Get 300,000 Miles with ASmallWorld Membership Program

by Rachel Yuan & Anshul
10 comments
a group of people on a boat

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Limited time Promotion

ASmallWorld (ASW) is currently running a limited-time promotion that allows you to purchase 300,000 Lufthansa Miles & More miles with their Prestige Membership tier for USD 5,868 (EUR 4,950 instead of EUR 5,190), representing a 5% discount in price,but 50% more miles. The acquisition cost is 1.96 Cents Per Mile.

There are multiple tiers of Memberships available, but the Prestige membership is the only one on promotion this February – and specifically for Lufthansa Miles & More, so that one represents the best value right now.

The Prestige membership also comes with the following additional perks;

  • GHA DISCOVERY Titanium status (1 year)
  • Jumeirah One Gold status (1 year)
  • Priority Pass airport lounge access (1 year)
  • SIXT Platinum status (1 year)
  • The World’s Finest Clubs Membership
  • ASMALLWORLD Membership (1 year)

The limited-time offer is valid until February 28, 2026. If you are unfamiliar with the program or want a detailed look at whether you should purchase the membership, read on!

ASmallWorld – An Introduction

a black and blue text

ASW is a membership-based online community that has been on the fringes of the miles and points radar for a couple of years now. What originally started as a fee-based social network focused on networking and social events globally has evolved to having a visible focus on luxury travel.

The program is a “global community with a shared passion for the good life.” It offers a tier-based membership model that unlocks benefits with some hotel and lifestyle brands and – depending on the tier you choose – potentially a tidy chunk of airline miles (Lufthansa Miles & More, Turkish Miles & Smiles or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles) as well – all coming at a not insignificant cost as we’ll see below.

To be clear – this is a niche program that will not have mass appeal to the casual PMB reader – instead, the program is meant to be for a particular demographic where perhaps the overall value proposition of the program will hold appeal. That being said, there could be some unique situations/ life events where the cost of potentially acquiring a large amount of Lufthansa Miles & More points (“M&M”) by way of ASW could be worth considering. First, though – let’s take a quick look at the program and then we can dive a bit deeper into circumstances where it makes sense to consider signing up.

Overview of Membership Tiers and Benefits

ASW has been around for some years and has maintained the model of what it offers – though, over the years, the airline partners and bonuses have rotated occasionally. Currently, the program provides four tiers – Premium, Advantage, Prestige and Signature. The following table compares the benefits and costs across the three tiers:

ASW memberships

As shown in the chart, the cost of three higher tiers (the only ones that come with airline miles) is high: an annual Advantage membership is $990/year for 35,000 miles. In the Advantage tier, the best option is Emirates Skywards because the acquisition cost (2.83 CPP) for Skywards specifically is cheaper than the Prestige tier (3 CPP for Skywards). Of course, with the limitation that only 35,000 miles are available at this price.

Generally speaking, the most valuable membership (on a miles-purchasing perspective) is the Prestige membership, which costs €4,950 (EUR) with the current 5% off + extra 50,000 Miles & More miles as it includes not just lots of airline miles, but also other tangible benefits.

Prestige membership comes with a choice of 300,000 miles in Lufthansa Miles & More, 250,000 Turkish Miles & Smiles, or 195,000 Emirates Skywards. The acquisition cost, respectively, is therefore 1.96 CPP for M&M, 2.35 CPP for Miles & Smiles, and 3 CPP for Emirates Skywards.

The Signature membership comes with 500,000 miles in Turkish Miles & Smiles for $10,990 USD, resulting in a USD ~2 cpp cost. The remaining benefits are largely mirrored across the two tiers.

With the basic membership and costs covered, I did want to highlight that until February 28, 2026 – ASW is running a promotion for the mid-tier Prestige membership in which signups will receive 50,000 additional miles and a lower price of EUR 4,950 (reduced from EUR 5,190).

