Avianca LifeMiles is one of our favorite airline programs because of its combination of unique sweet spots, the ability to manipulate awards to pay fewer miles than the rates listed on the published award chart and the fact that it doesn’t add fuel surcharges.
Last week, LifeMiles devalued first and business class awards to Europe, as well as first class awards to Asia. Despite that, there are still some significant value to be had within the program.
The purpose of this post is to provide an overview of the strengths of Avianca LifeMiles and also to serve as a reference when considering travel partners of the major transferable currencies.
Best ways to collect LifeMiles
Credit Cards
One of the easiest and quickest way to earn LifeMiles is through credit card welcome offers. Below are the current cards that earn LifeMiles directly:
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Up to 100K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate Up to 100K miles: Earn 60K bonus miles after $4.5K spend in first 90 days + 40K miles after $25K total spend in first 12 months$249 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: If you were already interested in a LifeMiles+ subscription, this card might be appealing since it only costs $9 more than the cost of 12 months of the "Lite" subscription (or you can enjoy the same annual $240 in value toward higher subscription levels with a $20 monthly discount). It could be worth getting the card for the Silver Elite benefits if you would have considered buying a LifeMiles+ subscription anyway. However, for ongoing spend, it is less compelling given the fact that many transferable currency cards offer superior return on spend. Earning rate: 3X Avianca purchases ✦ 2X dining and other travel ✦ 1X everywhere else Card Info: American Express issued by FEB. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Complimentary Avianca Silver elite status |
40K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate Earn 40K bonus miles after $3K in first 90 days$99 Annual Fee Information about this card has been collected independently by Frequent Miler. The issuer did not provide the details, nor is it responsible for their accuracy. FM Mini Review: This card could be worthwhile for those who fly Avianca enough to take advantage of Silver Elite benefits but not enough to earn that status. However, it isn't a great way to earn Avianca Lifemiles long-term. Earning rate: 2x Avianca purchases, dining, and grocery ✦ 1x everywhere else Card Info: American Express issued by FEB. This card has no foreign currency conversion fees. Noteworthy perks: Complimentary Avianca Silver elite status |
Transfer points
Avianca LifeMiles is a partner with many transferable points programs, which can be an easy way to accumulate miles. Standard transfer ratios are as follows:
| Rewards Program | Amex Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) | Chase Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) | Citi Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) | Capital One Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) | Bilt Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) | Wells Fargo Transfer Ratio (and transfer time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1 to 1 (Instant) | 1 to 1 (Instant) | 1 to 1 (Instant) | 1 to 1 (Instant) | 1 to 1 (Unknown) |
The programs listed above will also occasionally offer bonuses when you transfer their points to LifeMiles. Any current transfer bonuses will appear below:
| Transfer From | Transfer Bonus Details | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Amex Membership Rewards | 15% transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards to Avianca LifeMiles | 12/31/24 |
Buy points on sale
LifeMiles offers frequent sales on points. We will list any current offers in this post. When on sale, LifeMiles typically offers miles for somewhere between 1.2 – 1.4 cents each. Buying miles can sometimes be useful when obtaining them for high value awards.
Three ways to pay less for Avianca LifeMiles awards
Avianca LifeMiles is a very “hackable” program in the sense that there are a multitude of ways to pay less than the official award chart rates. There are generally three ways to save on LifeMiles awards: award ticket sales, award pricing anomalies, and mixed-cabin awards.
LifeMiles award pricing anomalies
Avianca inexplicably prices certain flights well below their listed award chart rates. We’ve written a number of posts about this phenomenon, including:
For reasons that aren’t clear, these anomalies pop up in various regions and routes. In many cases, the reduced pricing has stuck around for years and makes for good sweet spots on select routes. You never know when you might stumble on one of these strange sweet spots that may fit your needs.
LifeMiles+ subscription
LifeMiles+ is a new subscription offering from Avianca LifeMiles. All subscription levels include a 10% rebate on all of your LifeMiles award redemptions. This includes Star Alliance awards as well as awards on other partner airlines. These miles are added to your account within 15 days of redemption.
There are four different subscription levels. The “lite” version is complimentary for cardholders of the LifeMiles Elite Amex card, while the Basic, Pro, and Max subscription levels include free award changes and cancellations.
Details and pricing are as follows:
Award ticket sales
LifeMiles occasionally puts flights to select regions on sale for reduced-rate award tickets. This most commonly happens for awards to Asia or South America, though it’s possible that they may offer sales to other regions as well. It’s worth keeping your eye out for emails from LifeMiles and/or subscribing to your favorite blogs to be alerted when a region is on sale.
