Are United and Lufthansa Partners? How MileagePlus Miles, PQP and Star Alliance Benefits Work

Yes — and the relationship goes well past just sharing an alliance logo. United and Lufthansa have been Star Alliance partners since the alliance’s founding in 1997, but the two carriers also run a much deeper transatlantic joint venture with Air Canada, coordinating schedules and sharing revenue on routes across the Atlantic. In 2026, both airlines are marking their 100th anniversaries — Deutsche Luft Hansa and United’s predecessor Varney Air Lines were both founded in 1926 — and the partnership just got a fresh round of upgrades for elite flyers.

If you’re trying to figure out whether your United MileagePlus number, your Premier status, or your miles actually do anything useful on a Lufthansa flight, here’s exactly how the pieces fit together.

How United and Lufthansa Are Actually Connected

There are two separate layers to this partnership, and it’s worth knowing both:

• Star Alliance membership — the broad layer. United and Lufthansa are two of the alliance’s founding members, alongside Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, and Thai Airways. This is what lets you earn and redeem MileagePlus miles on Lufthansa flights, and what makes your United Premier status mean something when you’re flying on a Lufthansa-operated plane.
• The transatlantic joint venture (“A++”) — the deeper layer, shared with Air Canada. Rather than just codesharing, the three carriers coordinate scheduling and pricing and share revenue on transatlantic routes as if they were effectively one airline on those city pairs. This is a meaningfully closer relationship than United has with most other Star Alliance members.

New for 2026: Expanded Reciprocal Benefits for Top-Tier Elites

Starting July 22, 2026, United Global Services and Lufthansa Group’s HON Circle — the invite-only tiers above each airline’s standard elite levels — gained expanded reciprocal recognition on each other’s metal. HON Circle members flying United now get access to Global Reception, United’s dedicated premium check-in area, at hub airports including Newark, Washington Dulles, Denver, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, plus Group 1 boarding and free advance seat selection (including Extra Legroom) for themselves and one companion.

Global Services members flying Lufthansa Group airlines — Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa City Airlines, and Discover Airlines — get equivalent elite recognition across the group, though it’s worth noting this doesn’t extend to Lufthansa’s First Class Lounges or First Class Terminal, which remain reserved for Lufthansa’s own top-tier members.

How MileagePlus Miles Work on Lufthansa Flights

Because United and Lufthansa share Star Alliance membership, you can earn MileagePlus miles flying Lufthansa — but only if you actually give Lufthansa your MileagePlus number. It isn’t automatic: enter it when you book, or add it to your reservation before check-in, or the flight simply won’t credit.

The earning math itself works differently than it does on a United-operated flight. United’s own flights now earn miles based on the dollar amount you spend (with elite-status multipliers layered on top). Partner-airline flights like Lufthansa still earn the older way — based on the distance flown and a multiplier tied to your fare class — unless the ticket was actually issued by United under United’s own ticket stock (numbers starting with 016), in which case revenue-based earning can apply instead.

Check who issued the ticket if the earning amount looks off after the flight.

Miles you’ve already earned work the same way in reverse: you can redeem MileagePlus miles for an award seat on a Lufthansa flight, subject to Lufthansa’s own release of Star Alliance award space — which, like most partner award availability, tends to be tighter in business and first class than what you’d find on a United-operated route to Europe.

How PQP Earning Works on Lufthansa

Premier Qualifying Points — the currency that actually moves you toward Premier Silver, Gold, Platinum, or 1K — follow the same partner-flight logic as miles: distance flown times a fare-class multiplier, credited only when your MileagePlus number is on the reservation.

You earn 1 PQP for every 5 award miles earned.

For the full mechanics of how PQP is calculated across United’s network, see our guide to understanding PQP and PQF.

One detail that trips people up: PQP only accrues when you pay cash for the Lufthansa ticket. Book the same flight with miles instead, and you’ll get the trip — but zero PQP and zero redeemable miles toward your next redemption. If chasing status is part of the plan, a paid Lufthansa fare booked through your MileagePlus account does double duty; an award-ticket redemption on the same route does not.

What Your United Premier Status Gets You on Lufthansa

Star Alliance maps each airline’s elite tiers onto two alliance-wide levels — Star Alliance Silver and Star Alliance Gold — and Lufthansa honors whichever one your United status translates to, network-wide, every time you fly a Lufthansa Group airline.

The jump from Silver to Gold is where the real value sits — Star Alliance Gold unlocks over 1,000 lounges worldwide across the alliance, not just Lufthansa’s own. If you’re deciding whether pushing from Premier Silver to Premier Gold is worth the extra flying, international lounge access on partner airlines like Lufthansa is one of the strongest arguments for making the jump. For the full picture of how United’s tiers map onto the wider alliance, see our guide to United status levels and Star Alliance benefits.

Pro Tips

• Always add your MileagePlus number at booking, not after. Missing it at check-in is the single most common reason people fly Lufthansa and get zero miles or PQP for the trip.
• Pay cash if status is the goal. Award redemptions on Lufthansa get you the seat but not a single PQP — route paid tickets through MileagePlus if you’re actively chasing a tier.
• Double-check who issued your ticket. A Lufthansa flight on United’s own 016 ticket stock can earn differently than one issued directly by Lufthansa — worth knowing before you’re surprised by the mileage credit.
• Don’t expect Silver status to do much on Lufthansa. If lounge access on a Europe trip matters to you, Gold is the tier that actually delivers it — Silver’s benefits are largely symbolic on partner metal.
• Global Services and HON Circle flyers should check the new 2026 reciprocal perks before a transatlantic trip — Global Reception access and Group 1 boarding on each other’s airlines are new enough that it’s easy to not realize they apply.

Bottom Line

United and Lufthansa are Star Alliance partners at minimum, and considerably closer than that through their transatlantic joint venture with Air Canada. In practice, that means your MileagePlus number earns miles and PQP on Lufthansa flights (cash fares only, and only if you enter it), your miles can be redeemed for Lufthansa award seats, and your Premier status carries real weight once you’re at Gold or above — lounges, extra baggage, priority boarding. Premier Silver, by comparison, doesn’t unlock much on Lufthansa’s own network. Enter your number every time, pay cash when status matters, and know which tier you actually need before counting on partner-airline perks.

Frequently Asked Questions