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Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® review
Last updated:
Great card if you fly regularly with Lufthansa and other qualifying airlines.
- Get this card if you fly often with Miles & More carriers or can take advantage of the annual companion ticket.
- Pick something else if you want more general travel rewards.
- Apply with a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher.
50,000
Miles as welcome offer
Up to 2x
Miles
$89
Annual fee
17.49% to 26.49%
Purchase APR (variable)
Details
| Product Name | Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® |
|---|---|
| Card type | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $89 |
| Purchase APR | 17.49% to 26.49% variable |
| Balance transfer APR | 0% intro for the first fifteen billing cycles (then 17.49% to 26.49% variable) |
| Balance transfer fee | $5 or 3% of the transaction, whichever is greater |
| Cash advance rate | 26.74% variable |
| Cash advance fee | $10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Interest free period | Up to 23 days |
| Late payment fee | Up to $37 |
| Returned payment fee | Up to $37 |
| Additional cardholder fee | $0 |
Expert review
Review by
Kevin Joey Chen
kevin.chen@findercrew.comKevin Joey Chen is a credit cards, banking and investments writer whose work and analysis have appeared on CNN, U.S. News & World Report, Lifehacker and CreditCards.com. He's passionate about helping you get your finances in order and expertly navigate the cutting-edge financial tools available -- including credit cards, apps and budgeting software.
Expert review
The perks
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Signup bonus: 50,000 award miles.
After spending $3,000 in the first 90 days, you earn 50,000 award miles. But that’s not all — when you spend $20,000 within the first first year of card membership you earn an additional 25,000 award miles.This is a high spending requirement compared to other cards, so consider whether you can reach it before the bonus window expires.
Is 50,000 miles a good haul?
For many flyers, 50,000 miles is a strong bonus. To give you a sense of how far your miles will go, consider these costs for round-trip flights on Lufthansa.
- Within North America: 30,000 miles
- North America to South America: 60,000 miles
- North America to Central Asia: 80,000 miles
Typically, Miles & More miles are worth around 1.4 cents apiece. One cent per mile is the industry average for travel rewards.
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Rewards: Earn miles on all purchases, and more on tickets from Miles & More airline partners.
When you buy tickets from Miles & More airline partners, you’ll earn 2x miles. On all other purchases, you’ll earn 1x miles.Redeem your miles for flights and upgrades on Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Star Alliance carriers and more.
Which Miles & More airline partners will you earn elevated rewards with?
You’ll earn 2x miles when you use your card to buy tickets from:
- Adria Airways
- AirDolomiti
- Austrian Airlines Group
- Brussels Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Lufthansa Regional
- Lufthansa Private Jet
- Luxair
- SWISS
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Annual companion ticket.
You’ll receive a companion ticket for an Economy Class flight annually. Use it for travel from the US to the Middle East, Africa, Europe and East Asia. To make a reservation, call the Miles & More Companion Ticket Service line.
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Intro balance transfer APR.
You’ll receive 0% APR for fifteen billing cycles on balance transfers that post within the first 45 days of card membership. After that, your APR will be 17.49% or 26.49% variable depending on your credit.This is a strong intro APR, as 0% intro APR periods tend to top off at around 21 months. However, this card doesn’t include an intro APR on purchases.
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Annual Business Lounge vouchers.
Every year, you’ll earn two vouchers for complimentary access to the Lufthansa Business Lounge. Typically, a pass costs $35.
The Lufthansa Business Lounge at London Heathrow Airport.
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Discounts at Miles & More Hotel and Car Awards.
After you make your first purchase, you’ll receive a 15% discount code in your Miles & More account. Apply it when you use miles to book a hotel or car rental through the Miles & More site. For example, you can expect an award hotel booking of 50,000 miles to cost 42,500 miles instead.Though a discount is always welcome, award rates on the Miles & More website might be more expensive than USD rates. For example, a $399 regular-rate room at the Courtyard by Marriott in Manhattan or Midtown East might cost 47,275 miles. At the industry average of 1 mile = 1 cent, those miles are worth about $472.
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Use award miles for status miles.
Once each calendar year, you can convert award miles you’ve earned into status miles. You’re allowed to convert between 5,000 and 25,000 award miles at a 5 to 1 ratio. At that rate, 25,000 award miles becomes 5,000 status miles.It’s a good idea to use this benefit as a slight boost if you need a few more status miles and not as your primary means of reaching higher status tiers. To reach the Frequent Traveler tier, you’ll need 35,000 status miles. And to reach the Senator tier, you’ll need 100,000 status miles.
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No foreign transaction fees.
Use your card internationally and on foreign websites without worrying about a transaction fee. However, you can find this perk with most travel cards.
What to watch out for
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Annual fee.
The Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® comes with an $89 annual fee. That’s on par with mid-tier travel cards, but consider whether you’ll get sufficient value from the card to make the annual fee worth it. You can find many solid no-annual-fee travel cards. -
Potentially high APR.
Depending on your credit, you could have a normal purchase and balance transfer variable APR as high as 17.49% or 26.49% variable. The better your credit score, the more likely it is you’ll qualify for the lower APR.
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How does a balance transfer work with this card?
What should I know before I apply?
To apply for the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®, you must be at least 18 years old and a US resident. However, if you live in Iowa, Puerto Rico or a US territory, you’re not eligible.
Information you’ll need
- Full name and contact information.
- Residential status.
- Annual income and employment information.
- Social Security number, date of birth and mother’s maiden name.
What credit score do I need?
If you have a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher, you’ll have better odds of approval. For the lower APR, you’ll want to apply with a credit score on the higher end.
What do customers say about the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®?
Some customers say they’ve had difficulty using their companion tickets because of fare restrictions and high fees.
Barclays Bank has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2001. It currently has an A+ rating from the agency. As of this writing, its profile has over 1,100 customer complaints. Some customers reported on the BBB website that they’ve had trouble processing disputes with Barclays. Others say they’ve experienced unexpected account closures.
How to apply for the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard®
- Go to Barclaycard’s Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® website and click Apply now.
- Complete the application with details like your name, contact information, employment information and Social Security number.
- Review your application. When you’ve verified your information is correct, click Apply to submit your application.
How long will it take to be approved?
Typically, you’ll receive an immediate decision on your application. In rare cases, you may need to wait a few business days to a few weeks until Barclaycard manually approves your application.
If you’re approved, expect your card in the mail within seven to 10 days.
I got the card. Now what?
- Make timely payments. Pay your bill online at the Barclaycard website, where you can also enroll in autopay.
- Avoid interest. After the close of each billing cycle, you have a grace period of 23 days to pay your balance. Doing so will save you from paying interest on your purchases.
- Avoid fees. Late and returned payments come with hefty fees of up to $37. Balance transfers and cash advances also come with fees.
- Customer service. If you have questions, contact Barclaycard customer service at 866-928-8598.
Bottom line
The Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® costs $89 a year, but it might be worth paying for if you’re a frequent customer or you can take advantage of its annual companion ticket. You’ll also earn miles you can redeem with multiple carriers.
If you don’t think you’ll get significant value from it, look for another airline card or check out a general travel card.