(EXPIRED) Avianca LifeMiles: Get 2 for 1 award tickets with latest promo (targeted?)

Avianca LifeMiles has a new, short-term promotion out that looks incredible on the surface: redeem miles for two award tickets (on Avianca metal) and get the miles for one ticket credited back. Effectively, it’s a buy one-get one for award tickets.

Sounds incredible, right? Well, it’s Avianca, so there’s a few terms…

The Deal

• Redeem miles for two award tickets using Avianca LifeMiles and get one ticket credited back to your account.
  • Not valid for partner awards
• Travel must be booked by 12/29/23.
• The trip may take place between February 1st, 2024, and March 19th, 2024 and between April 4th, 2024 and May 31st, 2024.
• Not valid for flights to or from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.
• You’ll receive credit after completing flights

Direct Link to Deal (log-in to make sure that you see it on your account)

Terms and Conditions

• The mileage return applies only to LifeMiles members who have received this communication and redeem award tickets for air travel on the dates specified in these Terms and Conditions.
• The period for the redemption of tickets under the promotion is from December 27th, 2023 (00:01 GMT -6) to December 29th, 2023 (23:59 GMT -6).
• Outward and/or return flights: The trip may take place between February 1st, 2024, and March 19th, 2024 and between April 4th, 2024 and May 31st, 2024
• Last day to complete the trip: March 19th, 2024 for the first period and May 31st, 2024 for the second period.
• The purchase of miles is permitted to enjoy this offer.
• Note: In case of cancellation, the amount paid in cash, credit card (other than taxes) is not refundable and miles rebate will be reversed from LifeMiles account and the rebate will not be applied.
• This promotion applies to all tickets redeemed at AV, on routes operated by Avianca, except those that have origin or destination in the following cities: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte.
• When redeeming 2 or more tickets under the same reservation and the same conditions (flight dates specified in the terms and conditions), we will return the equivalent miles for the second ticket (in multiples of 2). For example, if you redeem 2 tickets, we will return the miles of 1 ticket; if you redeem 3 tickets, we will return the miles of 1 ticket; if you redeem 4 tickets, we will return the miles of 2 tickets.
• The mileage return will be applied to the member’s account no later than one week after the date the trip is completed.
• Applicable taxes must be paid at the time of redemption.
• No stopover allowed with this offer.
• Applies for a maximum redemption of eight tickets per LifeMiles account.

Quick Thoughts

The offer states that “this activity applies exclusively for all members who have received this communication.” However, it seems like all LifeMiles members that I’ve heard from see it in their accounts when they log-in, regardless of if they received an e-mail beforehand. I’d probably take screenshots of the offer showing in my account before I booked, whether or not I’d received a communication. There’s no IT in Avianca.

Note that the offer is only valid for flights operated by Avianca (see route map here). The airline operates from multiple US airports, flies to Spain and the UK and has an extensive route network in Central and South America. The main hubs are San Salvador (SAL), Bogota (BOG) and Medellin (MDE). You’d certainly be able to book a ticket from, say, Boston to Barcelona, but you’d have to fly through Bogota. I’m not sure that the juice is worth the squeeze for that itinerary, especially since there’s no stopovers allowed.

I’ve seen speculation online that you could game this by booking a cheap flight first, then making a second booking afterwards for a more expensive ticket that would then be credited. That’s not how I read the terms:

When redeeming 2 or more tickets under the same reservation and the same conditions (flight dates specified in the terms and conditions), we will return the equivalent miles for the second ticket (in multiples of 2). For example, if you redeem 2 tickets, we will return the miles of 1 ticket; if you redeem 3 tickets, we will return the miles of 1 ticket; if you redeem 4 tickets, we will return the miles of 2 tickets.

To me, it clearly looks like you have to make a reservation with at least two identical tickets and then one of those tickets gets credited back. Based on that, I think that if you were to make two separate bookings for two separate flights, neither of them would be credited. I could be wrong, but since you don’t get the miles back until after the flight, I wouldn’t chance it.

All-in-all, this could be a great deal for folks that want to go to South or Central America within the valid date ranges (which are good times to be in many of Avianca’s destinations).  That said, I’d take screenshots of everything to make sure that I get credited and I wouldn’t use it to get to Europe, simply because it’s so out of the way.

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