Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to upgrade flights with Miles & More miles
A Miles & More mileage upgrade is an upgrade paid for with award miles instead of cash: Star Alliance, which lists Miles & More among the frequent flyer programmes of its member airlines, says members can use their miles or points to move to the next class of service on member airline flights, subject to eligible booking classes and availability. [9] The request is made online up to 24 hours before the flight, once the booking and ticket are confirmed. [9]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Star Alliance describes a mileage upgrade as a move to the next class of service on member airline flights, subject to eligible booking classes and availability. [9]
- You request the upgrade online up to 24 hours before departure, once you hold a confirmed booking and ticket. [9]
- Member airlines set their own policies, and the alliance points travellers to the airline and the frequent flyer programme for the applicable rules and mileage chart. [9]
How do mileage upgrades fit the Star Alliance network?
Star Alliance lists Miles & More among the frequent flyer programmes of its member airlines and says one membership lets a traveller earn and redeem miles across the network. [9] Miles & More describes its status benefits as applying on Lufthansa Group airlines, co-issuing Miles & More airline partners and Star Alliance airlines. [4]
Upgrading with miles sits inside that network. Star Alliance Upgrade Awards give frequent flyer members access to upgrade opportunities across the alliance, subject to eligible booking classes and availability. [9] In the alliance's own description, members use miles or points to move to the next class of service on member airline flights, subject to availability, and the programme supplies the mileage chart behind the price. [9]
The practical effect is that the miles you hold in Miles & More are the currency, while the flight itself can be operated by a partner in the alliance. [9]
When and where do you request an upgrade?
Star Alliance answers this directly: you can request your upgrade online up to 24 hours before the flight once you have a confirmed booking and ticket, through your frequent flyer programme's website or the Star Alliance Upgrade Awards service. [9]
Timing and channels are described at alliance level, and the same page warns that member airlines may have different policies, directing travellers to check with the member airline or the programme. [9] The alliance description is therefore a starting point: it is the airline and Miles & More that it points to for the exact conditions. [9]
Which flights, cabins and booking classes qualify?
Flights. Miles or points can be used to upgrade on all Star Alliance member airlines' flights, subject to availability. [9]
Cabins. The published description is an upgrade to the next class of service rather than a jump across several cabins. [9]
Booking classes. Eligibility is limited to eligible booking classes, and the alliance directs members to their programme for the qualifying classes and fares. [9] Very low and heavily discounted fares are the kind of booking classes that can sit outside earning, and the alliance tells travellers to check the eligible-class table on the programme's website. [9]
Availability. Even with a confirmed ticket, the upgrade remains subject to availability, so the request depends on an upgrade seat being open. [9]
How do you get your miles into the right account?
Miles follow the programme number you give: enter your frequent flyer number at booking, at check-in or when managing the booking, and the miles are credited to that account after the journey is completed. [9] If the number is missing, ask the check-in agent before departure or contact the programme afterwards to claim the miles retroactively, keeping your boarding passes. [9]
Miles cannot be pooled across schemes: Star Alliance says its frequent flyer programmes are operated independently by the member airlines and that combining miles from different programmes, or transferring them all into one, is not possible. [9]
For a balance you intend to hold until the right flight appears, Miles & More says HON Circle Members' miles do not expire for as long as they remain status members. [4]
Exceptions and limits
- Airline rules differ. Star Alliance states that member airlines may have different policies and refers members to the member airline or the programme for the detail. [9]
- The 24-hour window. The online request described by the alliance is available up to 24 hours before the flight and requires a confirmed booking and ticket. [9]
- Status does not buy waitlist priority for upgrades. HON Circle Members hold the highest waiting-list priority on fully booked flights with a listed group of airlines, but this does not apply to upgrades and Award Flights. [4]
- Upgrade vouchers are a separate benefit. Miles & More issues HON Circle Members four eVouchers to fly one class higher when they qualify or renew, which is distinct from spending miles. [4]
- Out of scope here. Upgrade certificates, bid upgrades and operational upgrades are not covered by this guide, and neither are the upgrade rules of other Star Alliance programmes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use miles to upgrade more than one cabin?
Star Alliance describes the mileage upgrade as an upgrade to the next class of service on member airline flights, subject to availability. [9]
How late can I request a Miles & More upgrade?
The alliance's published answer is that a request can be made online up to 24 hours before the flight, once the booking and ticket are confirmed. [9]
Can I upgrade on any Star Alliance airline?
Miles or points can be used on all Star Alliance member airlines' flights subject to availability, but member airlines may apply different policies, so the programme's own rules and mileage chart decide. [9]
Can I combine miles from two programmes to pay for one upgrade?
No. Star Alliance says its programmes are operated independently and that miles cannot be combined across programmes or moved into a single one. [9]
Does elite status make an upgrade seat more likely?
HON Circle status brings the highest waiting-list priority on fully booked flights with the listed airlines, but that priority does not apply to upgrades and Award Flights. [4]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers published mileage-upgrade rules for Miles & More within the Star Alliance network; upgrade vouchers, bid upgrades and operational upgrades are out of scope, and the upgrade rules of other Star Alliance programmes are not covered here.
- Miles & More: HON Circle Member benefits, checked 18 October 2026
- Star Alliance: earn and redeem miles, upgrade awards and FAQs, checked 18 October 2026