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![Avianca LifeMiles Loyalty Program Review [2025]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Avianca-A320-close-up-1.jpg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1420)
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El Dorado International Airport (BOG), Comalapa International Airport (SAL), Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM)
Avianca, is the national airline of Colombia and has been operating for over 100 years.
The main hub for Avianca flights is El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogotá.
A Star Alliance airline member, Avianca joins the like of Air Canada, Air New Zealand, and Swiss International Air Lines.
The benefit of Avianca being part of one of the major airline alliances is that passengers can use miles for flights on any airline in the alliance. For example, Avianca miles can be redeemed for United Airlines flights.
LifeMiles is Avianca’s frequent flyer program where members have the opportunity to not only earn LifeMiles but also redeem them.
Elite status in the LifeMiles program is earned by accruing the required qualifying miles or qualifying segments between January and December of each year.
Qualifying miles when flying on Avianca and/or Star Alliance partners are calculated based on the actual mileage flown plus additional bonuses awarded by the fare class purchased.
The qualifying miles that you earn are the same miles that you’ll use to redeem for an award flight.
In addition to using miles for award flights, LifeMiles can be redeemed for hotel stays, car rentals, and experiences.
Bottom Line: To sum up, Avianca is a great partner to have in the Star Alliance because of the value you can receive when redeeming LifeMiles for award flights.
Creating a LifeMiles account is free. Simply head to this page and complete your membership application.
With a LifeMiles membership, members receive the opportunity to both earn and redeem miles earned in their account.
Your LifeMiles number or username and password are all that you’ll need to log in to your account.
Hot Tip:Avianca won’t show all of the Star Alliance award availability that you’ll find on the United and Aeroplan websites.
Follow these easy steps to check out the mileage activity in your account:
LifeMiles are valid for 12 months, and the only way to extend the expiration of those miles is to earn more LifeMiles.
The LifeMiles program has 3 elite tiers in Silver Elite, Gold Elite, and Diamond Elite.
By earning higher elite tiers, program members open up benefits that include upgrades, lounge access, and Star Alliance status matches.
As we cover each elite tier, it’s important to note that higher elite tiers include all of the benefits of the preceding elite tier.
Silver: The lowest elite tier in the LifeMiles program comes with these perks:
Gold: LifeMiles’ middle elite tier offers members the following benefits:
Diamond: Avianca’s highest elite tier provides members with these perks:
Hop over to the Elite Member Benefits page for an even deeper dive into the elite benefits available in the LifeMiles program.
Bottom Line: Avianca focuses on upgrades and lounge access as benefits that are available to elite members.
Avianca elite status is clearly valuable, however, you’ll need to fly Star Alliance airlines to make the most of it.
2 yearly upgrade certificates and additional lounge access is interesting for travelers who can earn Diamond status.
If you’re a traveler who values upgrades, lounge access, and bonus points from flying, Avianca is an elite program to consider.
Bottom Line: Assuming you can cost-effectively earn Gold or Diamond status, Avianca provides a host of perks that are worth it.
LifeMiles’ elite status is determined by the number of qualifying miles and qualifying segments that you fly. The program also requires that a portion of the qualifying miles be flown on Avianca flights.
Avianca members earn qualifying miles when flying on Avianca or with a Star Alliance airline partner based on the actual mileage flown plus additional bonuses awarded by the fare class purchased.
For each elite tier, a member must earn the required number of qualifying miles and qualifying segments.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the requirements were:
With Diamond, a maximum of 25,000 miles and 30 segments can be rolled over to the following year’s elite status qualification.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Avianca has reduced the requirements to qualify for elite status.
Bottom Line: The LifeMiles program resembles many changes we’ve seen to award programs where a portion of the qualifying miles must come from the host airlines, which in this case, is with Avianca flights.
LifeMiles partners with 4 of the 5 transferable point programs. In addition, its miles are frequently sold at a discount allowing you to use those purchased miles for an award flight.
