Whereas navigating a overseas airline’s frequent flyer program could seem daunting, your financial savings on award journey may be important. That is significantly true for Colombian airline Avianca and its distinctive LifeMiles frequent flyer program.
LifeMiles provides interesting redemption charges for Star Alliance awards and extra distinctive options that make this program price your consideration, although a sequence of current devaluations has made this system much less worthwhile than it as soon as was.
Let’s delve into all the things it is advisable learn about Avianca LifeMiles.
The way to earn Avianca LifeMiles
You’ll be able to earn LifeMiles by crediting flights on Avianca or its Star Alliance companions, resembling United Airways, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Air China and Air New Zealand. This system additionally companions with Gol Airways, Iberia and Clic Air.
Cardless has launched two LifeMiles-branded bank cards within the U.S.:
- Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Categorical Card: Earn as much as 100,000 bonus miles — 60,000 miles are awarded after spending $4,500 within the first 90 days, and an extra 40,000 miles are awarded after spending $25,000 within the first one year. Earn 3 LifeMiles per greenback spent on Avianca purchases, 2 LifeMiles per greenback spent on eating and non-Avianca journey and 1 LifeMile per greenback spent on all different purchases. Different advantages embrace a ten% award redemption low cost on Star Alliance flights, 500 bonus LifeMiles every month, a 25%-off award redemption low cost on Avianca flights and Star Alliance Silver standing for so long as you will have the cardboard. This card has an annual payment of $249.
- Avianca LifeMiles American Categorical Card: Earn a bonus of as much as 40,000 LifeMiles after spending $3,000 with the cardboard within the first 90 days. Earn 2 LifeMiles per greenback spent on Avianca purchases, groceries and eating places, and 1 LifeMile per greenback spent on all different purchases. Different advantages embrace Star Alliance Silver standing for so long as you will have the cardboard. This card has an annual payment of $99.
The knowledge for the Avianca LifeMiles Elite and Avianca LifeMiles playing cards has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
You can too switch your American Categorical Membership Rewards factors, Capital One miles, Bilt Rewards Factors, Wells Fargo Rewards factors and Citi ThankYou Rewards factors to your LifeMiles account at a 1:1 ratio. These transferable rewards packages generally provide switch bonuses.
Moreover, you may switch Marriott Bonvoy factors at a 3:1 ratio. Not like with most main packages, you will not obtain the 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors you switch; LifeMiles was one of many packages that misplaced this function in 2022.
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Past bank cards, Avianca typically provides common reductions on LifeMiles purchases. Up to now, now we have seen costs drop as little as 1.2 cents per mile, though the standard sale worth ranges from 1.3 to 1.35 cents per mile. These charges are considerably decrease than TPG’s February 2025 valuation of LifeMiles at 1.6 cents every. Whereas shopping for factors speculatively is usually not really helpful, these gross sales could be a good choice when you have a selected redemption in thoughts.
If you happen to ceaselessly journey on paid tickets with Star Alliance carriers, it is likely to be price contemplating crediting your miles to Avianca. This may be advisable in case you discover extra worth within the LifeMiles program than in different choices like United MileagePlus or Air Canada Aeroplan. Crediting your miles to Avianca can also be helpful in case you do not journey sufficient to earn elite standing however nonetheless wish to maximize your redemption alternatives.
LifeMiles+ World subscription program
LifeMiles provides a paid subscription program known as LifeMiles+ World.
This program is elective for members and provides 4 membership ranges: Lite, Fundamental, Professional and Max. Lite is free for Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Categorical Card members, and cardmembers can obtain a reduction on Fundamental, Professional and Max memberships.
Members obtain numerous advantages primarily based on their membership tier, together with month-to-month bonus miles and extra miles per greenback spent on Avianca-branded American Categorical playing cards. A minimal six-month membership is required, so for non-Amex cardmembers, this could be at the least a $120 funding.
Most significantly, it provides 10% off the mileage price of many redemptions, so if you’re taking a look at a greater than 200,000-mile redemption, maybe for your loved ones, this may very well be a clever funding.
LifeMiles+ World subscriptions should be paid by bank card.
The way to redeem Avianca LifeMiles
As a member of Star Alliance, Avianca means that you can use your LifeMiles for flights on the service or any of its companions. Moreover, Avianca has partnerships with Gol Airways, Clic Air and Iberia, offering alternatives to earn and redeem LifeMiles on choose flights operated by these airways.
LifeMiles follows an ordinary zone-based award chart for many flights, divided by accomplice. Nevertheless, flights throughout the U.S. generally deviate from the usual award chart and may sometimes be just a few thousand miles cheaper than the award chart reveals.
Redeeming LifeMiles is often easy. You log in to the LifeMiles web site and seek for your required award flight.
Nevertheless, it is very important be aware that whereas Avianca ought to technically have entry to the identical Star Alliance award availability as United MileagePlus and Air Canada Aeroplan, LifeMiles would not appear to point out as many seats as different packages, and the service’s data know-how can also be recognized to have limitations. This can lead to phantom award area, the place seats seem on-line however will not be bookable.
Conversely, Avianca could not all the time show out there award area in United and Air Canada’s loyalty packages. Due to this fact, it’s advisable to double-check your search utilizing one other Star Alliance search engine or instruments like ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s dad or mum firm, Crimson Ventures) earlier than transferring factors to Avianca. This ensures you will have correct and up-to-date data earlier than continuing together with your redemption.
