for award tickets looks like, whether it is the Lufthansa Group or the alliance partners.

The prices in the table are for a round trip. A one-way flight costs exactly half the price. Moreover, Miles & More uses price rounding to the nearest thousand in favor of the passenger. For example, a flight from Europe to Central America in business class will not cost 127,000 / 2 = 63,500 miles, but only 63,000 miles. Generously!

Before booking an odd-mile round trip, try splitting it into two one-way flights to save 1,000 miles.

The above table has some nuances.

Domestic flights are calculated at special fares Domestic... So, for example, a flight within the USA / within Switzerland is considered as a fare Domestic, not according to the tariff North America - North America/Europe - Europe.

Tariffs 3 regions are valid if your route crosses the third region. And we are not talking about the transfer, which you have laid for maximizing purposes, but even about the forced transit. For example, a flight from the USA to Southeast Asia through Europe will be calculated not according to the main table, but according to the table 3 regions.

Miles & More limits the number of flight segments. It depends on how many regions the award ticket includes:

• 1 region: 2 one-way segments, 4 round-trip segments
• 2 regions: 3 one-way segments, 6 round-trip segments
• 3 regions: 4 one-way segments, 8 round-trip segments

Flights with almost all partner airlines can be booked online. Exceptions: Air India, Cathay Pacific, Air Astana.

So, now that we have clarified the main points on which award tickets function, let's actually discuss best options applying miles.

Lufthansa First Class

Classics of the genre! This is the best reward for your Miles & More miles. Many people think that it is the only one. As we will see later, this is not the case at all. But if you take into account not the math, but the use of miles for inspiring purposes on a special occasion, then this is really almost the only option 🙂

Why is this the best investment for your Miles & More miles?

• The Miles & More program is the only one to open up the availability of Lufthansa First Class tickets more than 2 weeks before departure
• High fuel surcharges pay off in the first place when purchasing such expensive flights
• I haven't talked about it yet, but Lufthansa First Class is creepy horrrrrosh

How much will it cost to fly in Lufthansa First Class from Europe ( one way)?

• North America: 91,000 miles
• South America: 111,000 miles
• Middle East: 65,000 miles
• India: 91,000 miles
• South Africa: 91,000 miles
• Southeast Asia and Far East: 111,000 miles

In some other programs, we see a little more low prices on similar routes, but Miles & More prices are generally adequate, especially considering the possibility of planning a flight more than two weeks before the desired departure date.

Before making a decision, of course, it is worth keeping in mind the Miles & More fuel surcharges and the cost of accumulating these miles and miles of affiliate programs. However, this is more of a discussion topic for the article “ How to access Lufthansa First Class» 🙂

All of the above applies to the first class Swiss; except that only Miles & More status members - Senator and HON Circle - can purchase it with miles.

Fly Smart

Fly Smart premium rates apply to flights within Europe booked no earlier than two weeks and no later than two days before departure.

Those who can make a decision during this period of time can save a lot.

A round-trip flight in Economy Class will cost 20,000 miles, and in Business Class it will cost 30,000 miles.

This may represent a good value in the case of expensive flights to rare destinations or in high season.

The good news is that taxes and fees can also be paid with miles... They cost 15,000 miles - for both economy and business.

Fly Smart tickets can only be booked online.

Meilenschnäppchen

Every month, Miles & More is putting up some of the routes on sale at reduced prices.

For example, round-trip flights in business class between Europe and the United States cost 55,000 miles instead of the traditional 112,000, and between Europe and Asia - 70,000 instead of 142,000. Solid savings! It's nice that Meilenschnäppchen's pricing hasn't changed since the standard pricing was raised a few months ago.

However, again, the high fuel surcharges should be borne in mind. As general rule Meilenschnäppchen make sense for exotic and high-end destinations. But if Eurowings and LOT flights are on the sale list, then the fees for them are much lower!

Occasionally, the Meilenschnäppchen list includes intra-European destinations for Economy Class flights with low fuel surcharges. Most often we are talking about LOT flights.

In addition to the fuel surcharges, the problem with Meilenschnäppchen is that the travel period lies far into the future, and the flights one way not allowed. However, in certain circumstances, these offers may make sense.

Business class LOT

If you want to avoid astronomical fuel surcharges, the LOT is the solution!

The Polish airline does not charge unreasonable fees when purchasing award tickets.

