Category:

Uptrip & Loyalty

Uptrip NFT Analyse Icon en

After receiving extensive feedback and inquiries about our Uptrip NFT analysis on the two-year anniversary, we’re diving deeper today to examine the offers and trades within the Miles & More app. In this article, we answer key questions: Which cards are available? Can trading rare Uptrip cards be profitable? And what should collectors watch out for when trading?

There are now over 7,000 Uptrip collectible cards on the blockchain. We took the time to review and categorize them. While trading activity has been limited so far, there could still be opportunities for individual users to find a sweet spot.

Here’s a look at the most frequently appearing cards:

  • Welcome: 672
  • Lufthansa: 378
  • Frankfurt: 238
  • Miles & More Member: 207
  • Munich: 202
  • Travel ID: 191
  • Eurowings: 185
  • Birthday: 172

The prevalence of these standard cards isn’t surprising. Their current price ranges from €0.70 to €4. However, the number of NFTs actually listed for sale is relatively limited.

Beyond the standard cards, there’s a wide variety of rare ones. 78 cards exist in three copies or fewer, while 41 are unique, appearing only once on the blockchain. Some of the most intriguing rare cards include:

Uptrip NFT B747-200
Uptrip NFT EW A318
Uptrip NFT Abbotsford
Uptrip NFT St. Petersburg

EZE-FRA: Representing the “LH Longest Flight,” though the card name seems to have been entered incorrectly during minting.

Abbotsford: Not an actual Lufthansa destination, likely created randomly during the Christmas event on December 24, 2024.

St. Petersburg: Similar to Abbotsford, a rare card representing a destination never – or not recently – served by Lufthansa.

Karlsruhe: A legitimate Eurowings destination, uncommon but not a one-of-a-kind rarity.

Airbus A318: Allegedly a Lufthansa Group flight, though our research indicates this plane was never used by Lufthansa. The referenced flight EW7753 on October 23, 2024, was operated by an A319.

Cessna 510: Appeared twice as a Eurowings flight NFT; origin unclear.

TravelId Member: Likely a minting typo, creating a unique glitch.

Boeing 747-200F: Retired by the late 1990s, yet it appears in the collection – raising questions about its inclusion.

There have been only a few notable historical trades:

  • Only six deals on OpenSea exceeded $30 at the time.
  • All these trades occurred over 1.5 years ago.
  • The most expensive card was Cape Town, sold for around $40 on December 21, 2013.
  • In the last 90 days, a few Uptrip NFTs changed hands for $25 each.
Uptrip NFTs top Sales 90 Tage
Uptrip’s 90 days top sales view – selected cards were sold for 25 dollars

Miles & More’s Uptrip NFTs present an exciting niche for collectors. Although trading activity has been modest recently, some rare cards offer potential long-term value. Whether the Uptrip market will see a revival remains uncertain – but for passionate collectors, keeping an eye on NFT marketplaces might just pay off.

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Uptrip NFT Review

On August 30, 2023, Lufthansa, specifically the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, launched its in-house Uptrip app on the blockchain along with its first NFT collection.

Now, just before the second anniversary, it is time to take a closer look at the Uptrip NFT card functionalities and assess what has become of the project.

For this purpose, we analyzed data from OpenSea, Dune, OKX, and Polygonscan to provide insights into whether and how NFTs are actually being used within Uptrip.

  • Total supply: approx. 8,235 cards
  • Number of wallets holding NFTs: 587 holders
  • Average per holder: 14 Uptrip NFTs
  • 445 different cards recorded on the blockchain
  • Entry price: 2.69 MATIC (approx. €0.55)
  • Highest listing on OpenSea: approx. €245
  • 90-day average price: just under €5 across 78 sales
  • Trading fee for Miles & More: 7.47%
Uptrip 90 days sales view
Uptrip NFTs – 90 days trading overiew (average price and trading volumne)

Among the 587 cardholders, two accounts stand out:

  1. One account with 465 cards (including many very low-value ones such as “Miles & More Member” or “Travel ID”).
  2. Another account with 179 cards.

Together, they hold almost 8% of all cards.

