Lufthansa

Lufthansa is Germany's flag carrier and a founding Star Alliance member, operating twin hubs at Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). From the US, Lufthansa flies nonstop from more than a dozen gateways including JFK, EWR, BOS, IAD, ORD, DTW, ATL, MIA, IAH, DFW, DEN, LAX, SFO, and SEA. Miles & More is the frequent flyer programme, shared with Austrian, Swiss, Brussels, Croatia, LOT, and Luxair. Book via lufthansa.com and activate ShopBack via the ShopBack Lufthansa merchant page to earn cashback on eligible bookings at the current published rate.

Miles & More has five tiers: Member (base), Frequent Traveller (35,000 status miles/year, Star Alliance Silver), Senator (100,000 status miles/year, Star Alliance Gold), HON Circle (600,000 HON Circle miles over two calendar years, Star Alliance Gold with additional first-class lounge and chauffeur access). Award miles are earned via flights, credit cards (limited US transfer partners), Lufthansa Group hotel and car partners, and shopping portals. Award miles expire after 36 months unless earned or redeemed activity resets the clock; Frequent Traveller and above enjoy longer expiry rules.

Lufthansa runs recurring US-Europe fare sales tied to spring shoulder-season (February to April), summer late-booking windows, Black Friday (November 27, 2026), Cyber Monday (November 30, 2026), and Travel Tuesday (December 2, 2026). Business-class sales are more common than Economy sales in absolute discount depth. Verify current promotions on lufthansa.com before booking. Award-fare discounts appear intermittently through Miles & More partner promotions rather than a headline sale calendar.

Star Alliance partners include United, Air Canada, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Turkish, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels, and others, meaning US-based Miles & More members can earn Miles & More miles on partner flights and burn miles on partner awards. Note: Miles & More award tickets on partner premium cabins can carry high carrier-imposed surcharges (fuel surcharges), which are lower on some other Star Alliance programmes for the same route. Frequent Traveller and Senator status confers Star Alliance Silver and Gold respectively, with lounge access when flying any Star Alliance operator.

Both are Star Alliance and both fly heavy US-Europe schedules. Lufthansa leads on Frankfurt and Munich hub connectivity to secondary European cities and premium-cabin service tradition (Allegris rollout expanding). United leads on award-mile flexibility (dynamic pricing, no fuel surcharges on own metal), stronger US domestic connections, and Polaris hard product on select routes. For US-Germany direct, Lufthansa often wins nonstop coverage; for US-onward Europe on award tickets, United MileagePlus often prices friendlier. Both are cashback-eligible via ShopBack when booked through their respective merchant pages.

Lufthansa (via Frankfurt and Munich) leads for onward Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and secondary German cities. British Airways (via London Heathrow) leads for UK-focused travel and a stronger Oneworld ecosystem for US-based Avios earners (Chase, Amex, Bilt transfer partners). Business-class pricing is often similar; award redemptions differ meaningfully by programme. For a US traveller heading to Germany, Austria, Poland, or the Czech Republic, Lufthansa typically wins on connections; for UK, Ireland, or Southern Europe, British Airways is often equally strong.

For US-Europe long-haul: Economy Light typically does not include a checked bag; Economy Classic and Flex include one checked bag (23 kg); Premium Economy includes two (23 kg each); Business includes two (32 kg each); First includes three (32 kg each). Frequent Traveller adds one extra bag, Senator adds two extra bags on Star Alliance-operated flights. Verify your specific fare's baggage inclusion on the booking page before purchase, since Economy Light fares are the common source of surprise fees.

As of 2026, Lufthansa operates nonstop service from over a dozen US gateways including New York JFK and EWR, Boston, Washington IAD, Chicago ORD, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, Houston IAH, Dallas DFW, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle to Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). Additional seasonal routes appear in summer. Lufthansa Group carriers Austrian (Vienna), Swiss (Zurich), and Brussels (Brussels) expand US-Europe coverage. Check lufthansa.com for the current route map.

Go through ShopBack before you pay and the Cashback tracks to your ShopBack account. Open Lufthansa from the ShopBack Lufthansa merchant page, continue to lufthansa.com and complete the booking. The Lufthansa page on ShopBack shows which bookings earn Cashback and the live rate.

Cashback is based on the trip you take: if you cancel or change a booking, the Cashback adjusts to match. Lufthansa's refund window applies to cancelled reservations, so check your fare conditions before you book.

Start from the Lufthansa page on ShopBack and book on lufthansa.com: going through ShopBack before you pay is the step that brings part of the fare back as Cashback. On your phone, open Lufthansa from the ShopBack app and finish the booking there.