The Advantage membership ($990 USD) also comes with Hilton Honors Gold status for 90 days and can be maintained by staying 5 nights within that period. The Prestige membership (EUR 4,950) comes with Diamond status for 90 days and can be maintained by staying 10 nights in 90 days. Between these two, Diamond is the most valuable but neither should be your primary reason to buy a ASW membership – that should be purchasing the airline miles.

Is the cost of miles a good deal?

The obvious question, of course, is whether acquiring points via an ASW membership represents a deal at all. Here is a quick comparison of the cost to buy miles through ASW;

Lufthansa

Lufthansa’s Miles & More is the best option here despite Lufthansa also selling their own bundles (not dissimilar to what they were doing with ASW in partnership). Thus, it’s no surprise that the most economical cost to purchase points is similar across both avenues.

A couple of things  why someone would want to consider buying M&M miles through ASW would be:

  • The ASW offer allows you to buy up to 300,000 miles, 50,000 more than the maximum permitted under M&M’s bundles.
  • If an individual wants to buy significantly more than 250,000 miles, they could purchase up to 550,000 miles using both avenues.
  • When comparing ASW and LH’s bundle partners and benefits, you will find that ASW’s partners are more beneficial for you.
  • Lastly, ASW membership would be coded as a travel-related charge as opposed to M&M bundle purchases, which are processed through points.com and, therefore, do not code as travel.

Looking back, though – why would someone consider buying M&M miles? A significant benefit of using the M&M program is the early access members get to Lufthansa’s first-class inventory, which is as far out as a year. Compare that to a maximum of 15 days out that are reserved for partner airlines, and you could see why the allure of securing these coveted seats would be desirable.

In addition, while Miles & More have moved towards dynamic pricing for its own metal, it is not actually bad. There is still an award chart for partner airlines, but the main allure is redeeming on Lufthansa and Swiss First Class since you can book partners through other programs like Aeroplan, where the points are easier to accrue.

Last year, there was an opportunity to status match from ITA Volare Executive Status to Lufthansa Miles & More Senator. Only Senator status members can redeem for Swiss First Class.

Therefore if you did this status match and will have Senator for a limited time, this is a prime opportunity to load up on Miles & More as this is the only way to redeem miles for the elusive Swiss First Class. Given the limited redemption opportunity, it’s hard to say exactly how many miles it costs it costs, but expect to pay at least 150,000 miles one-way and surcharges in the $1,000 range.

Finally, M&M has a monthly program called Miles & More Mileage Bargains, in which they offer discounted mileage rewards on specific routes – often up to 50% off redemption rates. Currently, for example, a round-trip business class redemption to New York (JFK) can be booked for 61,000 compared to the 125,000 points it would usually cost – a fantastic deal and equal to almost five round-trip business class tickets for the price of a signup for the Prestige tier. One important thing to note is that award redemptions booked through Miles & More are often accompanied by ugly fuel surcharges, which should be factored into the value proposition here.

M&M miles are difficult to earn as they are not a transfer partner to any primary US or Canadian credit card currency. The most common way would be through some old-fashioned flying.

Link to Lufthansa Miles & More Promotion Page

Emirates

If Emirates Skywards miles are what you’re after, you have the choice of raking in 35,000 or 195,000 for USD 2.83 or 3 CPP, respectively. Both options present a significant discount to the cost that Emirates usually sells miles for, and they often beat out or match the price offered during EK’s sales promotions. Even at the same price, ASW offers other tangible benefits like hotel status. Furthermore, as mentioned above, ASW purchases code as travel, unlocking further value for the savvy points maximizers amongst us.

In addition to that, Emirates has a relatively restrictive limit of being able to purchase up to 100,000 (not factoring in bonuses) miles in a given calendar year (you can purchase up to 200,000 if Gold or Platinum member). Anyone following EK’s raft of devaluations over the past few years can tell you that 100,000 is barely enough for a one-way business class flight for most of EK’s routes. Another thing to note is that Emirates requires you to have had some activity in your account to be eligible for the ‘bonus’ portion when they offer points sales.  However, the calendar year limit and activity requirement does not apply to acquiring miles through the ASW membership.

