Avianca LifeMiles is the frequent-flyer program of the Colombian airline Avianca. It’s also one of several programs that make it relatively easy to book Star Alliance award flights. Other popular Star Alliance award programs include Air Canada Aeroplan, All Nippon Airways Mileage Club, Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles, and United Airlines MileagePlus.
One of the main things The Avianca LifeMiles program is known for is the lack of fuel surcharges. Yes, the program offers competitive award pricing on some routse. However, the ability to book award flights with airlines that typically pass on high taxes and not pay taxes makes the Avianca miles that you earn that much more valuable.
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Credit Cards to Earn Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy. The points that you earn in these programs can be transferred directly to LifeMiles to book an award flight. Amex, Capital One, and Citi points transfer at a 1:1 ratio while Marriott points transfer at a 3:1 ratio.
The Amex Gold Card, Capital One Venture, Citi Premier Card, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant are cards to put on your radar. You earn 4x points at restaurants and US grocery stores with the Amex Gold Card. The Capital One Venture earns 2x miles (points) on all transactions. You earn 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and on airfare and hotels with the Citi Premier Card. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant earns 6x points at Marriott.
Additional Ways to earn Avianca LifeMiles
In addition to transferring credit card points to LifeMiles, another way to earn LifeMiles is by flying Avianca or by crediting Star Alliance partner flights to Avianca. Head to wheretocredit.com to determine where best to credit your partner flight.
A second way to earn LifeMiles is with an Avianca LifeMiles credit card. These cards are the Avianca Vida Visa Card and Avianca Vuela Visa Card. The miles that you earn from these cards can be used to be an award flight.
A third way to earn LifeMiles is to purchase miles during the program’s promotions. One of the most recent promotions offered A 200% Bonus Miles Opportunity.
The last way to earn LifeMiles is through Avianca’s non-airline partners like hotels and car rental companies. Booking your car rentals and hotels with the program’s partners earns LifeMiles.
Basic Avianca LifeMiles Redemption Rules
Currently, there is no Avianca LifeMiles award chart. So, when you’re looking to make an Avianca LifeMiles award booking, it’s helpful to know the program rules without a chart. For simplicity, here are a few of the most important rules to keep in mind.
- No fuel surcharges
- $25 fee for award flight bookings
- Avianca search engine does not show all Star Alliance award availability
- Stopovers are not allowed
- Award flights can be booked with a combination of points and cash
- Use aeroplan.com and united.com first to search for Star Alliance award availability, and then confirm the same availability on lifemiles.com
- No close-in booking fee (fee when booking flights close to departure)
- Each segment of an award ticket is priced separately
- There are award sales on select routes
Using the Avianca LifeMiles Search Engine
Unfortunately, LifeMiles does not show the same award availability that you see on aeroplan.com and united.com. Its search engine is limited meaning you need to search for award space elsewhere first. The flight you want to book may have available seats, however, LifeMiles may not allow you to see the seats.
Start your search with Aeroplan or United. After you find the award space, confirm the same availability on lifemiles.com. From there, book your award flight directly on lifemiles.com. Data points suggest the Avianca call center is not a pleasant experience. So, booking online is the way to go. However, if you need to contact Avianca LifeMiles customer service, the Avianca LifeMiles phone number is 800-284-2622. Alternatively, the Avianca LifeMiles email is support@lifemiles.com.
Best Ways to Use Avianca LifeMiles
1. ANA US to North Asia
From all accounts, ANA’s first-class is incredible. One of the ways to experience ANA first class is to use 90,000 Avianca LifeMiles to fly from the US to Japan. The North Asia region in the old LifeMiles award chart includes Japan and countries like South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Search for ANA flights on united.com, confirm the same availability on lifemiles.com, and then book the flight.
