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:
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.
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.
LifeMiles allows members to purchase up to 200,000 miles per account.
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 Express 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent directly with airlines American Express® Gold Card 3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent directly with airlines American Express® Green Card 3x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on airfare Chase Sapphire Reserve® 3x ThankYou points per dollar spent on airfare Citi Premier® Card 2x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on airfare Chase Sapphire Preferred® CardYou 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?