Unlike M&M miles, Emirates is a transfer partner of several major US credit card issuers. In 2025, however, Emirates has made sweeping changes in the land of credit card transfers and Amex US MR now transfers at 5:4 (instead of 1:1) and Capital One transfers at a 2:1.5 ratio (instead of the previous 1:1). Chase no longer transfers to Emirates and needless to say, accumulating lots of Skywards is harder than it’s ever been.

However, you need to have Emirates elite class in order to redeem for first class. For the aspirational redemptions, an ASW membership tier could make sense.

a desk in an airplane

Emirates First Class “The Gamechanger”

Link to Emirates Skyward Miles Promotion Page

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

In the case of Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, it is notable that Cathay does not sell miles directly. The only exception is if you have at least 70% of the miles required for a redemption and you can purchase a top up at the end: 2,000 for $60 USD or 3CPP.

Therefore, purchasing miles through ASW makes sense to top up for a specific redemption, and you do not have any flexible points to transfer. The best way to earn Asia Miles is through Amex Membership Rewards Canada, which has a transfer ratio of 1:0.75, or RBC Avion, with a 1:1 transfer ratio. Amex U.S. has a transfer ratio of 1:1 until March 1, when it is changing to 1:0.8.

Cathay Pacific does release the most premium cabin award space to its own program, so you’ll need Asia Miles to redeem on Cathay business or first class. A one-way business class redemption from Vancouver to Hong Kong costs 88,000 miles. Long-haul first class redemptions like Hong Kong – New York JFK costs 160,000 miles one-way.

Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles

Other than having my favourite mileage program name, Turkish Miles & Smiles is known for best for redeeming on Turkish Airlines metal. You can also earn Turkish Miles & Smiles through Capital One and Citi as both transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

Turkish does sell miles directly to members usually at 1,000 miles for $30 USD or 3 CPP. Acquiring them through ASW is quite a bit cheaper, with Advantage membership ($990 for 35,000 miles) having a CPP of 2.83, Prestige membership having a CPP of 2.35 (EUR 4,950 for 250,000), and Signature ($10,990 for 500,000). If you are short for a redemption, picking up an Advantage package could make sense.

The number one use of Miles & Smiles is to book Turkish Airlines between North America and Istanbul at a cost of 65,000 miles one-way. This is great value for those on the West Coast because Turkish Airlines has a regional-based award chart with all of North America as one category. So those in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Seattle, or even as far south as Miami will greatly benefit.

Miles & Smiles are also great for domestic flights around North America on United Airlines, with 15,000 miles each way in economy or 22,500 miles in business class, but award space in premium cabins is very rare.

Hotel Benefits & Lifestyle Benefits

While the main talking point thus far has been the points element of the ASW membership, several hotel and lifestyle benefits come with both the higher tiers. Here’s a quick rundown of the most meaningful ones:

a group of logos on a white background

ASW Partner Programs

GHA Discovery – Titanium Status

Global Hotel Alliance (“GHA”) is a collection of independent hospitality brands comprising over 40 brands with 800 hotels spread over 100 countries and exceptionally well represented across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Some brands in the GHA program included Anantara, Kempinski, Leela, Lungarno and Viceroy. Titanium is the highest of the four status levels within the program. It has many benefits that one would expect for a hotel chain, including room upgrades (two levels), early check-in at 11 am, late checkout at 4 pm, status sharing (notably missing complimentary breakfast across all brands) etc. You may visit the page for a complete list of benefits.

Our very own Sash recently had a fantastic stay at Qasr Al-Sarab – the magnificent hotel in the depths of the Wadi desert and enjoyed excellent treatment as a GHA Platinum member (one level below Titanium) while staying at this Anantara property.

GHA will also run status matches from other programs so you might be able to match to Platinum or Titanium through other airline or hotel status.