Using mixed-cabin awards for lower prices
Perhaps the best tip for the lowering the price of an Avianca LifeMiles award to use mixed-cabin awards, which is when a portion of the itinerary is in business and the rest is in economy.
LifeMiles prices mixed-cabin awards based on a rough percentage of the distance traveled in each cabin. In other words, if you book a trip that is 10,000 miles in total distance and you will travel 4,000 miles of it in economy class and 6,000 miles of it in business class, Avianca will charge roughly 40% of the economy class price for that itinerary and 60% of the business class price (there are some other variables as well and the price doesn’t break down exactly according to these percentages). This can create some great opportunities in the right situation.
For example, flying from Paris to Washington D.C. should ordinarily cost 70,000 LifeMiles in business class. However, if you add on an economy class flight to your itinerary – such as Houston in the example below – the total cost will reduce, despite you flying farther. In this example, the Paris to Washington D.C. portion in business class prices out at 53,320 LifeMiles, with the D.C. to Houston leg costing 8,820 miles for a total cost of 62,140 miles.
That represents a savings of 7,860 miles — over 10% less than the cost of Paris to DC alone. If you only wanted to travel to Washington, you could conceivably get off the plane there, not take the connecting flights and save some miles.
Be aware that there are some potential issues. First, if there are irregular operations, you may end up rebooked on a route that doesn’t connect at Dulles. If your bags get misplaced and don’t show up when you do (you’ll need to collect them and pass through customs at your first point of entry to the US), United is probably going to try to deliver them to you in Houston.
Additionally, Airlines don’t like people taking advantage of this type of ticketing loophole on paid tickets, so it’s possible that United and/or Avianca might get upset if you make a habit of doing this regularly. On the other hand, people miss connecting flights all the time, so if you do this occasionally it may not even be noticed.
Avianca LifeMiles now (usually) charges 90K miles one way in business class from the US to North Asia. Here is an award flight from Seattle to Tokyo in business class:
However, if you instead book Seattle to Singapore and take the same flight above combined with an economy class leg to Singapore, you’ll only pay 58,150 miles one way — a savings of more than 35% over booking the flight from Seattle to Tokyo alone:
Avianca LifeMiles Sweet Spots (Economy Class)
*The rates shown below are generally before considering the previously discussed methods to reduce the price.
Africa in economy from 40K each way
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive pricing for Star Alliance awards with no fuel surcharges.
- Miles required: Officially, 40K each way in economy class to South Africa (which includes most of Africa) or 42.5K each way to North Africa (and the Middle East). Note that there is sometimes variance (See: The secret LifeMiles award chart), though we are not aware of any such pricing anomalies to Africa.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account).
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
- Key warnings:
- 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.
- LifeMiles expire after 12 months of inactivity. Redeeming Miles does NOT count as activity, but buying miles or transferring from a bank partner does.
- Transfer from: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo. Also can transfer from Marriott Bonvoy.
Caribbean in economy for 12.5K one-way
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers one-ways on United to the “rest of North America” (i.e. not the US) for 17,500 miles each way in economy class.
- Miles required: 17,500 miles each way in economy or 30,000 in business for flights to the Caribbean.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
- Transfer from: Amex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
Europe in economy: 20-30K each way (exceptions from 16.5K one-way)
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles increased award costs in 2024, but sometimes still offers the best deal for Star Alliance awards, particularly from the west coast.
- Miles required: 22.5K one-way from the Northeastern US to the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Russia or 35K one-way on all other routes between the US and Europe. However, in the past we have seen inexplicable variance (See: The secret LifeMiles award chart), with some routes pricing well under the expected price. Also see: Trying to crack the LifeMiles secret code to Europe.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com and it seems that manual bookings via email have ended. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points. Keep in mind that the mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Cash, Citi Thank You, Capital One, Marriott Bonvoy
North America from 7.5K in economy (or less on some routes)
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers one-ways on United within a single "zone" at excellent prices. Some flights price even less than the "official" rates.
- Miles required: As per the old award chart, the US is split into 3 zones. Within a single zone, awards typically cost 7.5K one-way in economy class or 10K one-way in business class. Between Zone 1 (most of the East Coast) and Zone 2 (most of the states apart from the far west) is 10K one-way in economy or 15K in business class. Note that some routes price below the chart for no clear reason. Note also that mixed-cabin itineraries can price favorably in some instances. See: Avianca LifeMiles' awesome mixed-cabin award pricing. First class for less.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com.
