(EXPIRED) LifeMiles award sale: 72K first class Asia->US (combine with sale on miles for cheap biz/first)

Avianca LifeMiles is offering a sale on Star Alliance award flights that can yield some great value, whether you have Citi ThankYou points / Marriott Rewards to transfer or you just want to buy miles cheaply. A current sale on miles makes it possible to buy a first class ticket from Asia to Los Angeles or New York from just ~$990 plus tax if you’re maxing that promo out. What’s more, there are lots of seats on at least one carrier, making it pretty easy to fly a family up front of that’s your goal.

The Deal

• Avianca LifeMiles is offering a sale on Star Alliance award flights on specific routes when you redeem by September 18th
• Direct link to this promotion

Key Terms

Here are the terms published by Avianca for this deal:

• The redemption of miles for air tickets is valid only through LifeMiles.com and the Avianca Call Center.
• Call Center and LifeMiles.com only accept international credit cards as a form of payment.
• Applicable taxes are not included and must be paid when making the redemption.
• A service fee per ticket is charged for redemptions made on Avianca Call Centers LifeMiles.com and must be paid at the time of the redemption. Redemption fee from $ 25 up to $ 80 + taxes, depending on the route redeemed, plus a late redemption fee of $ 40 + taxes also applies, if the ticket redemption is made 14 or less days prior to departure.
• Redemption dates: between August 30^th and September 18^th, 2018.
• Seats are limited, and may not be available on all flights and/or dates. Subject to availability of class X, class O and class I.
• Valid only for flights on STAR ALLIANCE airlines.
• The millage showed on the table is for one way trips.
• Date changes are permitted with the respective service charge.
• In case of cancellation, mileage, and the amount paid in cash or credit card are refundable subject to the terms and conditions of the LifeMiles Program and by paying the respective fee.
• You can purchase LifeMiles to reach the total mileage required for each route of this promotion.
• No miles earned with the redemption of air tickets.
• Tickets redeemed cannot be transferred to others.
• LifeMiles is a trademark of LifeMiles LTD. LifeMiles Terms and Conditions apply.  Available at LifeMiles.com

Quick Thoughts

This promotion only includes specific routes and directions, but the savings can be pretty substantial on some routes over using other programs. For example, first class flights between New York and Seoul are on sale for 72,000 miles each way.

That’s an excellent value compared to the 120K United would charge for the same flight.

It’as also a great deal when you consider two others things: A) You can buy LifeMiles really cheaply and B) Asiana releases tons of seats (see that first screen shot from LifeMiles.com — it shows five available seats. In first class).

Buy LifeMiles cheaply

One Mile at a Time currently has a promotion available for readers to buy LifeMiles as cheaply as 1.375 cents per mile. That makes a 72K flight like the Asiana first class option shown above come out to $990. Keep in mind that is one way and you will be on the hook for a further $66.41 (LifeMiles charges a $25 booking fee on top of the taxes you see with United). Still, $1056 for a nonstop first class flight from Seoul to New York sure beats the cash price.

See this One Mile at a Time post for more on the promotion to buy LifeMiles.

You can’t get cute by adding a leg

Those who have read Greg’s post on “Avianca LifeMiles’ awesome mixed-cabin award pricing. First Class for less” might be tempted to get creative by adding a leg to a flight like the one above. It doesn’t work here. ICN to LAX is also on sale for 72K one-way in first class, but see this screen shot from ICN to LAX to ORD.

That one comes out to just over 80K total, with the LAX-ORD leg in economy class. That’s still not a bad deal at just 8K more than the cost of a a flight from ICN to LAX in first (also 72K with this promo), but it did not yield my expected result based on the post linked above.

Several City pairs available on discount

Here is a direct link to the city pairs included. The following are notable routes that include US airports:

• JFK or LAX to/from Seoul, South Korea: 72K one-way in first class
• JFK to/from Beijing: 72K one-way in first class
• LAX to/from Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, or Seoul: 60K one-way in business class
• SFO to/from Taipei, Taiwan: 60K one-way in business class
• Chicago to/from Singapore: 74K one-way in business class
• See the chart for more options

Note that flights within Asia are also on sale, so if you’re looking to build a multi-stop trip, you may be interested in some of the other routes as well.

Bottom line

This sale has some strong value if you have LifeMiles or can transfer from Citi ThankYou points or Marriott. That said, while I don’t often advocate buying miles, that might make sense in some of these scenarios since the miles can be purchased so cheaply. In a post-SPG world, Greg has previously shown that a cash back strategy mixed with buying miles on sale might be the best bet for certain types of miles (See: Spending for miles. Best SPG alternatives.), and that might be the case here. That said, the ThankYou Premier is currently offering 60K points after meeting minimum spend requirements, so those who recently took advantage of that offer may find themselves well positioned for this sale. Keep in mind that you will need to book by September 18th to take advantage of this sale.

H/T: One Mile at a Time

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