So, a flight from Warsaw to Beijing on a LOT flight costs 71,000 miles + 294 PLN (68 €).

A flight on the same route via Germany on board Lufthansa costs 71,000 miles + 1198 PLN (277 €).

It is also safe to say that the LOT Business Class product is at least as good as Lufthansa Business Class, if not better. So in this case, saving does not mean a lower quality product at all.

Premium class departing from Hong Kong and Brazil

This world-old story is not limited to the Miles & More program. Brazil and Hong Kong are the only two countries that legally prohibit fuel surcharges on award tickets.

Therefore, with a departure from Brazil and Hong Kong, Lufthansa flights make sense not only in first class, but also in business and even in premium economy.

If you want to minimize your fees, choose direct flights without a stopover in Europe.

So, the flight from Sao Paulo to Zurich has the lowest fees if you choose Swiss.

Likewise, a direct flight from Hong Kong to Frankfurt with Lufthansa will cost you less than Austrian via Vienna, Swiss via Zurich or Lufthansa via Munich.

This rule applies to all Star Alliance partners. Similarly, you can fly inexpensively from Brazil, for example, with TAP or Turkish Airlines.

Another good option to use this trick is flight from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg South African Airways... In business class it costs only 56,000 miles plus around € 30 in taxes.

United flights within the United States

15,000 miles in Economy Class and 20,000 miles in United Business Class across the United States is a great use of Miles & More miles.

According to the geographic definition, the US region does not include Hawaii ... otherwise it would be too good 😉 But Alaska - yes, it does.

United has a vast geography of flights within the country, including all kinds of exotic and expensive destinations.

In business class, United uses planes with full beds on flights between New York and San Francisco / Los Angeles. 20,000 miles for such a product is more than adequate price.

Better yet, taxes and fees on these tickets literally go to zero. Expect to pay up to $ 10.

Flights United from USA to Hawaii

While Hawaii is not considered part of the United States on the Miles & More table, United's fares are reasonable: 20,000 miles in Economy, 35,000 miles in business.

Again, you can be happy with the minimum taxes and fees under $ 10.

Flights between Hawaii and Australia, New Zealand and Asia

If the selection Hawaiian Islands to a separate zone increases the price for flights there from the continental United States, it is thanks to the Miles & More zoning that you can make an economical trip between Hawaii and Australia, New Zealand, Oceania and Asia.

One-way flight between Hawaii and the regions and Central Asia / Far East costs only 20,000 miles in Economy and 35,000 miles in business!

The only catch is that there are very few airlines serving these destinations, and finding available seats is a daunting task.

Specifically, we are talking about flights

• United: Honolulu-Guam, Honolulu-Tokyo
• Air New Zealand: Honolulu - Auckland
• Air China: Honolulu - Beijing
• China Airlines: Honolulu-Taipei, Honolulu-Tokyo (NRT)
• ANA: Honolulu - Tokyo (HND, NRT)
• Asiana: Honolulu - Seoul

Good luck finding places!

Flights within Africa and the Middle East and between these regions

The more exotic the destinations are, the higher the prices are. The use of miles in such cases suggests itself!

Within the region Middle East / Caucasus / North / Central Africa we will have to turn to Ethiopian and Egypt Air. Unfortunately, Southern africa allocated to a separate region ...

A one-way flight costs only 17,000 miles in economy and 30,000 miles in business class.

It will cost so much both a short flight between Addis Ababa and Zanzibar, and a longer trip between Dakar and Dubai.

Flights between Central and South America

Such travel can be sooooo expensive!

Star Alliance airlines such as Copa Airlines and Avianca will come to our aid.

Mexico is part of Miles & More Central America, so the flight from there to any place South America costs only 17,000 miles in economy and 30,000 miles in business.

Copa and Avianca charge fuel surcharges, but they range from $ 100-150.

Remember to compare rates with other programs such as LifeMiles and ConnectMiles. On short flights inside Latin America they often offer lower prices and better availability.

Flights within Oceania

Here we will take advantage of the vast geography of the region. Australia / New Zealand / Oceania... Take a distant point in Australia and a distant point in Oceania. We get, for example, a flight from Perth to Fiji aboard Air New Zealand for 17,000 miles in economy class and 30,000 miles in business.

Taxes and fees range around $ 50.

As is the case with exotic destinations with just one airline, finding available seats will be a challenge ...

