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Buying miles and points strategically can represent a great value, especially for first class travel.

The LifeMiles program is offering a bonus on purchased miles. OMAAT readers who register can take advantage of a bonus of up to 150%, which is tiered as follows:

  • Buy 1,000-20,000 miles, get a 130% bonus
  • Buy 21,000-50,000 miles, get a 140% bonus
  • Buy 51,000-200,000 miles, get a 150% bonus

To take advantage of this exclusive offer, you will need to first register, and then you should see the improved bonus attached to your account at the time that you make a purchase.

I don't get any kickbacks from LifeMiles if you buy miles, I'm just happy to be able to give readers access to a better link.

Redeem LifeMiles for Brussels Airlines business class

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 500,000 LifeMiles at a cost of $6,600, which is a rate of 1.32 cents per mile.

How many LifeMiles can you buy?

LifeMiles allows members to purchase up to 200,000 miles per account.

Redeem LifeMiles for SWISS business class

Which credit card should you buy LifeMiles with?

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.

5x 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® from American ExpressThe Platinum Card® from American Express 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent directly with airlines American Express® Gold CardAmerican Express® Gold Card 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent directly with airlines American Express® Green CardAmerican Express® Green Card 3x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on airfare Chase Sapphire Reserve®Chase Sapphire Reserve® 3x ThankYou points per dollar spent on airfare Citi Premier® CardCiti Premier® Card 2x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on airfare Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardChase Sapphire 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 a further 8.5% return. The real cost of each mile goes down from 1.32 cents to 1.21 cents, which is an even better value, since this isn't cash in your pocket, but points in your pocket.

Is buying LifeMiles worth it?

You can redeem LifeMiles on all Star Alliance airlines without fuel surcharges if you choose to. This is a great way to book Star Alliance premium cabin seats at a huge discount and is the core value of LifeMiles. There are some examples of one-way award redemption rates.

  • US to Europe in business class costs 63,000 miles
  • US to Europe in first class costs 87,000 miles
  • US to Southeast Asia in business class costs 78,000 miles
  • US to North Asia in first class costs 90,000 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.

Redeem LifeMiles for All Nippon Airways first class

Everyone has to crunch the numbers 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 award searches before buying miles, so you can get a sense of how award availability lines up with your needs.

Redeem LifeMiles for Lufthansa first class

How much are LifeMiles worth?

I value LifeMiles at 1.4 cents each. There is tons of value to be had, based on the redemption values on Star Alliance partners. If you maximize miles you should be able to get more value than what I value miles very conservatively.

Do LifeMiles expire?

LifeMiles don't expire if you accrue some miles at least once a year. Buying miles will extend the expiration of your miles. It doesn't extend the expiration of your miles if you redeem them as such.

Redeem LifeMiles for Turkish business class

How else can you earn LifeMiles?

There are lots of options if you want to earn LifeMiles. There are a lot of ways to get Avianca LifeMiles, which is partners with several bank currencies.

There are lots of ways to earn Avianca LifeMiles

LifeMiles just launched a new promotion on purchased miles. Readers who register can receive up to a 150% bonus, even though the public offer is for 145%. You can get miles for as little as 1.32 cents each with a 150% bonus. The real cost could be even lower if you factor in the credit card rewards.

We have seen better promotions from LifeMiles in the past, but this is the best offer we have seen.

Do you plan on buying LifeMiles with a bonus?

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