The rest is widely spread: some users own 70+ cards, but many hold only 1–3. The latter suggests that they merely tested the NFT functionality once.

Uptrip Miles & More NFT
Very common: Miles & More NFT Card
Uptrip Erbil NFT Card
Rare finding: Erbil on OpenSea
Uptrip Christmas NFT Card
Uptrip NFTs – Some with high prices

When compared with Uptrip’s active user base (15,000–20,000 active users and 200,000 accounts in total), the picture becomes clear: Even under optimistic assumptions, only 3–4% of active users have interacted with them. Less than 0.3% of all accounts have ever used NFTs and one the Uptrip NFT cards.

Uptrip NFT cards can:

  1. be redeemed for collections
  2. serve as collectibles
  3. be traded outside the Uptrip marketplace

However, trading volume remains very low. According to Dune Analytics:

  • approx. 2,800 sales in total
  • 198 unique buyers, 72 sellers
  • total sales volume: about €1,850
  • historical average price: €0.66 per card

The current 3-month average of around €5 is misleading, since the number of trades has dropped significantly.

Uptrip NFT Trade History
Uptrip NFTs – historic trading volume and price on the Polygon Blockchain

Miles & More generated just €138 in revenue from creator fees at 7.47% – essentially nothing. OpenSea also suspended the enforcement of creator fees around the time the collection launched, making the real figure likely even lower.

It is important to stress: the success of a loyalty program should not be measured by direct NFT revenues. Still, the low figures help explain why Lufthansa has not further developed this feature.

  1. Faulty redemptions: cards could not be redeemed for collections for minutes, sometimes even days – highly problematic with limited-time offers.
  2. No re-trading: once on the blockchain, cards cannot be traded on the Uptrip marketplace. A promised feature for this was never implemented.
  3. Synchronization issues: cards purchased on NFT marketplaces sometimes do not appear in the app. Uptrip acknowledges the issue, but there is no fix. In some cases, a standard card is added manually as a goodwill solution.
  4. Incomplete blockchain coverage: an estimated 600 different cards exist, but only 445 are on the blockchain. Some newer ones, like the Pixel-Art Lufthansa Allegris cards, were never integrated.
Uptrip OpenSea NFT Attribute
NFT cards sometimes missing attributes
Never developed: trading NFTs directly via the Uptrip marketplace

You may also be interested in our review of known issues and bugs of the Uptrip App.

When asked about these issues, Uptrip responded:

“Yes, we are still actively working on the topic – both regarding technical error analysis and the further development of the NFT functionality as a whole. NFTs remain a fixed part of Uptrip, and we are working on improving their use.”

(Hint: Translation – Original statement in German language)

The original idea of bringing a loyalty program onto the blockchain was innovative and certainly helped position Uptrip internally within the Lufthansa Group.

Two years later, however, the picture is sobering:

  • Uptrip NFT cards have attracted very few users.
  • There is no active market trading on NFT platforms.
  • Functionality is error-prone, and blockchain cards are hardly usable.
  • From a commercial standpoint, the initiative is a loss.

Despite announcements of continued development, it seems unlikely that Uptrip or Miles & More will significantly improve the NFT functionality anytime soon. For now, the recommendation is clear: do not move your cards onto the blockchain – unless your goal is simply to experiment with the technology.

Interesting Read: Our analysis on Uptrip NFT card availability and historic trades.

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Uptrip App Probleme

The Uptrip app offers frequent flyers an exciting way to turn collected boarding passes into digital trading cards and exchange them with other users. In practice, however, there are a number of bugs, glitches, and improvement opportunities that disrupt the user flow. Below, I’ve grouped my observations by topic.

The marketplace is a central feature of the app, yet it suffers from a wide range of small and larger issues:

Many cards—especially aircraft cards—are missing proper designs. This is particularly common with wet lease flights. In such cases, a placeholder card is generated, showing the name of the actual aircraft flown. However, when that card appears on the marketplace, the aircraft type is not displayed.

