Who can join

Mileage Pooling is open to members living in eligible countries, including Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A pool needs at least two members, one of them an adult. It can include up to two adults and five children aged 2 to 17. Two friends can start a pool, and each member can belong to only one pool.

When you can use the miles

In their Miles & More account, the adult sends an invitation using the other member’s service card number with their consent. The pool opens when the invitation is accepted. The FAQ says the miles are combined two days later. During that time, neither individual nor shared miles can be redeemed.

Who can spend the balance

Both adults have equal access to the pooled balance. Children can use only the miles they earned in their own accounts. The programme deducts the miles closest to expiry first. Protected miles are used only if the unprotected miles are insufficient. Joining a pool does not extend mileage validity.

What happens if you leave

Your own unspent and unexpired miles stay in your account and are removed from the shared balance immediately. You cannot start a new pool or join another for six months. The slot you leave is also blocked for six months. This restriction does not apply when a member automatically leaves on turning 18.

A worked example

Two friends with 18,000 and 12,000 eligible miles would have 30,000 together. Either adult can use the balance for their own booking, so agree in advance on who will spend it and when. For a trip coming up soon, check the complete award quote, including the cash portion, and allow for the two-day wait. The example only shows how the balances add up.

The photograph

Lufthansa Airbus A340 departing Boston on 11 March 2025. Archive photo by 4300streetcar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped and converted to WebP by SoftLuxNotes.

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November 8, 2026

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