Flights Eurowings

The situation with Eurowings is a bit confusing.

For short and medium-haul flights, Eurowings has its own table as Eurowings uses its own pricing system.

For long-haul flights, Miles & More standard rates apply. In the table on the Eurowings website, you will see another table applicable to departures from / arrivals to Cologne. But, as far as I understand, this is no longer relevant, since Eurowings does not have a single long-distance route from Cologne.

Not only are the rates expressed in miles attractive, but also the moderate taxes and fees. Within Europe, expect to pay around € 50 for a one-way flight and up to € 100 for long-haul flights.

Eurowings flies to exotic destinations such as Reykjavik, Marrakech, Funchal, Punta Cana.

You can book tickets as on the Eurowings website by logging in with your Miles & More credentials and on the Miles & More website.

As I wrote above, if Eurowings destinations are on the Meilenschnäppchen list, then this is a real freebie!

Outcome

Well, I hope this list serves as proof that Miles & More is a valuable currency, not just for the obvious first class flights of Lufthansa itself.

Let's discuss other options and nuances in the comments!

The airline has updated the S7 Priority mile program for frequent flyers. 4 bonus statuses have been added; passengers who fly from 4 flights a year will be able to receive bonuses. New program of the S7 Priority privileges will become available more passengers.

Earlier there were 4 statuses in the S7 Priority mile program: Classic, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Now the Classic level is additionally divided into 4 new statuses: Junior, Master, Expert and Top.

Junior status

Junior is assigned to a passenger after 4 flights on S7 Airlines flights from the beginning of the calendar year. To obtain the status, it is enough to fly with a transfer there and back. The status increases the accumulation of miles by 10% and gives 30% cashback on the first purchase of credit card S7 from Tinkoff bank.

• + 10% miles for flights with S7 Airlines.

Master status

Master is assigned after 8 flights on S7 Airlines flights from the beginning of the calendar year. The Master status increases by 15% the accumulation of miles for the performed flight. One of the main advantages of the status is the possibility of free choice of seats on the plane during the purchase of air tickets.

• Free choice of location.

Expert status

Expert is assigned after 12 flights on S7 Airlines flights from the beginning of the calendar year. This status provides a 20% discount on the purchase of a ticket for miles at the Priority fare. It also increases miles accumulation by 15% and provides free seat selection.

• 20% discount on flights for miles at the "Priority" fare
• + 15% miles for flights with S7 Airlines.
• Free choice of location.

Top status

Top is assigned after 16 flights on S7 Airlines flights from the beginning of the calendar year.

• 33% discount on flights for miles at the "Priority" fare.
• Free choice of location.
• +1 extra luggage space.

Silver status

Silver is awarded after 20 flights (20,000 status miles) on S7 Airlines flights from the beginning of the calendar year. Silver status corresponds to the Ruby level of the Oneworld aviation alliance.

• + 25% miles for flights with S7 Airlines.
• Free choice of location.
• +1 piece up to 23 kg.

Gold status

Gold is awarded after 50 flights (50,000 status miles) on S7 Airlines flights from the beginning of the calendar year.

• + 50% miles for flights with S7 Airlines.
• Free choice of location.
• +1 piece up to 23 kg (or 1 piece up to 15 kg on Oneworld flights).
• Check-in for flights at business class counters.
• Priority boarding.
• Access to Oneworld lounges with a travel companion.

Platinum status

Platinum is awarded after 75 flights (75,000 status miles) on S7 Airlines flights from the beginning of the calendar year.

• + 75% miles for flights with S7 Airlines.
• Free choice of location.
• +1 piece up to 32 kg (or 1 piece 20 kg on Oneworld flights).
• Check-in for flights at business class counters.
• Access to oneworld first class lounges.
• Free upgrade of the service class on S7 flights - 2 times a year.

Earning bonus miles

Accumulation bonus miles occurs for flights in economy class, for flights in business class of service, 1 flight is counted as 2. It should be noted that not all S7 Airlines flights participate in the accumulation of miles. Charter flights that the Globus carrier makes do not give passengers bonus miles. To clarify the miles accrual, we recommend contacting S7 Airlines.

Earning Oneworld Miles

S7 Airlines is a member of the Oneworld aviation alliance. Miles are earned on flights operated by Oneworld member airlines.