Example view of an B 737-800 with Eurowings:

Uptrip Karte Eurowings 737-800
View of a Eurowings B737 in the card collection
Uptrip Karte Eurowings unbekannt
Same Uptrip card in the market place: unnamed aircraft

Naturally, the missing type designation usually prevents a trade on the Uptrip marketplace. It’s understandable that there’s no design for aircraft outside the LH Group fleet, and it’s a nice workaround that Uptrip offers a placeholder card. But the fact that this card’s name doesn’t display correctly in the marketplace is an unnecessary glitch.

It’s worth noting that Eurowings is expected to operate its own 737s soon—so adding a proper card design shouldn’t be an issue.

The glitch becomes less understandable with aircraft that are very much part of the airline’s own fleet. For example, Lufthansa’s A340 also lacks a proper design. This might be a matching problem in the app:

Uptrip Karte A340 unbekannt
Lufthansa A340 without design


Some cards don’t even have a type label at all. While this makes them usable in collections, it’s far less appealing for collectors.

Uptrip Karte Edelweiss unbekannt
Edelweiss aircraft without name

Several city cards also lack a design—for example, Mostar, a relatively new Eurowings destination from Stuttgart. Perhaps this one hasn’t yet made its way into the Miles & More database:

Uptrip Karte Mostar
Uptrip city without a design
Unbekannte Städte Uptrip
Unclear card offers in the Uptrip marketplace

Some designs exist in Uptrip but are displayed incorrectly in the marketplace. For instance, Moscow and St. Petersburg cards are shown in a way that makes trading difficult – you can’t tell which card is being offered:

Uptrip Karte St Petersburg
Offer creation view: St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg auf dem Uptrip Marktplatz
Marketplace view: St. Petersburg as unknown city

Plenty of cards exist in Uptrip’s database but cannot be found in the marketplace search at all. This includes many special cards or Insight Art cards, but also destinations like Hanoi or Jakarta:

Uptrip Karte Jakarta
Jakarta – a “classic” of all Lufthansa destinations ;)
Jakarta in der Marktplatzsuche
But unsearchable in the Uptrip marketplace

If you search for “Mauritius,” you’ll be surprised to find the card is labeled “Plaisance.” That was the name of the airport and surrounding region until the late 1980s. While the airport isn’t in St. Louis but about 45 km away, naming it after a city would be more consistent with other cards.

Take Oslo, for example: the airport is also located far from the city center, yet the card is rightly called “Oslo” rather than “Gardermoen.”

Uptrip Karte Mauritius
Mauritius search result showing Plaisance
Search result for “Plaisance” in Uptrip


It gets even more confusing with the Verona/Villafranca card. In your collection, it’s called “Villafranca.” Once listed on the marketplace, it becomes “Verona.” In the “offered cards” section you can only find it under Villafranca, but in the “search cards” tab you have to look for Verona, since Villafranca doesn’t appear there. Anyone unaware that the two names refer to the same card has no chance of finding it.

This glitch has existed since the launch of the app – it was one of the first cards I scanned:

Uptrip Karte Villafranca
Villafranca in the card collection
Uptrip Karte Villafranca Suche
Villafranca in the search (empty)
Uptrip Karte Verona Marktplatz Ansicht
Verona in the marketplace
Uptrip Karte Verona Marktplatz
Verona in the search (empty)


Some users flood the marketplace with an excessive number of offers, pushing casual users’ listings out of sight. One well-known user is responsible for more than half of all listings on many days. This makes scrolling through offers frustrating and cumbersome.

Several users have said this has taken the fun out of using the marketplace. They now only search for cards if they urgently need one for a collection.

I believe a daily limit on offers would be a short-term fix. Longer term, Uptrip will need to figure out how to keep the marketplace attractive—since it’s currently the app’s main monetization feature. As it stands, a lot of potential is being lost, both for Miles & More and for users.

Integration of ITA Cards
ITA has not yet been integrated into Uptrip. According to the product owners, this is due to complex IT connections and a lower priority within the Lufthansa Group.

Upload Bug When Listing Cards
When uploading card offers to the marketplace, the app sometimes freezes and needs to be restarted.

Eurowings Cards
Scanning Eurowings cards has often been problematic. For months, many users couldn’t scan them at all and had to request manual entry. The latest update may have fixed this bug—please share if you’re still experiencing issues.