- Change and cancellation fees: Theoretically $50 within a region, though flights between regions can cost $200 to cancel.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
- Transfer from: Amex, Bilt, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
South America in economy from 20K/30K or less
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive Star Alliance pricing to both Northern and Southern South America with no fuel surcharges. Note that you can mix cabins on partner awards to save miles, which means that in some cases you can fly your long-haul flight in business class for not much more.
- Miles required: According to the old award chart, flights to Northern South America are 20K each way in economy class and Southern South America costs 30K one way in economy class. However, flights on Avianca metal may price out at less than 20K each way in some instances (and always keep your eye out for Avianca pricing anomalies).
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
- Transfer from: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo, Marriott.
Avianca LifeMiles Sweet Spots (Business and First Class)
*The rates shown below are generally before considering the previously discussed methods to reduce the price.
Asia in business class from 85K one-way
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles has reasonable-ish business class rates to Asia and may still be a good deal since they are semi-hackable by finding the right partners and/or adding a long economy class leg.
- Miles required: From 85K each way in business or 120K each way in first class, no fuel surcharges. Those prices are not very good, but note two things: first, there is sometimes variance by partner or city pair (See: The secret LifeMiles award chart). Second, it is possible to pay less by combining a long-haul premium cabin flight with a long-haul economy class flight. See: Avianca LifeMiles’ awesome mixed-cabin award pricing: First class for less).
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account). Note that you may need to toggle between "Smart Search", "Star Alliance", and a specific airline in the drop-down menu above city pair to find availability.
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible. In a pinch, you can try a manual booking, though that process is quite slow and is best used when you aren't concerned about award availability changing.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points (and keep in mind the need to toggle between Smart Search, Star Alliance, and an individual airline when searching to see all availability). The mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
- Transfer from: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo, Marriott.
Africa in business class for 78K each way or first class for 105K each way
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive pricing for Star Alliance awards with no fuel surcharges.
- Miles required: Officially, 78K each way in business or 105K each way in first class with no fuel surcharges. Note that there is some variance (See: The secret LifeMiles award chart). Also see: Avianca LifeMiles’ awesome mixed-cabin award pricing: First class for less for ways to fly first class for even fewer miles). In short, it is possible to pair the long-haul flights in business with connecting segments in economy class to pay fewer total miles.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible. Finally, it may be possible to email for a manual booking if individual segments are available but don't show up together.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points. Keep in mind that the mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou points, Capital One miles, Marriott Bonvoy
Europe in business class for 70K each way
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive business class pricing for Star Alliance awards to Europe, with no fuel surcharges.
- Miles required: 70K each way in business class with no fuel surcharges. Note that there is some variance, with some routes pricing well below the official award chart, such as the US Northeast to Ireland and the UK for 45K miles in business class (See: The secret LifeMiles award chart). Also see: Avianca LifeMiles’ awesome mixed-cabin award pricing for ways to fly for even fewer miles).
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account) or with any of several tools that support LifeMiles (see: Which award search tool is best?)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points. Keep in mind that the mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
- Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Citi Thank You, Bilt, Wells Fargo, Marriott Bonvoy
North America from 10K in business class (or less on some routes)
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers one-ways on United within a single "zone" at excellent prices. Some flights price even less than the "official" rates.
- Miles required: As per the old award chart, the US is split into 3 zones. Within a single zone, awards typically cost 7.5K one-way in economy class or 10K one-way in business class. Between Zone 1 (most of the East Coast) and Zone 2 (most of the states apart from the far west) is 10K one-way in economy or 15K in business class. Note that some routes price below the chart for no clear reason. Note also that mixed-cabin itineraries can price favorably in some instances. See: Avianca LifeMiles' awesome mixed-cabin award pricing. First class for less.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com.
- Change and cancellation fees: Theoretically $50 within a region, though flights between regions can cost $200 to cancel.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
- Transfer from: Amex, Bilt, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
Oceania for 80K each way in business class
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles might have somewhat hackable awards if you could find premium cabin space on the long-haul.
- Miles required: 80K miles in business class from the US to Australia / New Zealand / Oceania, but see Avianca LifeMiles' awesome mixed-cabin award pricing for info on how this might be hackable if premium space exists. Note also that Air New Zealand economy class flights price lower than the chart shows for flights to/from Los Angeles. Business class may also price lower if you can find availability.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you'll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
South America in business class from 35K one-way
- The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive Star Alliance pricing to both Northern and Southern South America with no fuel surcharges. Note that you can mix cabins on partner awards to save miles, which can be useful if you need a positioning flight.
- Miles required: According to the old award chart, flights to Northern South America are 35K each way in business class, Brazil is 50k and the rest of Southern South America costs 60K one way. Flights on Avianca metal usually price out slightly differently, from 40K - 55K.