Regular customers Russian airline S7 Airlines can travel even more by becoming members. Having accumulated enough bonus miles on the card, they can be exchanged for tickets, services of the airline and partners (car rental, hotel reservations, purchases). Thus, the company expresses its gratitude to passengers for the fact that they constantly give preference to it.

Can I buy a plane ticket for status miles on the official S7 website?

One of the frequently asked questions is, can miles be redeemed when purchasing an award flight in Economy or Business Class? The answer is yes!

However, in addition to their required number, at least one flight with S7 must be completed in the current or last year.

Ticket purchase cost depends on the selected tariff- "Optimum", "Priority" and "Promo".

1. Optimum offers fewer miles to be redeemed for an award 2. flight booking, but the number of such seats is limited.
2. Priority has no such restrictions, but its bonus value is three times higher than the Optimum tariff.
3. "Promo" is valid for flights in economy class. Its cost is the lowest, but does not imply a refund of the ticket, regardless of the reason.

In addition to tariffs, bonus zones are also taken into account.

Further on the site, you can preliminarily calculate the amount that will be credited using the service “ Mile calculator". You will find it in the "S7 Priority" tab in the "Earn miles" section. Suitable for flight miscalculations of S7 and partner airlines.

Can I buy miles for money on the official S7 Airlines website?

Coming back to travel soon, but not enough bonuses for an award ticket? Don't be upset: there is a purchase of C7 (S7) miles. They can only be purchased by passengers registered in the loyalty program who, in the current or last year, made at least one flight with S7 Airlines at a fare that is eligible for mileage accrual. You can buy no more than 10,000 miles per year. The minimum purchase amount is 500. The service is non-refundable, that is, the transaction cannot be canceled. The fee for it is also non-refundable.

In addition to the official website, there are specialized forums and exchanges where you can buy or sell unnecessary miles at a reasonable price. In such locations, the unit cost may be identical to the official rate of the air carrier. Sometimes miles are cheaper.

In any case, miles are transferred only on the S7 website.

The rules stipulate that you can transfer miles to anyone. This means that this method of parting with the accumulated bonuses is also suitable.

Miles recovery

If you forgot to show your loyalty card or indicate your account number, and for this reason the flight was left unaccounted for, you can restore miles on the S7 Airlines website. To do this, you need to go to your personal account, fill out the proposed form and send a request. It is important that the personal information on the ticket matches the one specified in the member's profile.

A passenger has 6 months to recover miles if the flight was made with an S7 Airlines flight. Year - if you have used the services of a partner airline.

Transferring S7 miles to another person

Registered users have the opportunity to transfer miles to another person. During the year, no more than 10,000 miles can be transferred from account to account.

The cost of transferring the minimum number of miles (this is 500 miles) is 375 rubles.

To do this, you must have the required number of them on your account and make at least one flight at that moment as a registered participant on an S7 flight at a rate participating in the bonus program. The service is non-refundable and cannot be canceled. The fee for it is not refundable.

How do I donate bonus miles to charity?

You can donate miles to charity in the following ways:

• Online form option. In the "S7 Priority" tab, select the "Charity" section. Next, indicate the charitable foundation, the number of miles and click the "Make transfer" button.
• Call the Program Service Center by phone 8 800 700-90-10.

Miles validity

The accumulated miles are valid until the end of the year in which the flight was made, and two subsequent ones.

If they are not used or extended, they will burn out.

If you become an active participant, then the validity period is extended for another year.

How do I become an active member?

• Fly at least one flight with S7 or Oneworld partners at a qualifying mileage fare during a calendar year.
• Earn at least 5,000 miles (welcome miles do not count).

Miles of members aged 2 to 12 are stored according to different rules - they do not expire and remain on the account when the member stops using children's mile card and begins to be served on a general basis.

How do I check my miles?

Each S7 Priority member can find out how many miles are on his bonus account. Perhaps they have accumulated enough to take advantage of them. The remaining miles on the S7 Priority card can be seen in the profile of your personal account. Below the block with personal information there is a block "My miles", which contains the card number, its type, as well as the balance of miles.

How long does it take to earn miles?

Accrual occurs automatically after flying S flights 7, if the passenger presented the card or provided the account number during checkout. Some airports are not equipped automated system sending passengers. In this case, bonus miles will be credited within 45 days... A prerequisite is that the flight must be made at the fare that is involved in the accrual of bonus miles, and the passport data on the ticket must completely match the data specified in the S7 Priority program.