“Can a 33-year-old airline loyalty programme extend miles-earning into every aspect of daily spending — via credit cards, debit cards, and retail — to become the financial rewards OS for European travellers?”
Founded in 1993 as Lufthansa's frequent-flyer programme, Miles & More has grown into Europe's largest airline loyalty scheme with over 39 million members across more than 175 partners. The programme evolved from pure airline miles into a broader travel and lifestyle rewards ecosystem, adding retail (Worldshop), financial products (co-branded credit cards issued by regional bank partners in 20+ countries), and a MilesPay spend-with-miles feature. In 2026 the programme added an innovative debit card product via Currensea that lets members earn miles on everyday spending linked to their existing bank account — signalling a shift toward embedded everyday banking beyond traditional credit cards.
Miles & More discloses Currensea as its banking provider, with Deutsche Bank AG, card complete Service Bank AG, Erste Card, PBZ Card, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Advanzia, UniCredit and 7 others as its sponsor banks, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
Miles & More does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through Deutsche Bank AG, card complete Service Bank AG, Erste Card, PBZ Card, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Advanzia, UniCredit and 7 others.
Miles & More's cards are issued through Currensea on the Mastercard network.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 4 layers in Miles & More's stack: Banking / BaaS (Currensea); Card issuing (Currensea); Card network (Mastercard); Sponsor bank (Deutsche Bank AG, card complete Service Bank AG, Erste Card, PBZ Card and 11 others).
Miles & More is founded in 1993 and headquartered in Neu-Isenburg, Hesse, Germany.
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Miles & More and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.