- Erste Bank und Sparkasse wins tender for credit card portfolio in Austria
- Mastercard remains payment service provider
- Change will take place at the beginning of 2026
Austrian Airlines, Austria’s largest airline and part of the Lufthansa Group, and Miles & More, the Lufthansa Group’s loyalty programme, are launching a change to their credit card portfolio in Austria. “Erste Bank und Sparkasse”, one of the largest banking groups in Austria, won the tender. At the beginning of 2026, Austrian Miles & More credit cards will be issued in combination with George, the multi-award-winning internet banking platform. Mastercard will remain on board as the payment service provider.
“With Erste Bank and Sparkasse, we have gained a reliable, established and professional partner for our Austrian Miles & More credit cards. Together with Mastercard, the service portfolio has been expanded to offer even more targeted services and appeal to new customers. We are delighted that our passengers will be able to enjoy even more benefits when using their Austrian Miles & More credit card in future,” emphasizes Austrian Airlines CEO Annette Mann.
“The partnership with Austria’s largest airline, Austrian Airlines, and the largest loyalty programme, Miles & More, is another important step towards meeting the high quality standards of our customers and offering them added value in banking. A ménage-à-trois that will delight everyone, because comfortable travel and convenient banking now go hand in hand,” says Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller, CEO of Erste Bank, about the new cooperation.
“Our customers are always at the heart of everything we do – with their expectations of a modern, digital and seamless customer experience. The collaboration with Erste Bank und Sparkasse as well as Mastercard has been characterized by a high level of trust and expertise from the very beginning. I am therefore convinced that we have succeeded in developing an innovative product range for the Austrian market that meets the high demands of our existing customers and at the same time appeals to new target groups,” says Gerald Schlögl, Managing Director of Miles & More GmbH.
More services, more benefits: the portfolio is being expanded
With the new card offering from 2026, the Austrian Miles & More credit card service package will be comprehensively expanded: customers will continue to benefit from collecting miles and also enjoy new, attractive advantages. The new credit cards for private and business customers combine the convenient and innovative payment functions of Erste Bank and Sparkasse with the extensive services of the Miles & More loyalty programme.
‘Mastercard has been a reliable partner to Austrian Airlines Miles & More credit cards for many years. We are delighted to be working with Erste Bank and Sparkasse as well as Miles & More to set new trends from 2026 onwards and offer users an even more powerful, innovative card product – secure, digital and accepted worldwide,’ says Michael Brönner, Country Manager Mastercard Austria.
Selected services at a glance:
- Collect miles as usual
- Business cards for business customers: Business Premiumcard and Business Smartcard with attractive benefits.
- New payment options: Support for Apple Pay and Google Pay for quick and easy payments with smartphones and smart watches.
- Cash back on foreign currency payments: Recoup the fees for foreign currency payments.
- Austrian Airlines benefits: Business Class check-in and fast-track access at Vienna Airport for holders of Premiumcards for private individuals and Business Premiumcards for business customers.
- New travel and status benefits: Access to over 1,700 airport lounges worldwide with Priority Pass, as well as the mileage exchange function for flexible conversion of miles into points and qualifying points to achieve or secure frequent flyer status.
Customers can continue to use their existing cards in full until the end of 2025 – including all benefits such as mileage collection and mileage protection. Cardholders will be informed in good time and in detail about the changeover and how to order the new credit cards.
For more information, visit https://austrian-kreditkarte.com/service/fragen-zur-kreditkarten-aenderung
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AUSTRIAN AIRLINES
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Telephone: +43 (0)5 1766-11231
http://www.austrianairlines.ag/Press/
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is Austria’s leading airline with a worldwide route network of more than 120 destinations. With its hub at Vienna Airport, Austrian Airlines connects Austria with Europe and the whole world. As Austria’s flag carrier, Austrian Airlines embodies highest service quality and acts responsibly to society and the environment. Austrian Airlines aims to achieve a neutral CO2 balance by 2050 through reduction and compensation measures. Already by 2030, Austrian wants to halve its net CO2 emissions compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures. Austrian Airlines’ environmental management has been validated according to the EMAS standard since 2023.
Austrian Airlines is part of Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline group, and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global group of international airlines.
You can find photos from Austrian Airlines here: www.austrianairlines.ag/en/media-library/
Owner, editor, reproducer: Austrian Airlines AG Corporate Communications, [email protected]. Please find further information concerning disclosure according to §§ 24 and 25 Media Act at austrian.com
About Miles & More GmbH
With over 30 years of experience in the loyalty sector and over 25 years in retail and finance, Miles & More GmbH is an absolute expert in individual and successful customer engagement and retention. Gerald Schlögl is the managing director of the wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, based in Frankfurt am Main.
As the Lufthansa Group’s loyalty programme, Miles & More offers more than 36 million participants access to an exclusive world with over 175 international partners throughout the entire travel chain and in everyday life. At the heart of this diverse range of programmes and offers with attractive benefits and exclusive travel privileges is the collection and redemption of miles for awards and the collection of points to obtain frequent flyer status. In addition, the programme offers numerous financial services, most notably the successful Miles & More credit card portfolio in cooperation with various banks in over 20 countries. As the operator of Worldshop, Miles & More GmbH is also responsible for the online shop worldshop.eu, which offers over 400 premium brands and more than 6,500 items, and is represented by a total of ten Worldshop stores at Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin and Vienna airports.
Further information:
• Miles & More GmbH: Miles & More GmbH » Shaping Loyalty for generations to come
• Miles & More: Earn miles and Points, then enjoy awards and benefits | Miles & More
• Worldshop: Discover high-quality lifestyle products – Worldshop
About Erste Bank and Sparkasse
Erste Bank Oesterreich is the leading institution of the Austrian Sparkasse Group. Together with the 46 regional Sparkasse banks, it is one of the largest banking groups in the country. For over 200 years, Erste Bank and Sparkasse have been committed to providing financial health to their 4.2 million private customers and small and medium-sized enterprises with a comprehensive range of products and personalized services. The savings bank group is a service provider for all financial products: from savings accounts to home and consumer loans, investments, accounts, bank cards, insurance, leasing and pension fund solutions.
About Mastercard
Mastercard promotes economic growth and empowers people in over 200 countries and regions worldwide. Together with our customers, we create a sustainable economy in which everyone can succeed. We support a wide range of digital payment options and make transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technologies and innovations, partnerships and networks combine to create a unique range of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realise their potential.