LemonThrower, I had 22,000 miles expiring (out of ~52K total) at the end of March. I was trying to plan a time w/ a co-worker for a 2 week "all over Europe" vacation using 50K for a free DFW > FRA ticket, but pending job transfers messed both of us up.

I called LH customer service to see if I could claim the award and use it within a year or so. The agen I spoke with suggested I redeem 30K miles for (1) 10K upgrade cert and (1) 20K upgrade cert. If they were unused, he assured me that they could be 'redeposited' back into my account for use as a 50K award ticket.

HTH...