Avianca also offers co-branded credit cards where you spend directly and earn LifeMiles without the need to transfer miles in from another program.
A combination of all 3 of these earning strategies will ensure a constant flow of LifeMiles into your account.
Qualifying miles are what you’re after in the LifeMiles program. The miles are determined based on the distance that you fly and the fare class purchased.
Avianca has an accrual page showing the number of miles that you’ll earn based on the fare class of your flight.
You’ll need to do the calculation on your end, but simply use Great Circle Mapper, and the accrual page, and add any bonus elite tier miles to determine what you’ll earn.
Calculating the miles that you’ll earn from Star Alliance partner flights is also easy. Head to the partner accrual page, select the airline that you’re flying, and see the flight accrual rates for your fare class.
Avianca has 2 additional airline partnerships with Aeromexico, GOL, and, Iberia. The accrual rates work the same as Star Alliance partners, so head to each airline’s respective page to see the miles you’ll earn.
Transferable point credit cards and Banco Popular will be your ticket to earning LifeMiles without stepping onto a flight.
With the 4 transferable point partners and 2 Avianca credit cards, you’ll have plenty of ways to earn Avianca LifeMiles.
Avianca has even more ways to earn its miles that don’t involve flying.
Check out the list of partners that include shopping, hotel, and rental car companies where your spending directly earns LifeMiles.
The last way to earn LifeMiles without flying is to keep a pulse on the Avianca Facebook, Twitter, and Promotions pages.
Hot Tip: Airlines like Avianca won’t allow you to double-dip by earning elite status miles at the same time that you’re earning miles from shopping, hotel stays, and car rentals.
The Avianca LifeMiles program makes it easy to both earn and purchase its airline miles to use for an award flight.
Avianca not only offers 2 co-branded credits for the U.S. market but the airline also partners with 4 of the 5 transferable point programs.
Banco Popular is Avianca’s co-branded partner that offers 2 credit cards for those who live in the U.S.
The Avianca Vida Visa® Card and Avianca Vuela Visa® Card cater to the low and medium annual fee market and also come with respectable welcome bonus offers.
We recommend looking into both cards if you’re looking to earn Avianca miles directly with your spending.
Amex continues to be one of the heavyweights in the transferable point credit card game and shows no signs of slowing down.
What’s great about Amex are the valuable Amex airline partners customers have access to along with the regular transfer bonuses Amex offers.
If you’re interested in the Amex program, here are the credit cards we recommend checking out:
Terms Apply / Rates & Fees
The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card® from American Express.
Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The American Express® Gold Card is a game-changer.
With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, up to $50,000 per calendar year, and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x.
There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.
When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 4x points in 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (on your first $150,000 spent each year).
The American Express® Business Gold Card is excellent at racking up rewards for your business spend.
The card earns a whopping 4x points per $1 in the 2 categories (from a list of 6) that your business spends the most money on each month. With no need to opt-in or preselect your categories, so you can focus on what matters most — running your business.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesEarn Membership Rewards for your business spending the easy way: get 2x points for the first $50,000 in purchases per year.
As a business owner, getting a credit card that maximizes each dollar you spend does not have to be complicated or expensive. Especially when you opt for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.
With the Amex Blue Business Plus card, you’ll earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases throughout the year (up to $50,000; 1x thereafter) and receive purchase protections and no-additional-charge employee cards all for no annual fee (see rates and fees).
The simple and straightforward earning structure makes it a great fit for those looking to earn flexible rewards, without having to fixate on which purchases earn the most points.
Let’s take look at all that the Amex Blue Business Plus card has to offer.
Citi is one of the 5 transferable point programs, however, it’s much more challenging to earn Citi ThankYou Points.
The reason that earning ThankYou Points is difficult is that the bank simply doesn’t offer the number of credit cards that you’ll see from the likes of Amex and Chase.
