Miles & More Frequent Traveller Status: Requirements, Benefits and How to Get There

What Frequent Traveller status is

Frequent Traveller is the first of the three Miles & More statuses, below Senator and HON Circle Member. It equals Star Alliance Silver, which gives you priority on waitlists and standby across the alliance, plus a set of Lufthansa Group benefits on top.

It is the realistic target for most travellers who fly a handful of times a year but not constantly.

Frequent Traveller requirements

Here are the numbers. Everything else follows from these.

• 650 Points in one calendar year
• 325 of those must be Qualifying Points
• The window is the calendar year, January to December

Like every Miles & More status, your progress does not roll over. On 1 January it starts again from zero.

Points versus Qualifying Points — the part that catches people

The same trap that catches people chasing Senator applies here, just at a lower threshold.

Regular Points come from any Star Alliance flight. Qualifying Points come only from fully integrated Miles & More airlines, such as Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Luxair, Air Dolomiti and now ITA Airways.

So you could fly enough to clear 650 Points, mostly on partners like United or Turkish, and still miss Frequent Traveller because your Qualifying Points are under 325. Watch both numbers. The Qualifying Points are the ones that catch people out.

How to actually earn Frequent Traveller

Points are no longer based on distance. They depend on your cabin and on whether the flight is continental or intercontinental. Long routes in a premium cabin earn the most.

Because the threshold is fairly low, you do not need much. As a rough guide, two intercontinental Business Class round trips on the Lufthansa Group will take you past both targets comfortably. If you fly Economy or short continental routes, you will need more segments, and you still have to keep at least enough of them on Miles & More airlines to cover the 325 Qualifying Points.

A few things to keep in mind by cabin:

• Business and First Class earn the most Points per flight
• Premium Economy sits in the middle, and the Lufthansa Group runs seasonal promotions that boost it, so check current offers before you book
• Economy earns the least, so plan for more segments if this is your main cabin

How long Frequent Traveller lasts and how to requalify

Since the 2024 change, qualification runs on the calendar year. Once you reach the status, you keep it for the rest of that year plus the following year, with the card running until the end of February of the year after next. To keep it, you have to earn the points again within a calendar year.

In plain terms: if you reach Frequent Traveller this year, you need to do it again next year to hold on to it. Miss the target and you lose the status.

Miles & More also offers Frequent Traveller Lifetime status for long term loyalty. The threshold for Lifetime changes from time to time, so check the official Miles & More site for the current figure before you count on it.

Frequent Traveller benefits

Frequent Traveller is the smallest of the three benefit packages, but the everyday perks still make a real difference. Verify the current detail on the official site, since the Lufthansa Group adjusts these from time to time. You can expect:

• Star Alliance Silver, with priority on waitlists and airport standby across the alliance
• Business Class check in when flying the Lufthansa Group
• Lufthansa Business Lounge access on eligible departures
• Extra checked baggage allowance
• A mileage bonus, so you earn more award miles than members without status
• Better seat selection options

For most people the lounge access and the faster check in are what make it worth chasing.

Common mistakes that cost people Frequent Traveller

• Earning enough Points but too few Qualifying Points, usually from flying partner airlines that do not count toward the Qualifying total
• Booking very cheap fare classes that earn less than expected
• Leaving the last segments to December, then hitting full flights or cancellations
• Assuming progress carries into the new year, when it resets every January
• Not tracking Qualifying Points separately, so the shortfall shows up too late to fix

It almost always comes down to the same thing. You did not watch the two numbers closely enough.

Ways to top up without extra flying

You can collect some status points on the ground.

• Marriott Bonvoy: link your accounts and earn status points on paid stays, currently 40 points for each two night stay, capped at 120 per year
• Seasonal earning promotions: the Lufthansa Group regularly runs limited offers that boost Points on certain routes or cabins

For a low threshold like Frequent Traveller, a Marriott top up can close a real gap at the end of the year.

How to track your Frequent Traveller progress

Miles & More shows you a number, but it does not tell you what that number means for the rest of your year. It will not flag that your Qualifying Points are falling behind, or tell you how many more flights you actually need.

MileHunter does. It tracks your Points and your Qualifying Points separately, shows exactly how far you are from Frequent Traveller, and tells you what kind of flying closes the gap. Set it once and check it when you book. No spreadsheets. No surprise in December.