Buying miles & points strategically can represent a great value, especially for first & business class travel.The Avianca LifeMiles program is currently offering a promotion on purchased miles. LifeMiles is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs for...

Buying miles & points strategically can represent a great value, especially for first & business class travel. The Avianca LifeMiles program is currently offering a promotion on purchased miles. LifeMiles is 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.

I first wrote about this promotion last week, but some data points suggest that more people are now targeted for the best-possible 175% bonus, so this could be worth another look. Furthermore, LifeMiles has added an award sale component to this offer.

Before I get into the details of this promotion, let me note that quite a bit has just changed at LifeMiles as of this promotion:

LifeMiles no longer sells miles directly, but rather these purchases are now facilitated by points.comThis means that we’ll start to see variable mystery bonuses on buying miles (so not all members will be eligible for the same bonuses); furthermore, there will no longer be an exclusive bonus for OMAAT readers who registerSince mileage purchases are processed by points.com, they’ll no longer count as an airfare purchase for the purposes of credit card spending

I appreciate LifeMiles’ partnership over the years in offering OMAAT readers a special bonus. As I’ve always disclosed, I didn’t get any kickback for it, but rather I was just happy to be able to offer readers a special bonus. I wish them all the best in this new direction, and will of course continue promoting these offers, as I’m a frequent user of LifeMiles myself.

With those points out of the way, let’s get into the details of this promotion.

Promotion on purchased LifeMiles

Through Thursday, December 28, 2023, the Avianca LifeMiles program is offering a bonus on purchased miles. The promotional email I received from LifeMiles indicates that one can get a mystery bonus of up to 175%, though not everyone is eligible for a bonus that big.

LifeMiles is offering up to a 175% holiday bonus

Some of the accounts I manage show a tiered bonus of up to 150%, as follows:

Buy 1,000-10,000 miles, get a 125% bonusBuy 11,000-20,000 miles, get a 135% bonusBuy 21,000-200,000 miles, get a 150% bonusMany accounts show a bonus of up to 150%

Meanwhile other accounts I manage show a tiered bonus of up to 175%, as follows:

Buy 1,000-15,000 miles, get a 145% bonusBuy 16,000-30,000 miles, get a 160% bonusBuy 31,000-200,000 miles, get a 175% bonusOther accounts show a bonus of up to 175%

As I covered in a separate post, one unique aspect of this promotion is that you can get a 10% rebate on award redemptions if you register, buy miles during this promotion, and then redeem for travel over selected dates.

Redeem LifeMiles for Brussels Airlines business class

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 that if you purchased 200,000 LifeMiles with this offer pre-bonus:

With a 150% bonus, you’d receive 500,000 LifeMiles at a cost of $6,600, which is a cost of 1.32 cents per mileWith a 175% bonus, you’d receive 550,000 LifeMiles at a cost of $6,600, which is a cost of 1.2 cents per mileBuy LifeMiles at a discounted cost

The 175% bonus is among the best promotions we’ve seen from LifeMiles in a long time, while the 150% bonus is more average.

How many LifeMiles can you buy?

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

Redeem LifeMiles for SWISS business class

Which credit card should you buy LifeMiles with?

With LifeMiles now using points.com, this means that buying miles no longer counts as an airfare purchase for the purposes of credit card spending.

Therefore I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach a minimum spending requirement, or otherwise, a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (review), Citi Double Cash® Card (review), or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (review) (Rates & Fees).

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. Really this is the core value proposition of buying LifeMiles, since this is a great way to book Star Alliance premium cabin seats at a huge discount. Check out my guide on how to redeem LifeMiles for ideas on how to redeem 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 a countless number of airlines.

Redeem LifeMiles for All Nippon Airways first class

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

Do note that in some cases 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 have access to, and other times the inverse is true.

That’s why I always recommend doing some “dummy” 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?

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

Do LifeMiles expire?

LifeMiles 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 as such doesn’t extend the expiration of your miles.

Redeem LifeMiles for Turkish business class

How else can you earn LifeMiles?

If you’re looking to earn LifeMiles, the good news is that there are lots of options beyond outright buying them. Specifically, Avianca LifeMiles is partners with several bank currencies, including Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou, so there are lots of ways to pick up these miles.

There are lots of ways to earn Avianca LifeMiles

Bottom line

LifeMiles is offering a promotion on purchased miles. This is a mystery offer, so different accounts are eligible for different bonuses. Accounts seem to be targeted for a 150-175% bonus on purchased miles, which has the potential to be a great deal. In addition to that, if you buy miles during this offer, you’re eligible for a potential redemption discount, which could add even more value.

Do you plan on buying LifeMiles with a bonus?

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