Distinguishing LH 319 vs. LH City 319
On the card itself, the “City” label is so small it’s barely noticeable, making it look like a duplicate. A clearer visual distinction would help.

Uptrip Karten Unterschied LH und LH City A319
Uptrip Karte Lufthansa City A319
LH City or LH City Airlines – the same for Uptrip?

Unused NFT Potential
Uptrip originally launched with the promise of using blockchain to enable NFT cards and related features. Today, the NFT tab at the bottom of the app feels like a forgotten relic. These ideas haven’t been meaningfully developed since launch. We’ll take a closer look at the Uptrip NFTs in this article.

Inconsistent “Make Change Fly” Rewards
Rewards for the now-ended “Make Change Fly” campaign vary. One well-known account received 40 points, while I was offered a Compensaid voucher. A glitch – or deliberate A/B testing by Miles & More?

The Uptrip app has enormous potential for frequent flyers and card collectors alike, but it’s still hampered by numerous bugs, missing features, and sometimes unclear structures.

Many of these issues are technically solvable and would significantly improve the user experience. Users and the community would greatly benefit from quicker updates and clearer systems. At the same time, Miles & More could profit financially by finally addressing these problems.

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Uptrip Collection Overview

The Uptrip App has released numerous collections over time, offering users various benefits, products, and services. Some are currently active, while others have ended. To make it easier to keep track and spot trends, we’ve divided the collections into four main categories: Miles & More and Status, Lounge & Travel Comfort, Partner Vouchers & Travel Services, and Lufthansa Worldshop & Specials.

The overview below is not exhaustive, as not all historical collections are still visible in the app. Nevertheless, we hope it provides a good sense of what to expect from Uptrip.

These collections focus on points, miles, or specific status benefits, directly targeting frequent flyers and Miles & More users. With these Uptrip collections, you can collect extra qualifying points toward your frequent flyer status—or even achieve full FTL status.

Collection NameStatus
Ready for Takeoff (bis zu 100 Points und Qualifying Points)Active
All Aboard (500 miles)Active
Frequent Traveller (Status)Active
Headliner Pass (20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points)Active
Fashion Capitals (40 Points + 40 Qualifying Points)Active
Insight Art: Make Change Fly (40 Points)Active
Take-Off* (1000 Miles)Ended
Points Collector (20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points)Ended
Eurowings Business Explorer (40 Points + 40 Qualifying Points)Ended
Yes to Europe (20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points)Ended
Winter Wonderland (20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points)Ended
Eurowings Status Collector (20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points)Ended
Eurowings Booster (20 Points + 20 Qualifying Points)Ended
Go West (Upgrade eVoucher)Ended

Target audience: Frequent flyers, Miles & More users, status seekers, mileage hunters, and upgrade chasers.
*Updated: Thanks to the MeilenJunkies Team.

These collections focus on lounges, Wi-Fi, and airport services, aiming to increase comfort during travel and make waiting times more enjoyable. Many of these offers target travelers without status who still want access to perks like business lounges.

Collection NameStatus
Layover Delight (Business Lounge Voucher)Active
Elegance of the North (Business Lounge Voucher)Active
Mediterranean Wonders (Business Lounge Voucher)Active
Eurowings Connected Journey (Wi-Fi Voucher EW)Active
Intercontinental Odyssey (Wi-Fi Voucher Intercontinental)Active
Light Luggage (Airportr €20 Frankfurt)Active
Viennese Comfort (Austrian Business Lounge Voucher)Ended
Stay Connected (Wi-Fi Voucher)Ended

Target audience: Travelers without frequent flyer status, comfort-oriented travelers, occasional travelers, and leisure travelers.

These collections include travel vouchers and services from partners such as Sixt or Babbel. They provide discounts for flights or services not directly related to the airline but designed to make travel more convenient or affordable.

