Avianca has its monthly bonus available on LifeMiles purchases, this time it’s 165%. That brings the cost per mile down to 1.25 cents, just below our reasonable redemption value for LifeMiles of 1.3 cents each. At that price, buying for a specific high-value redemption could make some sense (like business class to South America for 35K each way).
It’s worth noting that, although this promotion is tiered, you can get a 160% bonus with a a purchase of only 1,000 miles. That could make this particularly useful as a means to top-off your current balance to hit an award threshold.
In a recent installment of Ask Us Anything, Nick and I both mentioned that LifeMiles was our most commonly-used transfer partner over the last year or so. My wife was able to do roundtrip Lufthansa Business non-stop from Seattle to Europe last year as well as some Eva Air flights. We’ve also been able to redeem for good value on regional trips.
Keep in mind that these LifeMiles sales happen regularly, usually with a bonus between 140-170%. There’s no need to speculatively buy or worry about missing out. They’ll be back.
The Deal
- 165% Bonus on LifeMiles purchases (h/t: OMAAT)
- Direct link to offer – OMAAT affiliate link
- Promotion is tiered according to the number of miles purchased:
- Buy 1,000-20,000 miles, get a 160% bonus
- Buy 21,000-200,000 miles, get a 165% bonus
Key Terms
- The offer is available from 21 November 2023 to 5 December 2023.
- This offer is exclusively for LifeMiles members who register via OMAAT’s link.
- Minimum purchase amount is 1,000 miles, maximum is 200,000 miles.
- Each package of 1,000 LifeMiles is US$33.00
- Once the payment is made, the miles will be accrued within 24 hours to members account.
- Miles purchased may be accrued in separate transactions.
Best uses of Avianca LifeMiles
- Business class to Europe from 63K with no fuel surcharges. While 63,000 miles to Europe isn't Earth-shattering, what makes this particuarly exciting is the lack of fuel surcharges. Surcharges for Lufthansa are often $700-1000, so this can be a huge savings. There are many examples of routes inexplicably pricing far below the official award chart like JFK to Lisbon for 35K miles and mixed-cabin business class itineraries that price from as low as 49K (Check out The secret LifeMiles award chart and Avianca LifeMiles’ awesome mixed-cabin award pricing: First class for less).
- Business class South America from 35K. Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive Star Alliance pricing to both Northern and Southern South America with no fuel surcharges. Again, you can mix cabins on partner awards to save miles, which can be useful if you need a positioning flight. Flights on Avianca metal usually price out slightly higher than partners
- North America in Business for 10K. Avianca LifeMiles offers one-ways on United within a single "zone" at excellent prices (the US is split into 3 zones). Within a single zone, pricing is officially 10K one-way in business class. Pricing between Zone 1 (most of the East Coast) and Zone 2 (most of the states apart from the far west) is officially 15K. Many routes will price well below the chart for no obvious reason.
Things to know about Avianca LifeMiles
- LifeMiles Purchases are processed directly by Avianca and DO qualify as airfare.
- LifeMiles expire after 12 months of inactivity. Redeeming Miles does NOT count as activity, but buying miles does.
- LifeMiles generally does not pass on the fuel surcharges we see in other Star Alliance programs, making redemptions even more valuable.
- Availability at LifeMiles.com often doesn't match what you’ll find at United.com or Aeroplan. Phone agents usually do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. While it can be possible to book via E-mail, it is very slow and frustrating. ALWAYS check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
Past Lifemiles Sales
- 160% Bonus on LifeMiles purchases (1.27 cents each). November 7 – November 14, 2023
- 140% Bonus on LifeMiles purchases (1.38 cents each). October 10 – October 26, 2023
- 140% Bonus on LifeMiles purchases (1.38 cents each). September 12 – Sept3mber 27, 2023
- 145% Bonus on LifeMiles purchases (1.35 cents each). August 16 – August 30, 2023
- 150% Bonus on LifeMiles purchases (1.32 cents each). July 11 – July 28, 2023
- 160% bonus on LifeMiles purchases. June 13 – June 27, 2023
- 165% bonus on LifeMiles purchases. May 16 – May 30, 2023
- 155% bonus on LifeMiles purchases. April 18 – April 26, 2023
- 160% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. March 14 – March 29, 2023
- 165% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. February 9 – February 22, 2023
- 165% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid January 17 – January 27, 2023
- 155% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid December 15 – December 27, 2022
- 170% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid November 21 – December 2, 2022
- 155% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid November 10 – November 15, 2022
- 145% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid October 13 – October 25, 2022
- 145% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. September 1 – September 8, 2022
- 155% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid May 30- June 14, 2022
- 145% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid May 3-17, 2022
- 145% bonus on Lifemiles purchases. Valid January 19-27, 2022
- 175% bonus on LifeMiles purchases. Valid through December 6-13, 2021.
- 170% bonus on LifeMiles purchases. Valid through November 22-30, 2021.
- 155% bonus on LifeMiles purchases. Valid through November 9-16, 2021.
- 150% bonus on LifeMiles purchases. Valid through March 29 – April 11, 2021.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
