Afterward United has increased the reward ratio on some MileagePlus rewards to more than 100%best star league”sweet spot” rewards now come mainly from foreign airlines. While navigating a foreign airline’s frequent flyer program may seem daunting, the rewards can be substantial.
This is especially true for Colombia’s airline Avianca and its frequent flyer program LifeMiles.
LifeMiles offers very attractive conversion rates for star league award and additional unique features make this program worthy of your attention. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about Avianca LifeMiles.
How to earn Avianca LifeMiles
There are many ways to earn Avianca LifeMiles, but the most likely route for TPG readers is through partnerships with major companies. transfer points program. You can now transfer American Express Membership Rewards point, Capital One mile And Citi Thank You Bonus to your LifeMiles account at a 1:1 ratio. These programs sometimes offer transfer bonus – although not currently having any effect.
If you’re looking to top up your transferable points balance, you can do so by signing up for these top deals:
Alternatively, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a ratio of 3:1. Unlike most major shows, you won’t get 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer; Old LifeMiles is one of the programs lost this feature in 2022.
In addition to credit cards, Avianca often offers discount when buying LifeMiles. We’ve seen prices drop as low as 1.2 cents per mile in the past, though typical sales prices range from 1.3 to 1.35 cents per mile. These rates are significantly lower than TPG’s valuation by LifeMiles for 1.7 cents each. While speculative buying is generally not recommended, these rebates can be a good option if you have specific buyback intentions.
If you often travel on paid tickets with Star Alliance carrier, it might be worth considering crediting your mileage to Avianca. This may be recommended if you find more value in the LifeMiles program than other options like United MileagePlus or Air Canada plane. Crediting your mileage to Avianca is also beneficial if you don’t travel enough to Earn elite status but still want to maximize their chances of redemption.
Related: Where to credit paying flights in each alliance for as many points as possible
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How to redeem Avianca LifeMiles
As a member of the Star Alliance, Avianca allows you to use your LifeMiles for flights on Avianca or any of its alliance partners. Additionally, Avianca has partnerships with GOL and Iberia, offering the opportunity to earn and redeem LifeMiles on select flights operated by these airlines.
LifeMiles follows a standard region-based rewards chart for most flights. However, flights within the US sometimes deviate from the standard rewards chart. Dynamic pricing is often unfavorable. However, these differences are often in favor of travelers, providing favorable redemption options.
Here’s a one-way economy class flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) that’s 1,000 miles cheaper than Avianca’s award chart suggests:
Redeeming LifeMiles is usually a simple process that involves logging into the LifeMiles website and searching for the reward flight you want.
However, it’s important to note that while Avianca has access to the same Star Alliance rewards capabilities as United and Air Canada, its information technology is known to have limitations. This may lead to virtual prize spacewhere seats appear online but cannot be reserved.
In contrast, Avianca may not always show the available rewards space on United or Aeroplan. Therefore, you should double-check your search with another Star Alliance search engine or tools such as ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures) before transferring points to Avianca. This ensures you have correct and up-to-date information before proceeding with the redemption.
Related: The best site to look for the availability of Star Alliance awards
Sweet spot LifeMiles
In most cases, you face a trade-off between low bonus rates and high fuel surcharges or using more miles to avoid extra costs. However, LifeMiles is one of the few programs that excels in both respects. It offers highly competitive rates for Star Alliance awards and is non-transferable fuel surcharge for LifeMiles members. As a result, you may be required to pay minimal taxes and fees when redeeming award tickets.
First Class Lufthansa from America to Europe
Between Porcshe’s comfort kit and a delicious in-flight meal, Lufthansa’s First Class often a dream come true for award travelers.
United typically rates Lufthansa’s first-class award tickets to Europe at around 121,000 miles each way. Air Canada Aeroplan charges 100,000 points when award seats are available. While Asiana and Lufthansa offer lower rates, both programs impose high taxes and fees.
Meanwhile, Avianca offers one of the best ways to book a first-class Lufthansa on miles. Reward rates start at just 87,000 miles each way and carry minimal taxes and fees.
At 30,000 and 63,000 miles, the Star Alliance economy and business class prizes aren’t bad deals either.