Collection NameStatus
Endless Worlds (Sixt €50)Active
Urban Jungle (Sixt €10)Active
The World is Yours (Free Visa Service)Active
Stay Connected on the Go (1 GB eSIM)Active
Swiss Explorer (Swiss Voucher €50)Ended
Globetrotter Essentials (Amenity Kit)Ended
Lufthansa Explorer (LH Voucher €20)Ended
Helvetia’s Treasures (Swiss Voucher CHF 20)Ended
Business Travel Companion (Swifty Voucher €25)Ended
Vineyard Journeys (winetourism.com Voucher)Ended
Discover Language Worlds (Babbel Voucher)Ended
Make Change Fly (Compensaid Voucher)Ended

Target audience: Very broad; cannot be reduced simply to bargain hunters.

Fun fact: In my account, the “Make Change Fly” collection is listed as ended and with a Compensaid voucher. In my mother-in-law’s account, the same collection is still active and offers 40 Points (not to be confused with the similarly named “Insight Art: Make Change Fly” collection). It’s unclear whether this is a glitch or if Uptrip is experimenting with personalized offers or A/B testing.

This category includes merchandise, fan items, trolleys, sneakers, or lottery offers for Lufthansa Group community flights. These collections often appeal to fans of the Lufthansa brand.

Collection NameStatus
Jet Set On Wheels (branded suitcase on wheels)Inactive
Austrian Timeless Travels (shoulder bag branded)Active
Cape Town Kick (Eco Flight Lottery)Active
Insight Art: Allegris Experience (Trolley “Pixel Art”)Active
Flying Feet (Lufthansa Sneakers)Ended
Jet Set Comfort Amenity Kit #1Ended
Jet Set Comfort Amenity Kit #2Ended
Jet Set Comfort Amenity Kit #3Ended
Aviation It Item (Austrian Sneaker)Ended
Carry-On Comfort (Trolley)Ended
Insight Art: Football Celebration (Fanhansa Model Plane)Ended
Greetings from Afar (Postcard + Shipping)Ended

Target audience: Lufthansa fans, people interested in brand merchandise or exclusive promotions.

Current update: This category includes two Uptrip App collections from the August edition.

Looking at the Uptrip collections, it’s clear the company tries to cater for different needs and audiences. Lounge access and status points are relatively frequent offerings. If you are interested, follow our discussion on how well Uptrip is currently addressing their audience needs.

As a frequent flyer who originally discovered the app because of the points offers, the analysis was surprising. I “felt” that there were relatively few status point promotions—likely because in my account, points are rarely active, as I redeem them immediately. Conversely, lounge access offers, which have little use for someone with Senator status, tend to accumulate in my account.

The variety and value of partner offers, however, could be improved. There are also few active and attractive Lufthansa brand-related collections. This is surprising, given that Lufthansa still has a highly loyal customer base.

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Uptrip collection community feedback

The Uptrip collections in August have sparked mixed reactions within the community. While some users welcome the latest offers, others voiced criticism on social media: too few campaigns, a lack of innovation or usefulness, and a low release frequency. At the same time, it’s clear that Uptrip is still a young product in a phase of growth and experimentation (you can find an estimate of currently active Uptrip users). Let’s take a closer look at the current collections, their potential, and what the future might hold.

When evaluating the current collections, it’s important to keep in mind that Uptrip has only been around for about three years. The app only really gained traction last year, particularly after its integration into Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program – a shift that brought significant changes.

Only recently has Uptrip begun to establish a regular release rhythm. By now, the cadence is similar to Miles & More: roughly monthly collections, though not always at the beginning of the month. That’s a positive step forward for the community.

Still, Uptrip needs to keep its target audience in mind: the app appeals to a younger, more tech-savvy generation accustomed to gamification and fast-paced content. At the same time, the range of offers is not yet on par with Miles & More. The partner list shows that Uptrip is still working internally on expanding attractive partner offers.

Partner_Unternehmen_Uptrip
Uptrip partner companies – still under construction

There’s plenty of room for growth and potential to adress the Uptrip collection community feedback. For now, most collections are based on Lufthansa Group offers, such as:

  • Lounge access
  • Flight rewards or vouchers
  • Miles and Points
  • Products from the WorldShop

This should not be underestimated, however: most users are Lufthansa Group fans, so these options are still valuable to them.

