UPDATE: SAS is no longer a member of Star Alliance and it is no longer possible to book Lufthansa flights with EuroBonus points. This guide is deprecated. Instead, try booking through a different program such as United MileagePlus, Aeroplan, etc.

Lufthansa is one of the world’s leading carriers, with access to nearly 1,300 destinations worldwide, an extensive global network, and high-quality service. It is a very reliable alternative, especially when you are flying premium cabins such as Business and First Class. As a founding member of Star Alliance, it’s possible to book Lufthansa flights from other frequent flyer programs, such as SAS EuroBonus.

Historically, there have been many EuroBonus sweet spots on Lufthansa, including good redemptions on Lufthansa First Class, and low fuel surcharges and fees on Business Class. But what’s the status in 2024?

In this post, we cover why SAS EuroBonus is still a great program when redeeming award flights on Lufthansa, and a step-by-step guide to finding and booking Lufthansa flights with EuroBonus points using AwardFares.

In This Post

EuroBonus was great for awards on Lufthansa. Now what?

In 2023, SAS announced that it will be acquired by Air France-KLM and others, leaving Star Alliance and joining SkyTeam. This event marks the first time

Redeeming awards on Lufthansa and Swiss has always been a solid options for SAS EuroBonus members. A huge network, great frequencies, solid onboard products and high availability were some of the key highlights of the golden age of the Lufthansa Group and EB. It was also a great opportunity to use Amex 2 for 1 vouchers (companion tickets), on First Class. Those days will be soon long gone.

Our two cents:

  1. Try booking outstanding flights now if you have leftover points or vouchers, and were looking to fly LH one last time.
  2. If you will still be primarily flying with Star Alliance partners and accruing in EuroBonus, try switching to another program. United MileagePlus is a great option along with Aeroplan for both European and US-based members.
  3. If you are based in the Nordics and earn most points through flying SAS or credit card spending, then it’s most likely that you will soon be able to start redeeming awards on Air France and KLM. Don’t worry, they also have a large network, great options to the US and America in general, and offer excellent service onboard (often better than Lufthansa).

How to Find Award Flights on Lufthansa

1. Go to AwardFares

Creating an account is optional, but it’s also free, and it gives you access to more features. Make sure to sign up for one here.

2. Select your Frequent Flyer Program

On AwardFares homepage, you will see a Frequent Flyer Program Picker (FFP). Tap on it and select a program such as United MileagePlus or Aeroplan.

Filter award flights on SAS EuroBonus in AwardFares

3. Filter out by Airline

Tap the Airline filter and select Lufthansa to avoid seeing results from other airlines.

Filter Lufthansa award flights in AwardFares

4. Select the Route

If you already have your departure and destination city, you can add those under the Where From and Where To fields. Once you do so, you will be able to see a Timeline.

Select destination in AwardFares

If you have flexibility on the routes, AwardFares is powerful as Google Flights. It lets you explore options available by performing what we call broad searches. You can see available flights by selecting only departure, arrival city, or regions. For example, you can explore all flights from Europe to the United States by simply typing those regions.

Lufthansa Award Flights using SAS EuroBonus points in AwardFares

6. Filter out by cabin (optional)

Using the Cabin filter you can select First Class Only. This will remove all other cabins, such as Economy, Premium Economy, and Business, and just show you seats available in First Class.

Filter award flights by cabin in AwardFares

Note: Lufthansa partner redemptions are restricted to 14 days in advance for First class and 85 days for long-haul business. If you are curious about how early Lufthansa releases award seats, check our guide here.

7. Confirm Availability

Once you have selected the options, you can tap on Book. AwardFares will redirect you to the airline’s website where you can confirm the availability for your selected flight/dates.

8. Set-up alerts (optional)

If you don’t see available seats on a given flight and date you are interested, don’t worry. Seat availability changes daily, as airlines release those seats on short notice. AwardFares has an alert feature that monitors the flights you want and notifies you via email once/if they become available.

To set up an Alert, just tap on Alerts > Add Alert > and fill out the required information, such as route, dates, passengers, cabin.

What we love and don’t about Lufthansa

Here are some of our pros and cons of flying with Lufthansa

Pros Cons
Consistent on-time performance Long-haul Business Class seats are still 2-2-2 instead of 1-2-1
Wide network of destinations Inconsistent service quality
Modern fleet Long flight times
Still flying 747 and A380 Can be crowded
Frankfurt and Munich are easy to connect High cash fares

Best Frequent Flyer Programs to Redeem Lufthansa Awards in 2024

At AwardFares we love all frequent flyer programs, but we also need to stay on top of the game, understanding how award charts change over time and identifying the best redemptions so you can make the most out of your points.

When redeeming Lufthansa awards, here are some of our favorite picks

  1. Air Canada Aeroplan: This program offers competitive redemption rates for flights on Star Alliance airlines, including Lufthansa, with a zone-based award chart. However, note that fuel surcharges may be added to Lufthansa flights.
  2. United MileagePlus: United’s program often offers good availability for Star Alliance award seats, including on Lufthansa. Its interactive award chart can make it easier to find and book awards. Recently, United has removed its traditional award chart and moved to dynamic pricing, but it remains a solid option for Star Alliance redemptions.
  3. SAS EuroBonus (NO LONGER AN OPTION): SAS left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam on September 1st, 2024.
  4. Avianca LifeMiles: Avianca’s frequent flyer program has competitive redemption rates for Lufthansa flights, and often does not add surcharges on award tickets. This can make it a cost-effective choice for redeeming Lufthansa flights.
  5. Miles & More: This is Lufthansa’s own frequent flyer program. It often provides the most extensive availability for award seats, especially for First Class tickets and flights operated by Lufthansa.

Regardless of the program you choose, AwardFares can help you understand the available seats at any time, and even alert you when a given route or cabin opens.

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Our guides have all the information you need to be a pro travel hacker and explore the world on points. Here are some related posts you might enjoy: