Great Card If
- You are a frequent Avianca flyer.
- You want a card that comes with automatic Avianca Lifemiles elite status.
Don’t Get If
- You rarely fly with Avianca.
- You fly with Avianca so often that it makes more sense for you to hold the premium version of the card.
Avianca Lifemiles Card: Is It Worth It?
The Avianca Lifemiles card may be worth it for you if you fly with Avianca frequently and want a card that not only helps you earn more miles on your daily purchases but also offers automatic elite status simply for holding the card.
In this case, adding the card to your wallet could provide a nice savings for you, as the complimentary Lifemiles Silver elite status comes with perks like premium seat selection, bonus miles, an additional baggage allowance, priority boarding, and more.
On the other hand, if you only fly with Avianca occasionally, you might be better off putting your daily spend on a card that earns transferable rewards, as nearly every major transferable rewards program offers Avianca Lifemiles as a transfer partner.
Avianca Lifemiles Card Top Benefits and Perks
Here are the benefits you can expect from the Avianca Lifemiles card:
- Automatic Avianca Lifemiles Silver status each year you hold the card, which includes:
- 20% elite bonus miles
- Additional checked bag
- Priority check-in and group B priority boarding
- Emergency row and Plus seat selection at booking
- 2 passes to Avianca lounges each year for the status holder and 1 pass annually for a companion
- 6 upgrades to business class in the Americas (subject to flight availability and not valid in basic or light fares)
- 4 premium seat selection passes
- 10% discount on premium seat purchases for you and your companions
- Keep miles from expiring: Typically, Avianca Lifemiles expire after 12 months of inactivity. However, as long as your Avianca Lifemiles card remains active, your miles will not expire.
- No foreign transaction fees: Continue to use your card when you travel overseas without paying foreign transaction fees.
Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Avianca Lifemiles
You can use your Avianca Lifemiles card to earn Lifemiles on your travel and daily expenses thanks to its 2x miles on Avianca and Lifemiles purchases, 2x miles on dining and groceries, and 1x miles on all other purchases.
Remember that the Avianca Lifemiles program is also a transfer partner of major programs, including Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards, so there are plenty of great ways to increase your Lifemiles balance quickly.
Plus, there are plenty of excellent ways to redeem Lifemiles for big travel savings, especially if you want to book business class award tickets with Avianca’s Star Alliance partners.
Alternative Cards to the Avianca Lifemiles Card
Depending on how often you fly with Avianca, it might make sense for you to take a step up to the Avianca Lifemiles Elite card. This is a premium credit card that comes with enhanced benefits, like 3x miles on Avianca purchases and the ability to double your miles earned with the card, up to 1,000 miles per month.
In addition to complimentary Lifemiles Silver elite status, the card also comes with a complimentary Lifemiles+ membership, which comes with perks like 6,000 bonus miles annually, 10% back on Star Alliance flight redemptions, up to 25% redemption discount on Avianca Airlines flights, up to 40% more miles on Lifemiles hotels and Lifemiles cars, and more.
For a similar annual fee to the Avianca Lifemiles card, you could instead add the Capital One Venture card, where you’d earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and an uncapped 2x miles on all other purchases.
Plus, the Capital One Venture card comes with a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit, no foreign transaction fees, and travel protections. Capital One miles can also be transferred to over 20 Capital One transfer partners, including Avianca Airlines at a 1:1 rate.