Associated: The very best web sites to seek for Star Alliance award availability
Avianca LifeMiles candy spots
Normally, you’re confronted with a trade-off between low award charges and excessive gasoline surcharges or spending extra miles to keep away from further prices. Nevertheless, LifeMiles is among the few packages that excels in each features. It provides aggressive charges for Star Alliance awards and doesn’t go on gasoline surcharges to LifeMiles members.
Consequently, you may anticipate to pay minimal taxes and costs when redeeming an award ticket.
Whereas LifeMiles beforehand provided a number of the lowest award charges of any program, particularly in enterprise and top notch, devaluations in 2024 and 2025 have meant that charges are nonetheless acceptable, although Air Canada’s Aeroplan is now barely cheaper on many routes.
Enterprise class from the US to Europe
Given the various carriers that fly between the U.S. and Europe, it is simple to search out business-class availability utilizing LifeMiles, particularly if you’re versatile in your departure and arrival cities and dates.
The LifeMiles award chart lists mounted charges no matter distance, so this may very well be a very whole lot if you will discover availability from the West Coast to Central and Jap Europe. This system expenses 80,000 miles every approach in enterprise class between the U.S. and anyplace in Europe, and no gasoline surcharges are added.
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Longer home coach flights throughout the US
The LifeMiles award chart for home flights operated by United Airways is complicated. The nation is split into three zones, so there are doubtlessly three completely different costs relying on which states you’re flying between or inside.
The shortest flights, resembling inside California, are priced at an OK however not superb 10,000 miles one-way in economic system. Nevertheless, longer flights, like these from Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) to San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO), are solely 15,000 miles in economic system every approach per individual, which is a superb worth for a flight of round six hours.
Enterprise class from the US to Asia
As anticipated, award charges from the mainland U.S. to Asia are larger, with one-way flights from Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) to Taiwan Taoyuan Worldwide Airport (TPE) on EVA Airways costing 55,000 miles and 100,000 miles in economic system and enterprise class, respectively.
However, this will nonetheless be a good option to attain the continent for fewer miles than you’d see by way of different packages.
Associated: Is EVA Airways enterprise class price it on the Boeing 787-10?
Enterprise class from the US to Australia
Premium cabin award area to fly Down Below is among the many hardest to search out of any vacation spot worldwide. The place you may rating availability, LifeMiles expenses solely 100,000 miles in enterprise class, an amazing deal in contrast with Delta Air Traces’ over 350,000-mile charges.
As Aeroplan sells these awards for 75,000 factors, you may take into account reserving by way of Air Canada — although in case you’re shopping for LifeMiles, it is nonetheless a candy spot price understanding about.
Financial system class from the US to Colombia
Flights operated by Avianca may be astonishingly low cost with LifeMiles. We discovered flights beneath 7,000 miles every approach from Dulles Worldwide Airport (IAD) close to Washington, D.C., to Bogota’s El Dorado Worldwide Airport (BOG), which is an unimaginable worth for a flight of 5 1/2 hours.
Combined-cabin awards
When touring in long-haul enterprise or top notch, it’s normal to come across mixed-cabin awards by way of LifeMiles. This occurs within the following conditions:
- When airways do not provide top notch on shorter routes, requiring passengers to attach in enterprise or economic system class
- When there is not award area in your required cabin
Most loyalty packages decide the award charge primarily based on the best cabin class of service used. Nevertheless, LifeMiles takes a special strategy. It costs every leg of the journey individually primarily based on the category of service booked, typically resulting in a reduced charge for mixed-cabin tickets.
Within the above instance, whereas enterprise class is unavailable on the longer leg from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Hong Kong Worldwide Airport (HKG), it’s out there on the shorter HKG-TPE leg.
Another packages may try to cost the whole business-class charge although a lot of the journey is in economic system, however LifeMiles provides you the choice to decide on to improve to enterprise class on the second leg for under 6,000 miles ( deal in and of itself) or save your miles and fly economic system for the entire journey.
This flexibility and optionality is nice to see from a loyalty program.
Issues with Avianca LifeMiles
Regardless of LifeMiles providing interesting award charges, it won’t be your program. This system has a repute for error-prone data know-how and inconsistent customer support.
LifeMiles members typically encounter web site glitches when redeeming their miles. Moreover, in case you reserve an economic system award ticket and enterprise class turns into out there, LifeMiles requires you to pay a cancellation payment to redeposit your miles. You’ll be able to then rebook your flight in enterprise class.
Whereas reserving with Avianca could prevent 1000’s of miles, canceling your ticket may very well be tedious and dear. You sometimes cannot cancel award bookings on-line, and Avianca is gradual to subject refunds. The service’s name heart may be troublesome to resolve points with, particularly in case you can’t converse Spanish.
Backside line
Avianca LifeMiles is a frequent flyer program that has confirmed its price within the award journey world. With its first rate redemption charges, lack of gasoline surcharges and partnerships with main transferable factors and miles packages, LifeMiles provides worth and suppleness to its members. Whereas there could also be some customer support challenges and quirks to navigate, the advantages outweigh the drawbacks for a lot of vacationers, although Aeroplan is now proving to be a extra worthwhile program following a sequence of LifeMiles devaluations.
So, take the time to discover Avianca LifeMiles, delve into its candy spots and unlock the chances it presents to your future travels. With some research and planning, you may benefit from this program as you take into account the place to switch your bank card factors and miles.
