Hello there,

As some of you might be aware, MilesAndMore recently underwent a significant devaluation by reducing the validity period of their status from 2 years to 1 year.

While the qualifying difficulty remains mostly unchanged, the shift in the system means that once you qualify, your membership lasts for only 1 year instead of the previous 2 years. This poses a challenge for me, given my irregular flight pattern—sometimes having 50 legs in 3 months and then 1-2 occasional flights for let's say 18 months.

Considering this, I'm exploring alternatives, and TK's' M&S program is one of them. Despite being a SEN with MM until FEB'26 (which is a considerable time in terms of how loyalty programs evolve), I'm contemplating making some moves in advance.

Recently, my wife and I had our first flight în J with TK and were impressed. Everything, from the lounge in Istanbul to the overnight stay in the suites inside the lounge, exceeded the services provided by LH/LX/OS (LHG).

Our choice of the MM loyalty program was primarily based on our travel pattern. Now, with the programme changes, I'm seeking advice from the forum on whether it's worth considering TK's program, given the following travel details:

- SEN until FEB'26
- Based in FRA.
- 4-8 round-trip flights FRA-OTP, half of them with two teenagers (over 12).
- Our family's preferred vacation destinations are the US/Mexico.
- Travel to the UK 1-5 times per year.
- Moderate vacation travel within Europe, 1-3 times per year.
- Costless car positioning for cheaper departure locations.
- Not much business travel at the moment due to post-pandemic virtual meetings.

I am aiming for Elite status.
My strategy is rudimentary: qualify by flying J and then exploit the system as much as possible by flying ECO on short haul.
Long haul after qualifications mostly with award flights.

An important aspect is additional miles gains. Living in DE, MM has a whole ecosystem in place. E.g., we gain everyday shopping points with Amex which we then convert to LH's MM through PAYBACK twice a year with +25% bonus. However, I haven't seen TK on the points-to-miles conversion list.
We also earn substantial points with PAYBACK, a popular loyalty shopping program in Germany, and I'm also unsure of its connection to TK.

Another potential downside is that Asia/Islands (Maldives, etc.) are not on our vacation destination list, whereas the US/Mexico are our top choices.

On the positive side, in FRA, TK operates out of T1, which is much more convenient than T2. TBH, T2 would've been such a deal break that I wouldn't even considering it.

A status match challenge would be interesting, but I wonder if that ever happens within *A. Is anyone aware of status matches On TK/MS from MM?


I recognize that the decision ultimately rests with me, but I wanted to share my considerations with the community and seek insights. I've always found great advice here, for which I'm grateful.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Safe journeys!