For comparison, here’s what you need from other Star Alliance programs that work with transferable points currency:
- United MileagePlus: 44,000 miles in economy class; 88,000 miles for business; The first 121,000 miles
- Air Canada Aeroplan: 40,000 points for economy class; 70,000 business points; First 100,000 points
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: 30,500 miles in economy class; 81,000 miles for business; The first 121,000 miles (note that these will also incur a much higher fuel surcharge in addition to the extra mile)
ANA Business and First Class from Honolulu to Tokyo
If you want to get to Japan on a shorter daytime flight, you might want to consider traveling from Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
LifeMiles only charges 27,500, 48,000, and 66,000 miles for one-way flights in economy, business, and first class (respectively) between Honolulu and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT). These rewards are at least 10% lower than what Aeroplan, KrisFlyer and MileagePlus charge for the same route.
Business Class from US to Asia
As expected, award fares from the continental US to Asia were higher, with one-way flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) costing 47,000 miles and 90,000 miles in economy and business class, respectively.
However, this can still be a good way to reach the continent less miles than you’d like to see through other programs.
Business Class to New Zealand
Although premium cabin bonus space on Air New Zealand is notoriously hard to find, another LifeMiles attraction is its business class to Auckland Airport (AKL), with flights costing just 80,000 miles.
Since Aeroplan sells these prizes for 75,000 points, you might consider booking through Air Canada—though if you buy LifeMiles, it’s still a hot spot worth knowing about. For reference, this award is worth 110,000 miles with United MileagePlus.
Business Class to South America
LifeMiles also offers great rewards rates on some South American flights. To put it bluntly, a business class award ticket costs just 35,000 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru — a hidden gem for such a long flight.
Longer-haul business class flights such as from Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) cost 52,800 miles. However, that’s lower than the 60,000 points and 80,000 miles charged by Aeroplan and United.
mixed cabin award
When you are on a long-distance or first-class business trip, you often encounter mixed cabin award through LifeMiles. This happens in the following situations:
- When airlines do not offer first class on shorter routes, require passengers to connect in business or economy class
- When there is no prize space in your desired cabin
Most loyalty programs determine the reward rate according to the highest service class used. However, LifeMiles takes a different approach. They set a separate price for each leg of the journey based on the type of service booked. This often results in discounted rates for multi-cabin tickets.
In the example above, you could save 3,040 miles on a one-way ticket to Europe by starting your trip in economy class at Orlando International Airport (MCO). The total cost would then be just 59,960 miles. The flight from Orlando to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) doesn’t have award tickets in United’s domestic first class, so it’s a great way to still get the award tickets you want.
Also, even if there is room for your entire journey, you may decide not to use the extra miles for a shorter connecting flight. Even then, you can choose to save and save some of your rewards for later.
Related: The best ways to travel to Europe using points and miles
Problems with Avianca LifeMiles
While LifeMiles offers an attractive reward rate, it may not be the program for you. The program is known for its error-prone information technology and inconsistent customer service.
LifeMiles members often experience problems on the website when redeeming their miles. On one occasion, LifeMiles deducted mileage from my account for a simple round-trip, economy class European flight, but did not issue a ticket. While I was hoping an agent could sort this out quickly, it took about three hours and half a dozen agents to complete the process.
Additionally, if you pre-book an available economy and business class award ticket, LifeMiles requires you to pay a cancellation fee to resubmit your mileage. You can then rebook your flight in business class.
While you can save thousands of miles when you book with Avianca, canceling your ticket can be tedious and expensive. Usually, you can’t cancel your rewards reservation online, and Avianca is slow to refund.
Related: Book this, not that: Star Alliance Award Ticket
bottom line
Avianca LifeMiles is a frequent flyer program that has proven its worth in the award travel world. With attractive acquisition rates, no fuel surcharges and partnerships with major companies transfer points program, LifeMiles offers great value and flexibility to its members. While there can be some customer service challenges and quirks to navigate, the benefits outweigh the cons for many travelers.
So take the time to explore Avianca LifeMiles, delve into its attractions and unlock the possibilities it offers for your future travels. With a little research and planning, you can get the most out of this valuable program when considering where to transfer your credit card scores.
Additional reporting by Ethan Steinberg.
