LifeMiles is the frequent flyer program of Colombian-based airline Avianca Airlines. It is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs, considering its great redemption rate and its great price when purchasing miles. Two months ago, we mentioned how to use LifeMiles on ANA’s Airbus A380 Flying Honu.
Currently, LifeMiles is having a 2 for 1 miles promotion when purchasing miles and up to 31% discount when redeeming Star Alliance flights.
Buy Miles Promo
From July 16th to 31st, you can purchase LifeMiles with up to a 125% bonus. The bonus you can get is tiered based on how many miles you are buying. Specific bonus rates are as below:
When buying 101,000 to 200,000 miles, you will get a 125% bonus, making the per mile cost only 1.47 cents.
Click this link to access the buy miles page and get the bonus.
Redemption Discount
After getting the miles, you need to find a way to spend them that can maximise the value, the majority of the value is in redeeming towards First/Business Class. LifeMiles is offering up to a 31% discount when redeeming tickets on some Star Alliance flights from July 16th to August 14th.
Below are the routes that have discounts in First Class:
| Route | Cost |
| New York (JFK) – Beijing (PEK) | 81,000 |
| Washington (IAD) – Beijing (PEK) | 81,000 |
Below are the North American routes that have discounts in Business Class:
| Route | Cost |
| Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG) | 64,000 |
| San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) | 64,000 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN) | 64,000 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) – Shanghai (PVG) | 64,000 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) | 64,000 |
| Chicago (ORD) – Taipei (TPE) | 64,000 |
| Washington (IAD) – Beijing (PEK) | 67,500 |
| Vancouver (YVR) – Beijing (PEK) | 67,500 |
| Toronto (YYZ) – Shanghai (PVG) | 67,500 |
| Seattle (SEA) – Taipei (TPE) | 64,000 |
| San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) | 67,500 |
| Houston (IAH) – Taipei (TPE) | 64,000 |
| Vancouver (YVR) – Taipei (TPE) | 67,500 |
Below are the European routes that have discounts in Business Class:
| Route | Cost |
| Amsterdam (AMS) – Taipei (TPE) | 64,000 |
| Vienna (VIE) – Taipei (TPE) | 64,000 |
| Paris (CDG) – Taipei (TPE) | 67,500 |
| London (LHR) – Taipei (TPE) | 67,500 |
Below are the Asian routes that have discounts in Business Class:
| Route | Cost |
| Bangkok (BKK) – Seoul (ICN) | 25,000 |
| Hong Kong (HKG) – Seoul (ICN) | 19,500 |
| Hong Kong (HKG) – Beijing (PEK) | 19,500 |
| Hong Kong (HKG) – Taipei (TPE) | 13,000 |
| Tokyo (HND) – Beijing (PEK) | 17,500 |
| Tokyo (HND) – Shanghai (PVG) | 18,000 |
| Osaka (KIX) – Shanghai (PVG) | 19,500 |
| Tokyo (NRT) – Singapore (SIN) | 31,000 |
| Beijing (PEK) – Taipei (TPE) | 19,500 |
| Shanghai (PVG) – Taipei (TPE) | 13,000 |
| Hong Kong (HKG) – Singapore (SIN) | 32,400 |
Note that all the discounts above are available for both directions and most routes also have Economy Class discount. To view the full discount chart, go to this link and click “Review here”.
Should I Buy LifeMiles?
LifeMiles is one of the most useful and valuable frequent flyer programs in the world, in terms of its great redemption rate and low taxes and fees. LifeMiles does not collect any carrier surcharges, which makes it a great way to redeem tickets to Europe. Below are a few example usages that have great value at the maximised 1.47 cents rate:
- United transcontinental lie-flat Business Class for $367.5
- US to Europe in Lufthansa Business Class for $926.1
- US to Europe in Lufthansa First Class for $1,278.9
- US to North Asia in ANA First Class for $1,323
Note that LifeMiles usually expire 12 months after the most recent mileage accrual, including flight accrual and credit card accrual. However, any transactions that lose miles do not count, such as ticket redemption.
Bottom Line
This is a rare case that an airline is having two related promotions ongoing at the same time. With up to 125% bonus when purchasing miles and up to 31% discount when redeeming tickets, we can create some combinations of the two that have great value.
Are you planning to take advantage of both promotions? If so, which route and flights did you choose?