nijltje100

Hello, I'm a BD *G for 4 years now (260.000 dest) but due of the change in work I will fly 90% via FRA (home base is BRU). I booked already a few flights and all of them are in B class and the calculator tells me that I will receive 5000 miles, ie BRU-FRA-LYS. Shall I also receive 5000 on my BD account?
You think I should change to LH membership?

alex0683de

I think you might be better off with LH. Miles&More is set up to reward high-revenue flyers on high fare classes (and it doesn't get much higher than B in economy). For the connection you describe, you will indeed earn 5000 miles for the roundtrip. On bmi, you would earn 800 miles for each segment, for a total of 3200 per roundtrip. After you have earned 35K miles with LH (earning Frequent Traveller, Star Alliance Silver), you will get a 25% of status and award miles for all your travels, meaning a single roundtrip will get you 6252 status miles.

If you fly 100K miles per year, then you will earn LH Senator (Star Alliance Gold). If you think you will fall short of this, then I would recommend keeping your bmi status active, otherwise, switch to LH. You can still use your bmi status for lounge access, priority check-in and the like until you reach SEN with LH.

If you were mostly flying C and F, then it would be a different story, but for tickets booked in Y or B, LH wins out.

jarino

More support for your recommendation: On non-bmi partner flights, it is only 600 miles for each segment, total 2400 for the LH roundtrip in Y/B.

nijltje100

pfff difficult as I have no idea how many miles I will fly every year, 12 flights emea and 2-4 outside so big chance that I will not become senator... but now speaking in destination miles it prob would be better LG? Can you combine the ones from BD and LH?

NickB

Earning on its own is pretty meaningless if you don't take into account burning too. BMI DC awards (especially with Cash and miles) cost a fraction of LH awards. And don't forget the double earning when you are gold over 55K. If you are not likely to make it SEN, I think it is a no-brainer. Just stick to BD, as long as you can live with the LH lounge matrons looking at your BD *A G card as if it were a LIDL till receipt .

jarino

As my LH boarding passes (without manual intervention) always show only BDP they aren't worth more than a Lidl reciept. Some time ago, a matron sitting at the MUC lounge desk asked me in a sharp tone "Und wie wollen Sie hier rein?" (I had shown my card + BP to the girls standing at the entrance seconds before I dared to approach the desk)

I agree, if 100k for SEN are out of reach, BD*G is the better choice. Maybe the OP should consider connecting through ZRH on LX, as LX full fare economy (Y,B) earns 1.5x miles with BMI.

oliver2002

Since when do the matrons check after you are let in by the girls in MUC?

Rambuster

[QUOTE=jarino;7151873 "Und wie wollen Sie hier rein?" [/QUOTE]

Zu Fuss und zwar flott !

jarino

No check, I approached her desk voluntarily. Upon presentation of my boarding pass I asked her for an e-ticket printout as my previous "negotiations" with the check-in-machine regarding an itinerary receipt had been unsuccessful.

nijltje100

@NickB can you explain a little bit more the difference in spending please

I still have some doubts...as I will earn way more destination miles with LH
but difficult to get gold status... max 60 to 70 k but if I'm correct you get more once you are silver?

totti

Awards "paid" with BD miles are way cheaper than LH awards: e.g. a Germany - North America award costs 90 k BD miles but 140k M&L miles. So a M&L award is much more expensive while the earning ration is not that different at all: sometimes LH is a little better e.g. within Europe or when flying SQ metal while BD is much better if you hit the 55k milestone being BD Gold.

As others still pointed out if you are not sure if you'll make it to LH SEN that I'd stick with BD and renew Gold. You'll probably loose some miles on the earning side but you can save this miles while burning them. So it's 0 : 0 if you compare the earn burn ration of both programs but you are *G if you stick with BD which is for sure much better than LH FTL!
BTW you are half way to lifetime Gold with BD so why walk this way to it's end…

cheers
totti