Avianca LifeMiles apparently began offering family pooling a couple of months ago. That’s a piece of news we had missed until the announcement of last week’s LifeMiles credit cards, which include automatic Silver elite status. One of the benefits of LifeMiles elite status is the ability for an elite member to pool miles earned by their under-18 children with their own miles for free, which is a nice benefit for families traveling on paid tickets.
Avianca Lifemiles Family pooling
After noticing the mention of family pooling in the credit card details last week, I noticed that Award Wallet had flagged the launch of Points Pooling back in March. Award Wallet notes that family pooling isn’t free for non-elites but is for elite, though the LifeMiles website suggests that family pooling is “is an elite benefit exclusive to elite members, which allows them to transfer miles for free between the accounts of family members enrolled in the group, making it easier and faster to accrue and redeem miles” and the full terms and conditions page also says that “family pooling is an elite benefit that is only available to members who have any elite level, these being red plus, silver, gold and diamond:
The frequently asked questions lead me to believe that an elite member can include one other non-elite adult and up to 5 children under 18:
- How many people can I include in my group?
You can include up to 1 lifemiles member who is over 18 years old and up to 5 lifemiles members under 18 years old, so that you have a total of 7 people. Members could have or not an elite status.
My initial read of was that the pool could include the 1 elite member + up to 5 kids, but I realized that the math to reach 7 must include the elite member + one non-elite adult + up to 5 kids (and that’s consistent with info in the terms & conditions).
Those with Avianca elite status should find the ability to create a pool in the “elite benefits” section of their LifeMiles account on the desktop site or app. Note that once a child turns 18, he or she will automatically be removed from the pool, so this program is only for pooling with your minor children.
The elite member is the “head” of the pool and is the only person who can transfer miles between the accounts of the members of the pool. Members who join the pool agree to give the head person that ability to move miles between pool member accounts. However, each member of the pool retains the ability to redeem the miles in his or her own individual account as they wish.
This seems like a nice benefit of elite status for those who frequently travel on paid tickets with kids. I could see this being useful for someone who likes to credit Star Alliance flights to Avianca LifeMiles. For instance, the entire family could fly United and credit the flights to Avianca LifeMiles, later pooling the miles earned by the kids / spouse into one of the adult accounts. That could be a lot more convenient. My kids have miles with Alaska and American Airlines and it’s a pain to remember to keep those mileage accounts active. I wish there were easy pooling to put those miles with the ones earned my wife or I have earned.
Keep in mind that Silver elite status is one of the standard benefits of the Avianca LifeMiles credit cards, so this could be a nice side benefit of the cards for some.
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Nick, you haven’t talked about folks who got on the waitlist and could get an extra 10k – making the initial bonus 70k instead of 60k, which is fairly significant. Why do I think of that here? Because I foolishly signed up myself, but not P2 – but she has a stash of lifemiles whereas i do not. It seems like I could sign up for card, become silver elite, form a family group, thus getting the 10% kickback on redemptions.
Silver means double miles (1k/month) which also seems to reduce the “cost” of the initial spend – the initial 4.5k you should get an extra 3k miles if you spread it out a bit, worth $97.5 – assuming no bonused spend at all. That’s pretty close to the $135 at 3% cashback.
That all makes enough sense. Personally, I have a hard time getting excited about an airline-specific bonus of 70K miles in a world where Amex keeps the points parade marching with 130K Business Gold and 150K Amex Platinum / Biz Platinum (or better) offers, 90K Business Gold, etc. Then consider the Premier card at 75K or Venture card at 75K — with numerous transferable currency cards on the market that would yield more points that could be transferred to Avianca as needed (or moved elsewhere or moved during a transfer bonus to be even more valuable), I have a hard time getting very excited about 70K.
That said, as you point out, it could be justifiable.
I go by the penny-saved theory for transferrable currencies: if I can earn 85K avios directly, then my need to transfer for a redemption is reduced, leaving healthier stashes of URs / MRs / TYPs. Miles feel fairly fungible assuming you’ve got enough stashed away in various places.
Having said that, it follows I should not pull the trigger on LM. The 60k/70k offer isn’t bad, but there are better offers out there. For me, the CSP via referral would be significantly better, I can’t transfer them to LM but various other currencies would work.
That said, I rely on a steady flow of new cards for my points. I’m a poor FMster, I don’t really MS, and I’ve been gunshy of NLL amex offers having been freaked out by some RAT patrol 10ish years ago.
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I wish I had known about this before my I accidentally let my points expire. I have/had four family members with accounts that would have been more useful combined.
I had a Cardless product a couple of years ago, got the bonus and cancelled. Can I get the LifeMiles Cardless Bonus? Some say No Bonus For You, you had a Cardless card. What do you say Nick?
Nick, I too along with many others I am sure are in the same spot as Artie. Can you clarify if we would be eligible for a second Card less bonus? The internet is all over the place on answers to this, you are our go to source!
Nick Mangia
Nick why do you refuse to answer Arty’s question? Bad Optics