Avianca’s LifeMiles program has launched a new promotion offering up to a 165% bonus on purchased miles through September 2, 2025. This brings the cost down to as low as 1.25¢ per mile—approaching the best rate we’ve seen from the program in recent years and creating excellent opportunities for Star Alliance premium cabin redemptions at a fraction of cash prices.
With this promotion, you could book a one-way business class flight from New York to Zurich for under $700 in purchased miles—significantly less than typical cash fares that often exceed $3,000. Let’s explore whether this deal makes sense for your travel plans and how to maximize its value.
The current LifeMiles promotion runs through September 2, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CST. This is a targeted offer, so different members may see different bonuses, and some members may not see any offers at all. However, the standard offer appears to be a tiered bonus structure as follows:
You’ll want to check your account to see what specific offer you’re targeted for, as it could differ from the standard promotion.
Without any promotions, Avianca LifeMiles cost 3.3¢ each. With the current 165% bonus at the highest tier, if you purchase 200,000 LifeMiles (the maximum pre-bonus amount), you’ll receive a total of 530,000 LifeMiles for $6,600, which works out to 1.25¢ per mile.
This is one of the better rates we’ve seen from LifeMiles, though not quite as good as the 1.1¢ per mile rate offered during the 200% bonus promotions that occasionally appeared in 2020 and 2024.
The LifeMiles program limits members to purchasing up to 200,000 miles per account per calendar year, before factoring in any bonuses. With the current 165% bonus, that means you could acquire up to 530,000 LifeMiles in a single transaction.
Miles can be purchased in increments of 1,000, with a minimum purchase of 1,000 miles.
According to the program terms, the annual purchase limit including bonuses is 500,000 miles, but strangely, this promotion allows you to receive up to 530,000 miles with the maximum purchase.
Unlike in the past, LifeMiles purchases are now processed through Points.com rather than directly by Avianca. This means these transactions no longer code as airfare or travel purchases for the purposes of earning bonus points on your credit card.
Given this change, your best options for purchasing LifeMiles are:
Avianca LifeMiles can provide exceptional value for Star Alliance premium cabin redemptions, particularly because the program doesn’t impose fuel surcharges on award tickets. However, there are several important factors to consider before purchasing miles during this promotion:
It’s crucial to perform “dummy” award searches before buying miles to confirm that the award space you want is actually available through LifeMiles, as the program sometimes shows different availability than other Star Alliance partners.
Let’s look at some specific redemption opportunities where buying LifeMiles during this promotion could save you significant money:
Note: All examples are based on sample dates with available award space. Actual pricing and availability will vary based on your specific travel dates.
To put this current promotion in context, here’s a history of recent LifeMiles purchase promotions:
The current rate of 1.25¢ per mile is among the better rates we’ve seen from LifeMiles in recent years, though not quite as good as the 1.10¢ per mile offered during the rare 200% bonus promotions.
Before purchasing miles, it’s worth considering the many other ways to earn LifeMiles, as buying should typically be a last resort or strategic option rather than your primary earning method.
LifeMiles partners with multiple transferable points currencies, making it relatively easy to accumulate miles through credit card spending and welcome bonuses:
Most of these transfers process instantly or within 24 hours, making them a reliable option when you need miles quickly for an available award.
Avianca offers a subscription service called Club LifeMiles that allows members to purchase miles monthly at rates as low as 1.41¢ per mile, with additional benefits like:
This can be an economical way to steadily accumulate LifeMiles if you’re a frequent user of the program.
You can earn LifeMiles when flying on:
This LifeMiles promotion offering miles for as low as 1.25¢ each represents a solid opportunity, especially for premium cabin Star Alliance redemptions. The sweet spot is clearly in long-haul business and first class awards, where purchasing miles can save you 50-80% compared to cash prices.
However, it’s important to approach this promotion with caution. LifeMiles has implemented multiple unannounced devaluations in recent years, making speculative purchases risky. Additionally, the program sometimes has access to different award inventory than other Star Alliance programs, so it’s crucial to confirm availability before buying miles.
Before purchasing LifeMiles during this promotion:
Remember that this promotion ends on September 2, 2025, so if you’re planning to take advantage of it, make sure to finalize your purchase before then.
You can change your preferences or opt out at any time by clicking on one of the hyperlinks available at the bottom of each newsletter.
If you are already a subscriber and would like to unsubscribe, you can click on the link at the bottom of any of our e-mails.
