Why 100,000 miles
is the right target
100,000 Miles & More miles unlocks a long-haul Business Class redemption from Switzerland to Asia or Australia. It covers a First Class seat to New York on a good pricing day. It's the threshold at which miles stop being an abstract number and start being a concrete travel plan.
The question most Swiss residents have is whether reaching 100,000 miles without flying is actually realistic. It is — and it's more achievable than most people think, especially in year one when welcome bonuses do the heavy lifting.
- Business Class to Asia (one-way): Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo — from ~65,000–75,000 miles on partner airlines
- Business Class to Australia (one-way): Sydney, Melbourne — from ~110,000 miles (you'd need a top-up)
- Business Class to North America (one-way): New York, Los Angeles — from ~70,000 miles on dynamic pricing
- First Class to New York (one-way): Lufthansa — from ~110,000 miles (last-minute availability)
- Multiple short-haul Business Class trips: within Europe at 35,000–50,000 miles each
Note: Miles & More moved to dynamic pricing for Lufthansa Group flights (SWISS, Lufthansa, Austrian) in June 2025. Partner airline redemptions on other Star Alliance carriers still use the fixed chart — which often offers better value. Worth factoring into your planning.
Welcome bonuses —
the fast lane
The single fastest way to accumulate Miles & More miles in Switzerland is through welcome bonuses on new card applications. A well-timed application to the right card can put 40,000–85,000 miles in your account before you've spent a single franc on travel.
There are two main issuers in Switzerland: Cornèrcard (Ticino-based, often overlooked) and Swisscard (the official SWISS-branded issuer). The Cornèrcard products consistently offer higher welcome bonuses and better base earning rates. Swisscard offers brand prestige and the SWISS co-branded experience.
Cornèrcard — the higher-bonus option
| Card | Standard welcome | Current promo | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornèrcard M&M Gold + Diners | 10,000 miles | 40,000 miles | CHF 220 (CHF 110 year 1) |
| Cornèrcard M&M Platinum + Diners | 15,000 miles | 60,000 miles + sweepstakes | CHF 750 |
| Cornèrcard M&M Classic + Diners | 5,000 miles | 20,000 miles | CHF 140 (CHF 70 year 1) |
Promotions change regularly — check the current Cornèrcard offer here before applying. The Gold combo is named best card with annual fee 2026 by Handelszeitung — a useful independent signal.
Swisscard — the SWISS-branded option
| Card | Welcome bonus | Extra benefit | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWISS M&M Platinum Duo | 20,000 miles | CHF 300 SWISS voucher | CHF 700 (CHF 350 year 1) |
| SWISS M&M Gold Duo | 15,000 miles | — | CHF 220 (CHF 110 year 1) |
| SWISS M&M Classic Duo | 12,000 miles | — | CHF 120 (CHF 60 year 1) |
If you apply via my referral link, you also get an additional 15,000 miles on top of the standard welcome offer — at no extra cost. Details below.
Running total after welcome bonuses
40,000–60,000
Miles from one card application (Cornèrcard Gold promo) · Year 1
Everyday CHF spending —
miles from your Migros run
Once you have the right card, every franc you spend earns miles automatically. The key insight most Swiss people are missing: the Cornèrcard Diners Club card (included free with the Gold or Classic combo) earns 1 mile per CHF 1 spent — the best base rate available in Switzerland.
The Diners Club card isn't accepted at every merchant (it's less widely accepted than Visa or Mastercard), but for the merchants that do accept it, it outperforms every other Swiss card on pure earning rate. Use it wherever you can. Use the Visa for everywhere else.
Annual spend milestones — Cornèrcard Gold
| Annual card spend | Bonus miles | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CHF 10,000 | +1,000 | Calculated per card (Visa + Diners separately) |
| CHF 20,000 | +3,000 | |
| CHF 30,000 | +5,000 | Achievable for most households routing expenses through one card |
For an average Swiss household spending CHF 1,500/month (CHF 18,000/year) through the Cornèrcard Gold Diners, that's 18,000 miles from base spending plus the CHF 20,000 milestone bonus of 3,000 miles = 21,000 miles per year from day-to-day spending.
Running total after card spending (Year 1)
61,000–81,000
Welcome bonus + 12 months CHF spending @ 1 mile/CHF 1
Coop Supercard —
miles from your grocery shop
The Coop Supercard is a free loyalty card that most Swiss households already have. What most people don't know: Coop Superpoints can be converted to Miles & More miles. The ratio is 2 Superpoints = 1 M&M mile.
Every CHF 2 spent at Coop (and Coop-owned stores including Interdiscount, ITS Travel, and others) earns 2 Superpoints = 1 M&M mile. For a household spending CHF 500/month at Coop, that's 3,000 additional miles per year — entirely from groceries you were already buying.
It's not a dramatic number on its own, but it costs nothing and requires no behaviour change. You're converting existing loyalty points that would otherwise sit unused.
Official partner page
Coop Supercard → Miles & More partnership
miles-and-more.com → Partners → Coop →Running total including Coop Supercard
64,000–84,000
+ ~3,000 miles/year from CHF 500/month Coop spending
Amex Membership Rewards —
the flexible reserve
This is where things get interesting. The Swiss Amex Platinum (issued by Swisscard) earns 1 Membership Rewards point per CHF 1 spent — and the current welcome bonus is up to 75,000 MR points via the Alpian bank partnership offer.