Examples of ANA flights you can book include:
- San Francisco (SFO) to Haneda (HND)
- Chicago (ORD) to Narita (NRT)
- New York (JFK) to Haneda
2. Star Alliance US to Europe
One of the areas where LifeMiles shines is that you do not pay fuel surcharges. This has the potential to save you a ton of cash. Especially, when you consider flying airlines like Lufthansa that have high taxes and fees. With 63,000 Avianca LifeMiles, you can book a one-way Star Alliance business class flight to Europe. If you’re up for it, 87,000 Avianca LifeMiles books you the same flight in Lufthansa first class. As of today, Lufthansa first class is likely one of the only first-class flights you can book between the US and Europe because of restrictions with other airlines and loyalty programs. Search for Avianca and United flights on united.com, confirm the same availability on lifemiles.com, and then book the flight.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Chicago–O’Hare (ORD) to Vienna (VIE) on Austrian Airlines
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Copenhagen (CPH) on SAS
- New York (JFK) to Zurich (ZRH) on SWISS
3. Star Alliance US to South Africa
With 78,000 Avianca LifeMiles, you can book a one-way Star Alliance business class flight from the US to South Africa. When you consider how long these flights are and the fact that you don’t pay fuel surcharges, these redemption is a great way to receive high value. Search for flights on united.com, confirm the same availability on lifemiles.com, and then book the flight.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Washington-Dulles (IAD) to Istanbul (IST) to Cape Town on Turkish Airlines
- Newark (EWR) to Zurich (ZRH) to Johannesburg (JNB) on SWISS
4. Star Alliance US to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is an incredible place to visit. What makes a trip to this region even better is that you can use 78,000 Avianca LifeMiles to fly a one-way Star Alliance business class flight from the US to get there. Search for Star Alliance flights on united.com, confirm the same availability on lifemiles.com, and then book the flight.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE) to Ho Chi Minh (SGN) on EVA Air
- Houston–Intercontinental (IAH) to Haneda (HND) to Singapore (SIN) on ANA
- Washington–Dulles (IAD) to Istanbul (IST) to Bangkok (BKK) on Turkish Airlines
5. United Transcontinental Business Class
If you’re flying across the US, using Avianca LieMiles may be the way to go. With 25,000 Avianca LifeMiles, you can book a one-way United transcontinental business class flight. Search for flights on united.com, confirm the same availability on lifemiles.com, and then book the flight.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- San Francisco (SFO) to Newark (EWR)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK)
- Washington–Dulles (IAD) to Los Angeles
LifeMiles FAQs
What airline is LifeMiles?
LifeMiles is the airline loyatly program of Avianca. The miles you earn and redeem in the program are called LifeMiles.
What are Avianca LifeMiles?
The airline miles you earn in the LifeMiles frequent flyer program are called Avianca LifeMiles. So, you redeem these miles to book the award flights mentioned in this article.
What are LifeMiles worth?
Data points (here and here) suggest LifeMiles are worth between 1.4 – 1.7 cents per point. Therefore, the goal is to receive at least 1.4 cents per point when you book an award flight.
Are LifeMiles worth it?
By redeeming LifeMiles for at least 1.4 cents per point, one could argue LifeMiles are worth earning.
How do I use my LifeMiles on Avianca?
Go to lifemiles.com, search for your award flight, and then book the flight on lifemiles.com.
Do Avianca miles expire?
Generally speaking, Avianca LifeMiles expiration occurs 12 months after the date the miles were earned. You can extend the expiration date of these miles by 24 months by spending on a cobranded Avianca LifeMiles credit card and/or having elite status.
Conclusion on Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca LifeMiles is one of the top Star Alliance award programs you can use to book award flights. Its partnerships with American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Marriott make its miles relatively easy to earn. You can earn additional LifeMiles by crediting partner flights to your Avianca account, spending on co-branded LifeMiles credit cards, buying LifeMiles, and spending with LifeMiles hotel and rental car partners. Overall, one of the best parts of LifeMiles is the ability to book long-haul flights and not have to pay high taxes and fees.
What’s your favorite way to use LifeMiles? How does LifeMiles provide you value? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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