To adress the Uptrip collection community feedback and to expand the growing of the community and demanding user base, Uptrip will need to broaden its collections and release them more frequently. Here are some ideas we at Scantofly have gathered (beyond the much desired Senator collection):

Innovative and exclusive Uptrip offers

  1. Free checked baggage voucher (even in Eco Light fares)
  2. Free seat selection voucher (across participating airlines)
  3. Complimentary Fast Lane access where pre-booking slots is available
  4. Limited First-Class Terminal/Lounge access (off-peak times)
  5. Blind booking tickets
  6. (More) exclusive products from the World Shop

More redemption options for Miles & More

  1. More frequent opportunities to earn a few extra miles
  2. Qualifying Points as a contribution toward status
  3. eVouchers or other upgrade options
  4. Vouchers for flight bookings
  5. Regular free WiFi vouchers (usable multiple times)
  6. Vouchers for the World Shop

Uptrip is still in an experimental and growth phase. Especially within the Lufthansa Group, quick and flexible solutions aren’t always possible right away. Criticism of the current collections is understandable, but it should be seen in the context of how far the product has already come. With more variety, higher frequency, and targeted offers, Uptrip has the potential to keep delighting its users.

The fact that Uptrip wants to evolve is already clear: selected users were recently invited to interviews to share their wishes and suggestions. We at Scantofly are excited to see which steps Uptrip will take next.

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Uptrip_Kollektionen_August_2025

On Thursday afternoon, Uptrip released new collections redeemable in the app. We’re taking a closer look at these releases and summarizing the feedback from social media.

The Miles & More app, Uptrip, has released the following new collections:

  • Kapstadt Kick
  • Layover Genuss
  • Jet Set Comfort #3

Lottery ticket for 5 × 2 community flight tickets from Munich to Cape Town on November 23, 2025, returning December 8, 2025, in Economy Class. Since this is already the second Community Flight, it indicates the success of the initiative and high demand.

Participation in the lottery requires only 4 cards, 2 of which must be original cards. Due to this low barrier to entry, a large number of participants is expected, which means the chances of winning are relatively low.

Estimated odds: between 1:10,000 and 1:20,000 – potentially slightly better, as not everyone can fly at the exact scheduled times.

Collection Rating by scan2fly

Attractiveness
★★★★★
★★★★★
Availability
★★★★★
★★★★★
Exclusivity
★★★★★
★★★★★

A business lounge voucher redeemable with 7 cards, 4 of which must be originals. Also relatively easy to obtain and widely available. This collection has appeared before and was especially popular with users without frequent flyer status. Users with status like FTL or Senator already have access.

Collection Rating by scan2fly

Attractiveness
★★★★★
★★★★★
Availability
★★★★★
★★★★★
Exclusivity
★★★★★
★★★★★

For the third time in a short period, an amenity kit from the Lufthansa Life Collection is being offered. The 30-piece limited offer was claimed within about an hour – similar to previous editions. This is despite the requirement of 17 cards, including very specific ones (like Lufthansa City Airlines and LH A350-900) and 13 originals.

Collection Rating by scan2fly

Attractiveness
★★★★★
★★★★★
Availability
★★★★★
★★★★★
Exclusivity
★★★★★
★★★★★

Within the first hour after the email announcement, the app servers experienced heavy load – a clear sign of high interest. The amenity kit quickly became a bestseller again. The Cape Town lottery is also likely to be well-received, as the entry barrier is low.

On social media, there were also critical voices: frequent flyers and very active users find some new collections irregular and not very attractive. Additional amenity kits or lounge vouchers for users who already have them draw little attention.

Uptrip’s social media team assured that they take the criticism seriously. Whether and what consequences this will have for future releases remains unclear.

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Miles & More Status auf Lebenszeit

Lufthansa Lifetime Senator

by Max

Officially, Lufthansa has only been awarding the Senator status for life since January 1, 2024. However, even before that, there were always rumors that certain long-standing customers had been granted the frequent flyer status permanently. I was able to see firsthand that this wasn’t just a rumor when looking at my grandfather’s account—he traveled extensively worldwide as a former executive at Deloitte. In this post, I’ll share some details about the Miles & More Lifetime Senator status and discuss whether it might be worthwhile and for whom.