- How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
- How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
- Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points.
- Transfer from: Amex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
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I have tons of LifeMiles…and can’t ever find flights I want to spend them on. I have had to transfer (minimum) points to LifeMiles for the past two years just to keep them from expiring. The bigger issue is the LifeMiles website – it’s just a disaster. The inconsistent results depending on the individual carrier selection vs Smart Search vs Star Alliance is just the beginning. Even when you do select somethng like Smart Search (the default), any results you might be presented with may have a prompt to “View Additional Airlines” – again, what’s the point of a Smart Search if it’s not already doing this for you – but checking the box in front of any unchecked option presented doesn’t actually change the display results from what I can tell.
Selecting the cabin (Economy vs First/Business) does absolutely nothing; you still will see Economy. You have to open each and every flight option – assuming there are any – to see if there is any First/Business options available anyway.
The search results page seldom displays the actual dates across the top and displays a blank circle instead; if you’re lucky, one of the days might display the day number to let you extrapolate the other 4 blank circles. No options in the 5 day period showing? You can advance in either direction by only 2 days at a time – why? You’ve already seen the other 3 days that are being displayed. Do this a few times and you won’t even know what dates you’re looking at (see previous mention of dates not showing up on search results).
Want to edit a parameter of your search? You have to start completely over – the site can’t retain simple things like departure/destination or dates. Selecting dates from the displayed calendars is time consuming because advancing through the months is a timely affair since the screen doesn’t refresh and display quickly. And you have to do this every single time you want to make any small change to an existing search.
Then there are the award booking fees and the change/cancellation fees…and the expiring points. And you will almost always have to call in to complete an online booking anyway because LifeMiles can’t seem to successfully process a simple credit card transaction…and then wait again for final confirmation by email.
It’s an exercise in frustration and often in futility. Why can’t a major airline rewards program just get basic website functionality to work?
When – and if – I can ever actually use my LifeMiles points to find and book a meaningful international flight, I certainly won’t be looking to accumulate these points again unless they can improve the website and First/Business availability…
and to off with you’ve said – they’ll charge a $25 booking fee for calling in to book! Smh
Although one of your “favorites”, I find Life Miles to be the most difficult and annoying site to book awards-super glitchy!
During the recent travel challenge Nick and Tim ran into issues with Avianca. Any list of possible risks and mitigation paths?
Thanks!
Does the EWR-LIS have any seasonality in pricing or have they nerf’d it? Seeing 63K lately.
Nevermind, realized it has to be TAP for that.
If I book a United flight with LifeMiles, say international economy, does my United elite status give me the same perks it would had I booked it with United miles? My concern is getting stuck in a “bad” coach seat without the (free) ability to upgrade say to economy plus.
Your section on lifemiles+ subscriptions has incomplete sentence/something missing.
Greg, please help me understand the coding. Isn’t “I” space Business Class Saver Award seats. I understand that United is no longer making their Business Class seats available for LifeMiles booking. However, I am looking at a few flights on May 7th, TLV-ORD, that do not involve travel on United, I space availability, yet these flights do not show up on LifeMiles. Have Luftansa, Lot and Austrian followed the same path as United?
Thank you in advance
cant find anything on LM site for Asia in Business next few months
Lifemiles has blocked all Luftansa Flights award. I am not able to see any award flights for Luftansa from US (Specially SFO). Can Greg please confirm if this is correct or some site issue ?
I just checked SFO-MUC April 29th and biz class came right up. The trick is to search for economy and biz and first class will still appear in the results. Or, just use AwardTool since it does a good job of finding Lifemiles awards
United blocking some award seats to partners will impact the ease of using Lifemiles for getting to/from a US gateway and your home airport. It may require you to do a UA award to/from your home airport then a Lifemiles award for the main part of the trip. Not the end of the world but a pain and probably a slight increase in # of overall miles.
Is there a way to search for award space at Avianca that’s *not* lifemiles.com? Such a slow, buggy platform….
Unfortunately, you’re gonna have to search using the Lifemiles website. And just because other airline websites show a flight is available with miles, doesn’t mean it’ll be available on Lifemiles. It’s a hit or miss. Its only redeeming properties are generally reasonable mileage prices and no fuel surcharges, which is really helpful for Lufthansa First Class, for example.
Yes, use an award search tool. Many of them, including the free versions, support LifeMiles. I like to use both PointsYeah and AwardTool because results are unpredictable (especially with LifeMiles) and sometimes show up on one but not the other. See details of tools here: https://frequentmiler.com/which-award-search-tool-is-best/