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The Avianca LifeMiles program has just launched its latest promotion on purchased miles, and there is an exclusive bonus for OMAAT readers. This is the best offer we have seen in a long time.
The lifemiles program is offering a 165% bonus on purchased miles through Monday, November 29, 2021. The best deal we have seen from the program in a long time is the 5% bonus that OMAAT readers can receive if they register first. The bonus for OMAAT readers is tiered.
Purchase 1,000-20,000 miles and get a 150% bonus.
Buy over 50,000 miles and get a 160% bonus.
Purchase 51,000-200,000 miles and get a 170% bonus.
I don't get a kickback if you buy miles with the OMAAT offer, but others are free to share and promote this offer as well.
LifeMiles can be used for the business class of Brussels Airlines.
How much does it cost to buy LifeMiles?
You can buy Avianca LifeMiles for 3.3 cents before any discounts or bonuses. If you purchased 200,000 LifeMiles with this offer before the bonus, you will receive 540,000 LifeMiles at a cost of $6,600, which is a rate of 1.22 cents per mile.
When you finalize your purchase of miles, make sure you see the price you are expecting. You should be eligible for the bonus when you register.
How many LifeMiles can you buy?
LifeMiles allows members to purchase up to 200,000 miles per account.
SWISS business class can be redeemed for LifeMiles.
Which credit card should you use?
LifeMiles processes mileage purchases directly, meaning that buying miles with the program qualifies as airfare spending. Since they offer bonus points for airline spending, you should consider using one of the following cards.
Membership rewards points per dollar spent directly with airlines or through Amex Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, and then 1x.
The Platinum Card is from American Express.
Membership rewards points are spent directly with airlines.
The American Express Gold Card is a credit card.
3x points per dollar spent on airfare.
Chase Reserve is named after Chase.
Points per dollar spent on airfare.
The card is called the Citi Premier® Card.
2x points per dollar spent on airfare.
The Chase card has a preferred card.
You can earn 5x points if you pay with The Platinum Card. I value those points at 1.7 cents each, which is the equivalent of an 8.5% return. The real cost of each mile goes down from 1.22 cents to 1.12 cents, which is even better value, because this isn't cash in your pocket, but points in your "pocket" based on my valuation.
Is buying LifeMiles worth it?
You can redeem LifeMiles on all Star Alliance airlines without fuel surcharges if you choose to. This is the core value of LifeMiles, since it is a great way to book Star Alliance premium cabin seats at a huge discount. There are some examples of one-way award redemption rates.
The US to Europe in business class costs 63,000 miles.
The US to Europe in first class costs 87,000 miles.
Business class from the US to Southeast Asia costs 78,000 miles.
The US to North Asia in first class costs over 80,000 miles.
Sometimes LifeMiles has promotions where redemption rates are better than that. I have a guide on how to redeem LifeMiles for more ideas.
The LifeMiles promotion can be a great value if you want to travel first class on All Nippon Airways or business class on a number of airlines.
LifeMiles can be used for All Nippon Airways first class.
Everyone has to crunch the numbers for themselves and make a decision.
LifeMiles doesn't have access to the same award availability as Star Alliance partners, for better or worse. Sometimes LifeMiles doesn't have access to partner awards that other programs do, and other times the inverse is true.
I always recommend doing dummy award searches before buying miles, so you can get a sense of how award availability meshes with your needs.
LifeMiles can be used for first class.
LifeMiles are worth how much?
I value LifeMiles at 1.4 cents each. There is tons of value to be had from Star Alliance partners. If you maximize miles, you should be able to get more value than that.
Do LifeMiles last?
LifeMiles are valid for at least once every 12 months. Buying miles will extend the expiration of your miles. Redemption miles don't extend the expiration of your miles.
LifeMiles can be used for Turkish business class.
How can you earn LifeMiles?
There are lots of options if you want to earn LifeMiles. There are lots of ways to pick up Avianca LifeMiles, which are transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou. Capital One or Citi points can be transferred to LifeMiles for a 25% bonus through December 17, 2021.
Is Avianca in Chapter 11?
In May 2020, Avianca filed for Chapter 11 protection. Even though the program is majority owned by the airline, LifeMiles isn't part of the bankruptcy proceedings.
In the past, I wrote about what happens to airline miles if an airline goes bankrupt.
It should be business as usual for earning and redeeming LifeMiles.
It is possible that the LifeMiles program would still exist in Latin America even if Avianca didn't emerge from bankruptcy.
LifeMiles would no longer be associated with a Star Alliance airline if that were to happen.
The airline has received a loan worth hundreds of millions of dollars and is in the process of exiting bankruptcy protection. I don't think there is much risk here, especially when you consider that global travel is recovering rapidly, and I hope the dark days are behind us. Things can always change, but they are as they are now.
There is some risk with buying miles, especially with no immediate use in mind.
Like most airlines, Avianca has faced challenges.
LifeMiles just launched a new promotion on purchased miles. OMAAT readers who register and buy miles can receive up to a 170% bonus, which is more than the standard offer. It is possible to buy miles for as little as 1.22 cents each, and that is potentially an amazing deal, especially when you factor in the credit card rewards, which could lower the real cost even further.
This is the best promotion we have seen in a while, so I think there could be value in picking up miles speculatively here. If you have redemption plans in the coming months, I would only recommend buying miles. There are opportunities like this that are worth considering. Everyone will have to make their own decisions. This is an excellent deal, but there is risk.
Do you plan on buying LifeMiles with a 170% bonus?
