LifeMiles is the mileage program of Colombia-based airline Avianca. But even if you aren’t interested in flying Avianca — or flying to Colombia — it’s worth getting to know LifeMiles. That’s because the program has made itself known as the wholesaler of cheap Star Alliance miles and award tickets, as well as offering regular sales of discounted miles.
And a new one of these sales just popped up. Now through Oct. 18, targeted LifeMiles members can get up to a 130% bonus when buying LifeMiles.
As with most programs, the standard rate for buying LifeMiles is pricey. However, this 130% bonus drops the cost down to as little as 1.43 cents per mile. That’s a solid deal compared to TPG’s valuation of 1.7 cents per mile. Here’s how the promotion breaks down:
Buy 1,000 – 10,000 miles, get a 100% bonus (1.65 cents each) Buy 11,000 – 50,000 miles, get a 110% bonus (1.57 cents each) Buy 51,000 – 100,000 miles, get a 120% bonus (1.50 cents each) Buy 101,000 – 200,000 miles, get a 130% bonus (1.43 cents apiece)
Why buy LifeMiles?
LifeMiles lands at number one on our list of most undervalued airline loyalty programs due to the number of hidden gems in the program and low taxes and fees. One of the best benefits of LifeMiles is that it doesn’t pass along carrier surcharges, making it an excellent way of booking Lufthansa first class for cheap. Taxes and fees on LifeMiles awards from the U.S. to Germany only cost $25 out of pocket. Other programs can charge more than $500 one-way in taxes and fees.
Be aware that LifeMiles usually expire 12 months after the most recent mileage accrual. Other transactions, including redemption transactions, don’t extend the validity of the miles. However, earning miles from a cobranded LifeMiles credit card or as an Avianca elite status holder will extend the validity of miles by 24 months.
Speaking of Avianca credit cards, both the Avianca Vida Visa Card and the Avianca Vuela Visa Card are offering an extra 20,000 bonus miles when you apply by Dec. 31, 2019 using promo code “SB4060” and spend $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening.
The Vuela Visa card normally offers 40,000 bonus miles after your first card use, so this promo code brings the total bonus up to 60,000 miles. And the Vida Visa card usually offers 20,000 bonus miles after your first purchase, so this promo code brings the total offer up to 40,000 miles.
Although TPG didn’t recommend bothering with LifeMiles for a while, the program has made some notable improvements to its online booking process and recently added mixed-cabin ticketing.
Points and miles are a poor long-term investment, and devaluations can be announced at any time. So, it’s never a good idea to buy miles without having a planned use for them. If possible, it’s best to search and confirm award availability before buying miles and then redeeming the purchased miles as soon as they hit your account.
With all of that said, here are some great sweet spots in the LifeMiles program and how cheap you can score these awards with the targeted 130% bonus:
One-way domestic United flights for just 7,500 miles from $108 at the maximized 1.43 cent rate
One-way transcontinental lie-flat United business-class flights for 25,000 miles from $359 at the maximized 1.43 cent rate
One-way to Europe in Lufthansa business class for 63,000 miles from $904 at the maximized 1.43 cent rate
One-way to Taipei or Hong Kong in EVA Air business class from 64,000 miles from $918 at the maximized 1.43 cent rate Redeem by Oct. 18 during this award sale
One-way from Washington, D.C. or NYC to Beijing in Air China first class for 81,000 miles from $1,162 at the maximized 1.43 cent rate Redeem by Oct. 18 during this award sale Air China 747-8 first class. (Photo by Zach Honig/The Points Guy.)One-way to Europe in Lufthansa first class for 87,000 miles from $1,248 at the maximized 1.43 cent rate Taxes and fees starting at just $25
While TPG hasn’t completed testing on which card to use for buying Avianca LifeMiles (see our United and IHG testing), my purchase of LifeMiles through last fall’s 100% transfer bonus promotion coded as 3x points on my Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Other ways to pick up more LifeMiles include Avianca’s “Club LifeMiles” monthly subscription plan. And if you need to top off your account, remember that LifeMiles is also a transfer partner of four major transferable currencies:
American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio, instant transfer time) Capital One (2:1.5 ratio, instant transfer time) Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1 ratio, instant transfer time) Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 with a 5,000-mile bonus for transferring 60,000 points, under 24-hour transfer time)
Featured photo by Zach Honig/The Points Guy.
This is The Points Guy’s permanent page about Avianca’s “buy miles” promotions, so you can bookmark it and check back regularly for the latest offer. Keep in mind you may see some reader comments referring to older deals below.
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