Jumeirah One Gold Status

The Jumeirah chain of hotels may not have the number of properties like the more prominent programs – but the ones they do have are generally excellent hotels – one such example is the famous Burj Al Arab. With their footprint heavily concentrated in Dubai, they have a broader presence in the Middle East, along with a couple of properties in the Asia-Pacific region and some iconic properties in Europe. An ASW membership grants you Gold status, the second highest tier in the program.

Gold status in this program comes with many of the usual perks reserved for top-tier holders, such as complimentary breakfast and late checkout. In addition to that, it does seem to offer an impressive selection of more unique benefits- especially considering that Gold is not the highest status tier. These benefits include complimentary pressing during stays, a daily free mini bar for soft drinks, a 5th-night free on award stays, and a “Chef’s Welcome” when dining on the property. For a complete comparison of benefits, please click here.

Priority Pass Membership

Just like the one that comes with your credit card, this is the same Priority Pass membership, which includes lounge access to over 1,800 lounges worldwide. The Advantage membership ($990) includes 4 visits, while Prestige (€4,950) and Signature ($10,990) includes 8 visits.

Sixt Platinum/Diamond Status

Typically requiring ten rentals for Platinum status, with an ASW Prestige membership, you instantly receive this status, making you eligible for free upgrades, free additional drivers and up to a 15% discount on rentals. An ASW Signature membership grants you Diamond status – typically an invite-only status level which gives members access to a Diamond lounge (at a car rental facility?) and guaranteed upgrades, the most notable benefits.

ASMALLWORLD Community

Lastly, as a member, you are part of the ASMALLWORLD Community, which allows you to participate in events across major cities globally. This includes events such as meeting up with local community members at restaurants for drinks and canapes or meals, and other activity-based events such as hikes or outdoor socials at a Christmas Market, for example –  the idea being to get likeminded individuals who enjoy travel/dining to come together and build up their respective social networks.

Who could this make sense for?

The apparent value here lies with the airline miles component of the benefits, with Lufthansa Miles & More miles being the most stand-out option as this is the package on sale and also for redeeming on Swiss First Class. For most, the significant cash outlay is a deterrent, which is to say nothing of the non-zero opportunity cost of holding miles and risking further devaluations.

Still, as with many things in this hobby, everyone’s circumstances are different, and there are situations where the numbers/ convenience of an ASW membership could make sense. Consider a newly married couple in Canada (i.e., no access to Emirates transfer partners) planning a honeymoon/babymoon in the Middle East/Asia with a budget to splurge a little. Acquiring 250k-500K EK miles can cover the cost of some business or first-class flights on a typical bucket list item.

Additionally, if they’re looking at flying on Emirates on the way to their final destination, they could consider some GHA properties to take advantage of their newfound elite status at one of many Middle Eastern properties by a GHA brand or Jumeirah One (Burj Al Arab anyone?) property.

a bed in a room with a tv and a window

A great way to celebrate a ‘special’ event

Alternatively, consider a situation where a family of four would like to travel between Europe and North America during an upcoming popular travel season. The Prestige summer promo netting 300,000 M&M miles could make sense if paired with an M&M Mileage Bargain promo in which they can fly between Germany and an East Coast US city for ~61,000 M&M mile return. Not only would collecting the miles be a convenient one-step process, but it would also come with the peace of mind that award space for so many will be relatively easy to come by using miles in Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program.

Final Word

The upfront cash investment is significant, and for a currency that could get devalued on the whims of an airline, it warrants careful consideration before pulling the trigger on a membership. However, if you can benefit from the elite status on offer, a large haul of miles and membership in a well-established networking community, then it may be worth looking at the value on offer here. As a reminder, the current offer for 300,000 Miles & More on a Prestige membership must be purchased by February 28, 2026.

 

Title Image Credit: ASmallWorld

10 comments

Steve February 18, 2026 - 8:50 pm

Marriott does not transfer to Miles & More.

Reply
Rachel Yuan February 18, 2026 - 9:40 pm

You would be correct! I’ve made the change in the article … makes ASW membership a sweeter deal as well.