Many frequent flyers dream of lifelong status, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down—despite Lufthansa gradually reducing the benefits for Senators and the growing environmental awareness among travelers. But what actually changes when you reach the status?

Aside from a congratulatory email, only a few details in the Miles & More account are updated. The change is actually quite modest for someone who may have “worked towards it” for decades.

Miles & More Account with Senator Lifetime Status
Miles & More Account with Senator Lifetime Status

Everything else remains the same. Invitations to frequent flyer events continue, and when comparing my regular Senator status with my grandfather’s, there’s no difference in invites or promotions. The main—and not insignificant—advantage is that from that point on, you no longer need to worry about qualifying points

Miles & More Status auf Lebenszeit
40.000 Qualifying Points for the Lufthansa Senator Lifetime Status

With 40,000 qualifying points, the bar is set high if you don’t travel extensively for work. One or two personal vacation flights—even in business class—won’t get you very far.

Here’s a quick calculation for someone like me, who usually just manages to earn Senator status each year:

An international business flight—including outbound, return, and any connecting segments (even by train)—earns 480 qualifying points. Four such flights per year would put you just under the Senator threshold (1,920 points). Add two domestic return flights, or convert some premium miles into points, and you’d reach the goal.

Most people don’t fly long-haul business class four times a year. If it’s only three flights, you’d need to make up the missing points with something like 28 domestic return flights—that’s flying more than every other week.

If you manage this consistently for 20 years (40,000 points at 2,000 per year), you become a Lifetime Senator. By then, you might not even want to board another plane 😊.

For a small circle of true frequent flyers, the calculation looks different. Those who manage to reach HON Circle status for several years—earning at least 6,000 qualifying points with the Lufthansa Group—could become Lifetime Senators in well under 10 years. This would typically require around 13 long-haul business flights with connections each year. At that point, a second home near the destination might even make sense…

Of course, Senator status comes with perks that make flying more comfortable, and I won’t list them all here. Personally, I enjoy spending less time waiting at crowded gates, sleeping in a bit longer for early flights, and generally benefiting from faster lounge access.

However, I see only limited advantages in the Lufthansa Lifetime Senator status itself. In my grandfather’s case, he received it as he approached retirement and had already started flying less frequently. In the last 10 years, he probably flew fewer than 10 times.

The real benefit is likely limited to the small group of HON Circle members who can earn the required 40,000 qualifying points in 10 years or less and who can enjoy the Senator status while still actively traveling.

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Miles & More Gewinnspiel

 

Miles & More is running the “Friends Fly Further” contest exclusively via the Uptrip app from July 16 to August 16, 2025 – and may have inadvertently hinted at its active user numbers.

Prizes to win:

  • 1st place: €1,000 flight voucher
  • 2nd place: €700 flight voucher
  • 3rd place: €300 flight voucher
  • 4th–50th place: One Joker Card (if not already owned) valued 10€
  • 51st place and below: Entry into a prize draw for Sennheiser Momentum 4 Lufthansa Edition headphones

Uptrip Nutzer Entwicklung 2025
Miles & More LinkedIn post on Uptrip user numbers 2025


Since integrating Uptrip into the Miles & More ecosystem, the company has been boasting rapid growth. In a recent LinkedIn post, they claimed the app already has almost 200,000 users.

But the total number of registered users doesn’t tell us how many are actually active. Competitions like the one above can lead to more sign-ups, but may also reduce the ratio of active to total users. In fact, Uptrip may have (unintentionally) given us a clue about its active user base.

To see why, we need to look closely at the contest mechanics and understand the ranking system. Uptrip’s leaderboard is clearly based on two factors:

  1. Number of friends referred
  2. Time of the most recent referrals

This means:

  • The more referrals you have, the higher you rank.
  • If multiple users have the same number of referrals, the one whose most recent referral was earlier ranks higher. A later referral pushes you down the list.

Example:
You have 4 referred friends and rank #25. Someone with 5 referrals ranks #15. If you then refer a new friend (bringing you to 5 total), you drop behind the existing 5-referral user – maybe to #16 – because your last referral was more recent.

