Frequent Miler's latest team challenge, Million Mile Madness, is almost done! The last two weeks Greg, Nick, and Stephen competed to earn 1 Million SAS miles by flying 15 airlines. But who completed the challenge with the most Speed, Affordability, and Style?
The Cardless Avianca LifeMiles credit cards are now featuring increased offers of up to 120,000 total miles on the Elite version of the card or up to 50,000 miles on the card with the $99 annual fee.
The Offers & Key Card Details
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Up to 120K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate Up to 120K miles: Earn 80K 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 |
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
50K miles ⓘ Non-Affiliate Earn 50K 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 |
Quick Thoughts
I’m still somewhat lukewarm on these cards in an environment where it is possible to earn as many or more transferable points (and potentially with far less total spend) that could then be transferred to Avianca LifeMiles. That said, if you would consider subscribing to LifeMiles+ anyway, then the Elite card might make sense at least for the initial 80,000 bonus points.
Whether or not you want to go after the additional 40K for what would be another $20,500 in spend in the first year is really dependent on your capacity for spend and your enthusiasm for LifeMiles. You could certainly earn a lot more LifeMiles for that much spend focused in other ways — such as category bonuses on transferable currency cards or with new account bonuses that could be transferred to Avianca. However, given that the LifeMiles+ subscriptions offer the chance to earn additional bonus miles based on credit card spend, your total return on spend could be reasonable if you’re able to pace it out over the course of the year and maximize your LifeMiles+ subscription. Read more in our initial analysis of these cards and about the LifeMiles+ subscriptions.
H/T: Doctor of Credit
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