DEAL: Buy Avianca Lifemiles with a 200% bonus (1.1 cent/mile) until Sep 30

The Avianca LifeMiles program has just launched its newest promotion on purchased miles, which is the best promotion we can recall seeing from the program. Note that nowadays LifeMiles promotions are generally targeted, so different members may see different offers, and some members may not see any offers at all.

Fly Brussels Airlines business class with LifeMiles (Source: Brussels Airlines)

We find this to be one of the most useful frequent flyer programs for redeeming miles, thanks to the ability to redeem for long-haul premium cabin Star Alliance awards. Keep in mind that you can get even more value with a LifeMiles+ subscription, and LifeMiles’ credit cards offer a discount on that.

However, LifeMiles did recently devalue some redemptions, so that’s worth keeping in mind, and we recommend pricing out awards for yourself to see if you can get outsized value.

Promotion on Purchased LifeMiles

Through Monday, September 30, 2024, the Avianca LifeMiles program is offering a bonus on purchased miles. Different members may be targeted for different offers, and the best promotion we see on any account we manage is for a bonus of up to 200%, structured as follows:

• Buy 1,000 miles, get a 120% bonus

• Buy 2,000-20,000 miles, get a 140% bonus

• Buy 21,000-40,000 miles, get a 160% bonus

• Buy 41,000-200,000 miles, get a 200% bonus

Make sure to check your account to see what offer you’re targeted for.

LifeMiles promotion (Source: Avianca)

How much does it cost to buy LifeMiles?

Ordinarily, you can buy Avianca LifeMiles for 3.3 cents each, before any discounts or bonuses. That means if you purchased 200,000 LifeMiles (pre-bonus) with this offer, you’d receive a total of 600,000 LifeMiles for $6,600, which is a cost of 1.1 cents per mile.

How many LifeMiles can you buy?

The LifeMiles program lets members purchase up to 200,000 miles per account per calendar year, before factoring in any bonuses.

Is buying LifeMiles worth it?

For context, Avianca is in the Star Alliance, which means you can redeem LifeMiles on all Star Alliance airlines without any fuel surcharges. This is the core value proposition of buying LifeMiles, as it’s a great way to book Star Alliance premium cabin seats at a huge discount. Check out our guide on how to redeem LifeMiles for ideas on how to use these miles.

With a specific use in mind, this LifeMiles promotion can be a great value, whether you’re looking at traveling first class on All Nippon Airways or Lufthansa or are looking at traveling in business class on numerous airlines.

Everyone has to crunch the numbers for themselves and decide whether this makes sense or not.

Fly Turkish Airlines business class with LifeMiles (Source: Turkish Airlines)

Do note that in some cases LifeMiles doesn’t have access to the same award availability as Star Alliance partners. Sometimes LifeMiles doesn’t have access to partner awards that other programs do have, and other times the inverse is true.

That’s why we always recommend doing some “dummy” award searches before buying miles, so you can gauge how award availability aligns with your needs.

How much are LifeMiles worth?

Everyone will value mileage currencies differently, but we personally value LifeMiles at ~1.4 cents each. That’s based on the redemption values on Star Alliance partners, as there’s plenty of value to be had. We tend to value miles conservatively, so if you’re maximizing miles, you should be able to get even more value than that.

Do LifeMiles expire?

Miles with the LifeMiles program don’t expire as long as you accrue some miles at least once every 12 months. Any mileage-earning activity, including buying miles, will extend the expiration of your miles. However, redeeming miles alone doesn’t extend the expiration of your miles.

Bottom line

The Avianca LifeMiles program is offering a promotion on purchased miles. Different members may be eligible for different offers, though it appears the best promotion is for a 200% bonus, which kicks in when you purchase at least 41,000 miles in one transaction. This is an opportunity to acquire miles for 1.1 cents each. This is the lowest cost we can recall seeing on buying LifeMiles, so it’s a phenomenal opportunity if you have the right use in mind.