MR points transfer to Miles & More at a 2:1 ratio in Switzerland (2 MR points = 1 M&M mile). This is worse than the 1:1 ratio on US Amex cards — but the welcome bonus is still one of the most powerful single earning events available to Swiss residents.
| Amex offer | MR points | = M&M miles | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Platinum via Alpian (expires 30 Jun 2026) | 75,000 | 37,500 | CHF 450 year 1 (half price) |
| Amex Platinum standard | 45,000–75,000 | 22,500–37,500 | CHF 900 |
| Amex Gold | 40,000 | 20,000 | CHF 220 (CHF 110 year 1) |
The golden rule: don't transfer MR points speculatively. Keep them in Amex until you've confirmed award availability and are ready to book. Once transferred, they can't come back. The flexibility is the value.
Best current offer — expires 30 June 2026
Amex Platinum via Alpian Bank — 75,000 MR + CHF 300 credit
alpian.com → American Express →Running total if also using Amex Platinum bonus
86,500–121,500
+ 22,500–37,500 M&M miles from Amex Platinum MR transfer
Other non-card partners —
worth knowing about
Beyond cards and Coop, Miles & More has partnerships with a range of non-flying partners in Switzerland. None of them will move the needle dramatically on their own, but they're worth knowing so you don't leave miles on the table.
| Partner | How to earn | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich Insurance | Taking out qualifying insurance products | Variable — check current offer |
| Hertz / Sixt / Avis | Car rental bookings | 500–2,000 miles per rental |
| Various hotels | Booking through M&M portal | 1–3 miles per EUR spent |
| Buying miles (Bundle&Go) | Direct purchase from M&M | From ~CHF 0.03/mile — useful for small top-ups only |
Further reading — DACH-focused
33 ways to earn M&M miles without flying (German) — meilenoptimieren.com
meilenoptimieren.com → Miles & More sammeln →Year one — the realistic total
Here's what a Swiss resident applying for a Cornèrcard Gold combo (at current promo rates) and spending CHF 1,500/month through it could realistically achieve in year one:
| Source | Miles | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cornèrcard Gold welcome bonus (promo) | 40,000 | Current offer — verify before applying |
| Swisscard M&M referral bonus | +15,000 | Using code FM1GZ454U |
| Diners Club card spending (CHF 18,000/yr) | 18,000 | 1 mile per CHF 1 |
| Cornèrcard annual milestone bonus | 3,000 | At CHF 20k annual spend |
| Coop Supercard conversion | 3,000 | CHF 500/month Coop spend |
| Amex Platinum MR transfer (if also applied) | 22,500 | 45,000 MR points at 2:1 |
Year 1 total — realistic scenario
101,500
Miles & More award miles · Without a single flight · CHF 1,500/month spending
Over 100,000 miles in year one is achievable for most Swiss households — provided you time your card applications to coincide with promotional welcome bonus periods, which change regularly.
Miles expiry —
the one thing people get wrong
Miles & More award miles expire after 36 months of account inactivity. "Activity" means making a qualifying transaction that credits miles to your account — which includes any purchase on a Cornèrcard or Swisscard M&M card.
The practical implication: as long as you use your miles card at least once per month for any eligible purchase, your miles never expire. This is easy to manage and costs nothing. Set up a small recurring payment on your card — a streaming subscription, a monthly bill — and your balance is protected indefinitely.
Miles expiry is not something to be afraid of. It's something to manage for about 30 seconds when you set up your card. After that, forget about it.
- Expiry period: 36 months from last activity on your account
- What counts as activity: Any qualifying purchase on a Miles & More credit card, a flight, or a partner transaction that credits miles
- How to protect your balance: Use your M&M card for at least one eligible purchase per month — anything works
- Check your expiry dates: Log in to miles-and-more.com → Account → Miles overview → expiry schedule
- Newsletter tip: Subscribe to the M&M newsletter — they send expiry reminders about 2 months before miles are due to expire
Frequently asked
questions
How can I earn Miles & More miles without flying in Switzerland? +
The fastest ways are credit card welcome bonuses (Cornercard Gold currently offers up to 40,000 miles on promotion), everyday CHF spending on the Diners Club card at 1 mile per CHF 1, Coop Supercard point conversions at 2:1, and Amex Membership Rewards transfers at the 2:1 Swiss ratio. A first-year total of 100,000+ miles is achievable for most Swiss households.
Do Miles & More miles expire in Switzerland? +
Miles & More award miles expire after 36 months of account inactivity. Any eligible card purchase resets the clock. Use your Miles & More credit card at least once per month and your entire balance is protected indefinitely.
How many Amex MR points do I need for 100,000 Miles & More miles? +
In Switzerland the transfer ratio is 2:1 - you need 200,000 MR points to get 100,000 Miles & More miles. This is why earning directly through Swiss M&M credit cards (1 CHF = 1 mile on the Cornercard Diners) is often more efficient for building large balances.
Can I transfer Coop Supercard points to Miles & More? +
Yes - 2 Coop Superpoints = 1 M&M mile. You earn 2 Superpoints per CHF 2 at Coop and partner stores (Interdiscount, ITS Travel etc.). It is a free loyalty card most Swiss households already have - convert the points rather than letting them sit unused.
Your cards. Your spending. Your target.
The guide above covers the general strategy. A 30-minute session covers your specific situation — which cards make sense for your spending pattern, the right order to apply, and when to pull the trigger on a transfer.
Book a session — CHF 79 →