The Ultimate Guide to Payback

Payback is the secret weapon for earning Miles & More miles on your everyday shopping. It’s a free program that lets you “stack” rewards from retailers with your credit card points. This guide will show you how to turn a simple shopping trip into a significant mileage boost.

The Core Strategy: Double-Dipping with Bonuses

The basic idea is simple: earn Payback points on your purchases, then transfer them to Miles & More during a special promotion.

Base Value: 1 Payback Point can be cashed out for €0.01.
Transfer Bonus: Historically twice a year, but timing has changed - 2025 bonuses were in January (20%) and May (25%) instead of June/December. Next expected: December 2025. The bonus is typically 20-30%.
Effective Exchange Rate: With a 25% bonus, 1 Payback point becomes 1.25 Miles & More miles.

NOTE: Since June 2025’s dynamic pricing, M&M award values vary by route and timing. For your specific redemption goals, compare M&M pricing with direct Amex transfers to British Airways (5:4) or Singapore (3:2). The Amex→Payback→M&M route (3:1:1 = 0.33-0.42 M&M miles per MR point) works best when M&M has good availability on your desired route.

Step 1: Activate Your Coupons

Before you shop, open the Payback app. Look for “eCoupons” for the store you’re visiting. Let’s say you find a 10x points coupon for dm. Activate it.

Step 2: Make Your Purchase

At dm or EDEKA (replaced REWE as of Jan 1, 2025), you spend €100.

Base Points: You earn 1 point per €2 spent, so you get 50 points.
Coupon Bonus: The 10x coupon gives you an extra 450 points (50 base points x 9).
Total: 500 Payback points.

Step 3: Pay with a Premium Card

You pay for your €100 purchase with your Miles & More Blue Credit Card.

Card Miles: You earn 1 mile per €2 spent, adding another 50 Miles & More miles directly to your account.

Step 4: The Total Haul

From one €100 shopping trip, you’ve earned:

From Payback: 500 Payback points.
From your Credit Card: 50 Miles & More miles.

Step 5: Transfer During a Bonus Event

You wait for a transfer bonus event (typically 20-25%) to convert your Payback points.

Your Points: 500 Payback points become 625 Miles & More miles (500 * 1.25 with 25% bonus).
Total Miles Earned: 625 (from Payback) + 50 (from card) = 675 Miles & More miles.

Step 6: The Reward

You just turned a €100 shopping trip into 675 miles. By consistently doing this, you can accumulate miles. Note: “Meilenschnäppchen” bargain awards for Lufthansa/SWISS/Austrian were eliminated June 3, 2025, but still exist for partner airlines like LOT Polish and Brussels Airlines. This stacking strategy remains valuable for earning M&M miles organically.

What About the Payback-Branded Credit Cards?

While Payback offers its own credit cards, their earning rates are significantly lower than premium cards like the Miles & More cards or American Express Gold/Platinum.

Payback American Express: It’s worth getting this card only for the sign-up bonus (e.g., 4,000 points) since it’s free. After you receive the bonus, you can cancel it. Don’t use it for daily spending.
Payback Visa: With an earning rate of 1 point per €5 spent, this card is not recommended.

For maximizing miles, always use your best Miles & More or American Express card for purchases.