ITA Airways Volare, the Italian carrier’s loyalty program, is officially ending on March 30, 2026. The airline confirmed the news in a brief email to members, stating that “the Volare program has reached its final destination.” If you’ve been sitting on Volare points, the window to use them is closing fast.
The program originally launched in May 2022 after ITA Airways replaced Alitalia as Italy’s flag carrier. It was always a bit of a placeholder in the loyalty world, especially once Lufthansa Group acquired a significant stake in ITA and began integrating the airline into its portfolio. Now the inevitable has arrived: Volare is sunsetting, and Lufthansa’s Miles & More is stepping in as ITA’s official frequent flyer program starting April 1, 2026.
Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know, including your redemption options, key deadlines, and what the Miles & More transition means for your strategy going forward.
How to Use Your ITA Airways Volare Points Before They Expire
If you have non-qualifying Volare points (the redeemable kind), you still have a few options to put them to use before the program shuts down. The most important thing is to act before the deadlines pass, because unused Volare points will be gone for good on May 1, 2026.
Book Award Flights (Before March 30, 2026)
You can still redeem your Volare points for award flights on ITA Airways or its partner airlines. Redemptions can be made using points only or through a cash and points combination. Flights can depart up to 12 months into the future, but the booking itself must be completed before the March 30 cutoff.
If you have a specific trip in mind, this is the cleanest way to extract value from your balance. Don’t wait until the last minute though, because ITA’s booking systems have reportedly been glitchy during this transition period and you don’t want to get locked out.
Convert Points to a Volare Gift Card (April 1 – June 30, 2026)
If you don’t have a flight in mind, you can convert your remaining Volare points into a Volare gift card starting April 1. These vouchers can be used to purchase cash tickets on ITA Airways or its partner airlines through the ITA website. The gift cards must be redeemed by June 30, 2026, but the flights purchased with them can be for travel within the following 12 months.
One nice perk here: the gift cards are transferable, so you can give them to someone else if you’d rather not fly ITA yourself.
Use Points for Partner Products, Services, or Charity (Through April 30, 2026)
Alternatively, you can spend your remaining points on products and services through ITA’s commercial partners, or donate them to one of the available charities. This option extends slightly longer than the flight booking deadline, remaining available through April 30, 2026. It’s not the most exciting use of your points, but it beats letting them expire entirely.
ITA Airways Volare Key Deadlines
| Deadline | Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| March 30, 2026 Urgent | Book award flights | Last day to redeem Volare points for award flights or cash & points bookings on ITA or partner airlines. Flights can depart up to 12 months out. |
| March 30, 2026 | Earn points | Final day to accrue qualifying and non-qualifying Volare points from flights and activity. |
| March 30, 2026 | Elite status benefits end | Volare Club membership tiers and associated benefits expire. Apply for the Miles & More status match before this date. |
| April 1, 2026 | Miles & More takes over | Lufthansa Miles & More becomes ITA Airways’ official loyalty program. Register for a Miles & More account via ITA’s website or app. |
| April 1 – June 30, 2026 | Convert points to gift card | Remaining Volare points can be converted to a transferable Volare Gift Card. Must be redeemed by June 30 for flights within 12 months. |
| April 30, 2026 | Partner products & charity | Last day to spend Volare points on commercial partner products, services, or charitable donations. |
| May 1, 2026 | Points expire | Any unused, unconverted Volare points are forfeited permanently. No exceptions. |
What Happens Next: Miles & More Takes Over
Starting April 1, 2026, Lufthansa’s Miles & More becomes the official loyalty program of ITA Airways. This is part of Lufthansa Group’s broader strategy of consolidating its airlines under one loyalty umbrella. Miles & More already serves as the frequent flyer program for Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings. ITA Airways will now join that list.
If you don’t already have a Miles & More account, you’ll need to register for one. Registration will be available through the ITA Airways website and app starting April 1.
The frustrating part? ITA is not offering any way to transfer your Volare points into the Miles & More program. Due to legal complexities around how loyalty programs are regulated in Italy, Volare members are essentially being told to use it or lose it. For members who were banking points toward a big redemption, this is a real letdown.
How To Status Match ITA Volare to Lufthansa
If you held elite status in the Volare program (Club Plus, Club Premium, or Club Executive), there’s some good news. Lufthansa has been running a free status match campaign through statusmatch.com. The matches are:
Club Plus (30,000+ qualifying points) matches to Miles & More Frequent Traveller, Club Premium (60,000+) matches to Miles & More Senator, and Club Executive (90,000+) also matches to Miles & More Senator.
If you haven’t already applied for the status match, do it now. There have been reports of some denials, particularly for members who acquired their Volare status through the airline’s historically generous (and sometimes chaotic) status match promotions. If you’re approved, your Miles & More status will be valid through at least February 2027, which is a solid runway regardless of what happens with your Volare account.
Why This Matters for the Bigger Picture
This move is another domino falling in the Lufthansa Group’s consolidation of European aviation. ITA Airways is also expected to officially join the Star Alliance in the first half of 2026 (potentially as early as April 1, the same date Miles & More takes over). That means ITA will no longer be a SkyTeam airline, which has implications for anyone who was crediting ITA flights to programs like Delta SkyMiles or Air France Flying Blue.
For U.S. based travelers, the most interesting angle here is how you’ll earn and redeem miles on ITA going forward. Miles & More has historically been one of the hardest major programs to access from the U.S.
That’s where Rove Miles comes in. Rove is currently the only U.S. based program that offers transfers to Lufthansa Miles & More at a 1:1 ratio. This is a huge deal. Before Rove added Miles & More as a transfer partner in late 2025, there was no way to transfer flexible points into the program from the U.S., as Lufthansa had dropped all hotel and bank transfer partnerships years ago due to German payments law concerns.
If you’re new to Rove, you can sign up here and earn 1,500 miles instantly. It’s free!
With ITA now folding into Miles & More, Rove becomes an even more valuable tool in your arsenal. You can earn Rove Miles through hotel bookings (at rates as high as 45 miles per dollar), flight bookings, and the Rove shopping portal, then transfer those miles 1:1 to Miles & More and book ITA Airways flights along with the rest of the Lufthansa Group fleet. If you’re not already earning Rove Miles, now is the time to start.
Miles & More is known for its monthly Mileage Bargains, which regularly offer discounted award flights across the Lufthansa Group network. We’ve seen round-trip business class to Europe for as low as 55,000 miles, and the program recently ran a flash sale with one-way economy from the U.S. starting at just 88 miles (yes, 88). The catch with Miles & More is that taxes and surcharges can be steep, but the program makes up for it with expanded award availability that’s often better than what partner programs can access.
You can search for Miles & More award availability using Seats.aero, one of our favorite award search tools. Just note that you’ll need at least 1,500 miles in your Miles & More account to search directly on the Lufthansa site, so Seats.aero is a great workaround to scope out availability before transferring any miles.
The Bottom Line
ITA Airways Volare had a short run and never quite found its footing as a standalone loyalty program. The transition to Miles & More is ultimately a positive development for travelers, even if the inability to transfer existing Volare points stings. Miles & More is a much larger, more established program with better redemption options and a network that spans 35 airlines and over 135 commercial partners.
If you have Volare points, use them now. Book a flight before March 30 if possible, or plan to convert to a gift card starting April 1. If you held elite status, make sure you’ve submitted your status match application.
And if you’re thinking about how to position yourself for the Miles & More era of ITA Airways, start stacking Rove Miles. It’s the only U.S. program that transfers to Miles & More, and with ITA joining the fold, the value proposition just got a whole lot stronger.
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