Possibly the best deal this Black Friday so far...
LifeMiles, the miles currency of Colombian airline Avianca, has just dropped its biggest sale: a purchase with a bonus of 150% from 27 November to 3 December! In addition, it also offers up to 43% off selected routes on Star Alliance partners. Check out the details below!
Buying Lifemiles with 150% bonus
Traditionally, Lifemiles have only offered a 145% bonus. Additionally, the 145% bonus only unlocks when miles are bought at a level of 100,000 miles and above. However, right now, you can trigger the 150% bonus just by buying 1,000 miles, the minimum amount since miles are sold in blocks of 1,000 at US$33.
To get the 150% bonus, you must register from this link from a popular US travel blogger, One Mile at a Time. If not, you will only receive the 145% bonus,
The link will then show this image.
You will then need to key in your LifeMiles number, and you will receive a notification confirming that you have unlocked the 150% bonus!
Lifemiles members can buy a total of 200,000 miles per year, excluding the bonus miles. With the 150% bonus, you will be able to collect a total of 500,000 miles at US$6,600 as shown below. This works out to be 1.32 US cents per mile.
Redeeming Lifemiles
As mentioned, Lifemiles is also holding a redemption sale on some of its partner flights. Avianca is part of Star Alliance, the same alliance that Singapore Airlines, ANA is part of. Thus, Avianca Lifemiles has always been at the top of my list when I want to try different Star Alliance products, such as the United Polaris Business Class or even the newly launched Turkish Airlines business class, which boasts chefs on board to serve your meal!
Lifemiles is a valuable currency to hold because of its competitive award chart and that it does not pass on fuel surcharges to frequent fliers.
For example, you can fly from Taipei to Los Angeles for just 67,500 Lifemiles (discounted from 75,000 Lifemiles) on EVA Air. If you were using Krisflyer miles, it will cost you 115,000 Krisflyer miles to fly on the exact same flight, almost 2 times the amount!
You can find the full list of discounted redemptions from this link. This promotion is valid till 9 December, with no blackout dates on the date of travel. As long as you are able to find availability on the route, you’re good to go!
Perhaps one noteworthy from Singapore would be the route from Singapore to Tokyo Narita. The total cost of miles is 31k on a SQ/ANA Business Class trip, a huge reduction from the normal 47k SQ normally charges.
Conclusion
As far as promotions for buying miles go, this is one of the best offered to date. A solid 150% bonus with discounts on redemptions makes it a no-brainer if availability can be found.
There are some things to take note when buying Avianca Lifemiles though:
1) Lifemiles expire 12 months after accrual, so be sure to use them within that time period.
2) Changes and cancellations will trigger a charge of US$100 and above, and it cannot be done online. You will have to call in to make any changes/cancellations and with their main language being Spanish, it doesn’t make it the most convenient. So be sure to book a flight only when you are definitely going to fly and not do it speculatively.
3) The Lifemiles system has a track record of inconsistent award space. I had to search a few times before the award space showed up. My advice is to be flexible with routing and dates, and be patient with the system.
Finally, if you’re new to the miles game, Avianca Lifemiles is probably something that you want to exercise caution. But if you are able to add Lifemiles to your miles arsenal, Lifemiles is as valuable as any miles in the Star Alliance.
On that note, have a great Black Friday and good luck with the availability of flights!
Want to learn more about exotic miles currencies like Avianca Lifemiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles? Check out the Atas Accountant’s Miles Mastery modules here and be a master of flying premium cabins at cheaper prices!
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