While earning ThankYou Points can be a pain, it’s not all bad news with Citi. Mirroring Amex, Citi offers airline transfer bonuses throughout the year to some of its airline partners, which helps to increase the value of its points.
More information on the Citi cards we recommend can be found here:
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card is a great all-around travel rewards card that allows you to earn big rewards on a variety of purchases like air travel, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and more, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.
This no annual fee card rewards cardholders for everyday purchases. Earn bonus points at supermarkets and gas stations, plus your points are rounded up on every purchase.
The Citi Rewards+ card is an excellent way to earn Citi ThankYou points with a $0 annual fee while receiving perks like point round-ups, a 10% point redemption rebate, and more.
Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!
The Citi Double Cash® Card has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!
This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points. This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.
Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.
Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, without an annual fee!
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is inventive when it comes to cash-back credit cards. Instead of earning a set amount of cash-back on predetermined bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle, with a $0 annual fee.
Thanks to that unique perk, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’re using the right card for the right purchase, as your Citi Custom Cash card will always pay you 5% back on whichever category you end up spending the most on each month.
It’s no secret that since the merger with SPG, the newly revamped Marriott Bonvoy program has come with a string of challenges for those looking to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points.
Challenges with the new program are well-documented, however, the program can be good for a couple of reasons.
The first deals with the transfer bonus. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that are transferred to an airline partner, you’ll receive a 5,000-point bonus in the form of airline miles.
Marriott Bonvoy to Avianca transfers are 3:1, so 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points become 25,000 Avianca LifeMiles with the 5,000-point bonus (60,000/3 = 20,000 + 5,000 bonus = 25,000).
The second positive with Marriott Bonvoy is that members have access to airlines unique to its program, like Alaska Airlines.
The main point to address with Capital One is that its business credit cards count against your 5/24 count. If you’re not familiar with the 5/24 rule, we have a post covering it in detail here.
Putting together the right strategy of Capital One business and personal credit cards will open up a ton of opportunities to earn more Capital One miles.
Everything you need to know about Capital One credit cards can be found in the recommended links below:
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.
Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.
Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.
Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.
Interested in a travel rewards credit card without one of those pesky annual fees? Then say hello to the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
In addition to no annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card offers no foreign transaction fees.
But is this card worth its salt, or is it merely a shell of the more popular Capital One Venture card?
Hilton Honors is a hotel partner but you won’t want to transfer points from it to an airline.
The reason is that the transfer ratio is terrible, and yields a subpar value.
If you’re topping off an account or are in a bind, those are the only reasons to transfer points from Hilton Honors to Avianca.
Using LifeMiles for award flights will yield the most value for your miles, however, there are additional ways that miles can be used.
Avianca makes it easy to see the amount of LifeMiles required for each partner flight by featuring the award charts on each partner page.
There’s a section that states “Find out how many LifeMiles you need for a ticket on xxx”. When flying on Avianca, you’ll need to run an award search to see the number of miles required for your flight. The number of miles is driven by the partner, fare class, and region.
It’s important to note that Avianca offers a LifeMiles + Money option. This means that you can reduce the number of miles needed by using a cash co-pay.
When you get comfortable running award searches for Avianca flights, check out the partner airline page.
With a handle on running partner award searches, here are a couple of sweet spots that yield a ton of value with your LifeMiles:
Hot Tip: If you want the full gamut of sweet spots, we have an entire post on the best ways to redeem LifeMiles.
The Avianca partner page is the place to go when you’re ready to use LifeMiles.
This is where it gets tricky with Avianca. Yes, the airline does have favorable award prices for some routes, however, Avianca is notorious for not showing the same partner space that you’ll find on United and Aeroplan.
Our recommendation is to confirm award space on United and Aeroplan first, and then find that award space on Avianca.
It’s in your best interest to avoid calling Avianca if you can.
Keep these general rules in mind when searching for award flights:
Hot Tip: Expert Flyer is the go-to site if you are searching for hard-to-find partner flights.