Since even participants with “0” referrals are listed in the leaderboard, the newest sign-up always appears at the very bottom. As the contest has been running for nearly a month, the position of the most recent participant can give us a pretty good idea of how many people have actively logged in and joined over the past four weeks.

I tested this with two friends who signed up back-to-back on August 13:

Uptrip Freunde werben Freunde Gewinnspiel
Contest ranking for new sign-up
Uptrip Gewinnspiel Ranking
Positioning of new sign-up 5 minutes later

It’s quite clear: Uptrip gives us a hint about its active user numbers. Both test accounts were placed near the bottom, just under position 15,000. In my view, this provides a fairly good indication of the number of active Uptrip users.

Of course, one could debate the definition of “active users” and rightly point out that not every user participates in a contest. Still, this particular competition was very prominently featured in the app and promoted via social media. The roughly one-month registration period also makes the data meaningful.

If we generously round up to 20,000 active users, this would imply a maximum activity rate of around 10%, which, in my opinion, is actually a pretty decent outcome.

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Lufthansa und Miles&More Uptrip App

About the Lufthansa Uptrip App

by Max

Uptrip is a loyalty app from the Lufthansa Group (Miles & More) that combines gamification with Web3 technology. Flights become digital collectible cards (NFTs) that you can scan or upload. You can then collect, trade, or complete collections and redeem them for rewards such as lounge access, upgrades, miles, or onboard Wi-Fi.
(Source: Uptrip, 2023)

Uptrip was launched in spring 2023 by the Lufthansa Innovation Hub in Berlin. The project was designed as a complement to the existing Miles & More program, testing new technologies and playful engagement mechanics. Initially released as an MVP (Minimal Viable Product), it is now fully integrated into Miles & More – which, according to reports, has brought not only procedural changes but also a shift from a pilot project to an established offering.

Full integration means more professional workflows, greater reach, and a move from experimental concept to a regular part of the Miles & More ecosystem.
(Sources: Lufthansa Innovation Hub, 2023; Miles & More, 2024)

The app targets a younger demographic – on average around ten years younger than typical Miles & More members (Source: Miles & More, LinkedIn post, 2024). By combining gamification with NFTs, Uptrip appeals to tech-savvy users who enjoy collecting and unlocking achievements.

Exact user numbers are not shared regularly, so I looked back at older LinkedIn posts to get a sense of Uptrip’s growth over time:

  • Spring 2023: ~20,000 users, 200,000 cards
  • Late 2023: 70,000+ users, 1 million cards, 70,000 rewards
  • Mid 2024: 100,000 users
  • Current (2025): ~192,000 users and over 2.5 million cards
    (Sources: Miles & More, LinkedIn posts, 2023–2025)

This clearly shows rapid growth. Current promotions – such as the Friends Fly Further referral contest – will likely accelerate this trend even more. Based on these numbers, I’ve also analyzed Uptrip’s estimated active user base.

The shift from an innovation lab project to a fully integrated Miles & More app strongly suggests Lufthansa’s intention to establish Uptrip for the long term. And with more than 36 million Miles & More members, there’s still huge synergy potential.

Screenshot von uptrip.app

Uptrip offers numerous themed collections – for example:

  • Travel the World (different cities)
  • Lufthansa Fan (aircraft types, events)
  • Keep Connected (digital services)

A collection is considered complete when you’ve gathered all its cards. Rewards vary by set and can include free Wi-Fi, lounge passes, miles, or even elite status benefits.

Uptrip still has an experimental edge: new collections and special events are appearing more regularly, but not all are perfectly executed. Past examples include limited events with very few available spots, or announced collections (such as Senator Status) that were later canceled or scaled down – in the Senator case, into a smaller giveaway.

Despite this, the concept remains dynamic and adaptable, with frequent adjustments and new trials.

Uptrip is a promising – and potentially fun – addition to the Miles & More program. It brings fresh energy, opens the door to new technologies, and connects with a younger audience. Personally, I’m curious to see how the concept evolves – and what unique collections and rewards Lufthansa has in store next.

For latest information: Uptrip Website

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