Reply
Tony February 16, 2026 - 6:33 pm

Interesting promo…. I may have a use case for Turkish coming up, though never dabled in their program.

A few questions…
If I bought the package for €4,950 for 250K miles, do Turkish miles expire ? Does redeeming Turkish miles or buying more reset the expiry date if one exists ?

When again does the Turkish, generally, release business class seats at 60,000 between IST and YYZ ?

What’s Turkish’s cancellation fee on bookings ? Do they charge a fee to book a seat for someone else ?

Reply
Rachel Yuan February 17, 2026 - 10:10 am

Turkish Miles & Smiles do expire at the end of 3 calendar years (so any miles earned in 2026 will expire December 31, 2029 at 23:59 Turkish time) and earning/redeeming does not reset the clock, afaik. You can pay to extend them another 3 years, at a (high) cost of 20 USD for every 1,000 miles.

Using Miles & Smiles on Turkish metal is the smoothest use of the miles, but I can’t confidently comment on availability as I’ve never used any myself. I’ve always used Aeroplan to redeem for Turkish Airlines, but availability via Aeroplan is also not so good and Turkish releases significantly more award space to its own Miles & Smiles program.

If you’re looking for 4+ seats, TK Miles & Smiles is probably the only program to be able to grab this many seats – but from what i know, it is still difficult to find this many seats. The 65k IST-YYZ redemption is pretty sweet, however award release patterns seem pretty random on Turkish, have to constantly check beginning 355 days out and I’d be flexible with at least YUL.

There’s no additional fees for booking for another passenger, but TK does charge $70 USD to change/cancel upcoming bookings.

Reply
Bill n DC December 3, 2024 - 2:34 pm

I’ve twice bought LH miles through ASW. I don’t think the purchase codes as travel, but YMMV I could still get 1.5miles per Dollar and meet my AmEx sign up bonus, or just live with whatever miles I already have.

Reply
Anshul December 3, 2024 - 6:49 pm

Hey! ASW confirmed that their MCC code was updated to travel in June 2023. Was your last purchase more recent? I would be happy to give them the feedback, please let me know – thanks!

Reply
Sonu July 13, 2023 - 8:38 pm

i have been a member of ASW for few years now. they offered some great benefits few years back. they used to offer GHA Platinum as part of the $99/yr plan and it changed. they also offer a lifetime membership for around $400. its really not all that if you ask me. this is my last year with them. nothing is exclusive there.

Reply
Anshul July 13, 2023 - 9:00 pm

Agreed – the base membership does not excite me. But Prestige and Signature is where the value is.

Reply
GUWonder July 13, 2023 - 2:13 pm

ASW started off as a free, invitation-only social network, one founded by the son of the former Swedish ambassador to the US, for the “elite” and hanger-ons. [I found it as a sort of entertaining site for me during its free years.] the site didn’t pan out financially, it was sold in at least part to some questionable American under whose control it did no better. They then sold it to a Swiss guy who eventually made it a fee-based membership program. The whole thing is a lesson in how a combination of exclusivity and/or bad moderation policy makes for a bad mix in a world where more open alternatives are not only very much available but also heavily used. And so it ended up being basically a fee-based travel membership program.

Reply
Mohammad July 13, 2023 - 2:30 pm

Interesting to hear that.. I have come across mentions of it occasionally in the past.. maybe from FT forums? But at the time I was much more unaware of the concept of outright buying miles and redeeming. I do agree that value is very much in how one values the miles component of things…all the other benefits are only going to move the needle for people in living in certain geographies, or with certain lifestyles only.

They’ve also had multiple variations/forms/offer for memberships over the years.. if my internet sleuthing skills did not fail me – then the price on a Prestige membership has dropped roughly 1K over the past few years. Earlier to that – at one point they offered as much as 1 MM EY miles for a signature membership… so yes.. lots of iterations and changes over the years.

Reply

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