Senator is Miles & More's Star Alliance Gold card, the one that opens a lounge at any airline in the alliance, and it costs 2,000 Points, of which 1,000 must be Qualifying Points. Since 1 January 2026 an intercontinental flight in first class pays 400 Points instead of 300, which brings Senator down to five legs on the programme's own airlines, from seven. Business class takes ten. The harder half, the 1,000 Qualifying Points, is done in three.
| Cabin | Continental | Intercontinental |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 20 | 60 |
| Premium Economy | 20 | 80 |
| Business | 40 | 200 |
| First | 40 | 400 |
The increase applies to all three of the programme's currencies at once: Points for the tier, Qualifying Points for the half of it that only the group's own airlines can pay, and HON Circle Points for the tier above Senator. The system reads the cabin and whether the flight is intercontinental, nothing else.
The same first class at a different price
The same SWISS or Lufthansa first class sells at very different prices depending on where the ticket is bought, and the points do not ask which price you paid: the same seat costs less bought elsewhere. One cell in that table now decides what is worth buying for a year.
Where the 400 does not count
Qualifying Points accrue only on the programme's own airlines: Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Air Dolomiti, Croatia Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, LOT and Luxair. First class on any other Star Alliance partner pays 400 Points and no Qualifying Points, which decides whether a trip moves you toward Senator or only toward its easier half.
What changed for award tickets
On 27 May 2026 intercontinental award tickets were resliced into Business Light, Business Saver, Business Base and Business Flex. Business Light keeps the checked bag and the lounge, and costs you a seat-selection fee and a ticket that cannot be refunded. Earning in first class got better and spending miles cheaply got harder, in the same year.