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Avianca LifeMiles Guide

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Before you read this guide, review "Points and Miles 101" to learn the basics of how it all works!

 

Want to earn more points to redeem through LifeMiles? Checkout our Recommended Cards!

Avianca LifeMiles can book some incredible deals on Star Alliance airlines - though it's a bit of a quirky program with some outdated processes and less-than-transparent policies and fees. The lack of fuel surcharges on partner airlines is a huge plus, especially for business and first class flights. Frequent transfer bonuses and discounts on buying miles makes this a popular program for those that are able to navigate the quirks. 

What have we booked through LifeMiles?​

Turkish Airlines business class ATL-Istanbul-Vienna - 63k* + $38 each

Austrian Airlines economy class Vienna-Zurich - 8k + $72 each

Lufthansa business class + United economy class Manchester-FRA-EWR-Louisville - 66.9k + $391 each

*the rate for this flight is now 70k points

The Basics
Book flights operated by:​
Best uses:
  • Star Alliance flights worldwide (including United)

  • United within North America

  • United/Copa/Avianca to Central/South America

Pricing structure:
  • Zone-based Award Chart

  • Select flights are sometimes priced lower than the Award Chart indicates (ex: SWISS business class JFK-ZRH is 55k points instead of 70k)

Fees/surcharges:
  • NO fuel surcharges passed on from partners

  • $25 partner booking fee (non-refundable) - does NOT appear in initial search results

  • $150 change fee, $50-$200 cancel fee*

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*we have found these fees to be waived if there's been a schedule change by the airline - even by a few minutes. However, it may take up to 7 days for the miles to be redeposited in this case.

Sample One Way Rates from US:
  • Europe: 35k economy / 70k business

  • Asia: 40-47k economy / 85k business

  • Middle East, Africa, India: 40-50k economy / 70-80k business

  • Australia, New Zealand: 40k economy / 80k business

  • Within US: 6-15k economy / 16-25k first

​​​​​​​Customer service:​
  • Phone support when calling from US: +1 866 919 0081 option 3

  • Limited support may also available on social media sites

  • Help Center

LifeMiles has been known to have poor customer service in the past. However, that has improved greatly within the past year. Wait times are generally minimal for the call center and the agents are friendly and helpful (though there can be a bit of a language barrier at times). But the change and cancellation process is something to be aware of before booking. A "change" is only for date changes - no routing or airline changes are allowed.

 

Anything other than a date change requires the entire booking to be cancelled and the miles redeposited. The phone agent will process the cancellation and then send an email link to pay the cancellation fee (it's a very generic email that honestly looks suspicious). After you pay the fee, a case will be created for the miles to be redeposited. This process can take up to 72 hours (even longer in special cases), so if you're cancelling to book a new flight, there's risk that the flight is no longer available once the miles are redeposited. It can also take up to 45 days for the taxes and fees to be refunded (and the $25 booking fee is non-refundable).

 

We generally only recommend LifeMiles if you're confident you won't need to change or cancel the flight. Speculative bookings with LifeMiles are not a good idea due to the difficulty of the cancellation process. LifeMiles also expire after 12 months of no earning activity (but transferring points in will extend the expiration by another 12 months).

How to search and book:

General note: the LifeMiles website can be a little difficult to use. We recommend first using another start alliance site like Air Canada Aeroplan or United MileagePlus to find partner availability and then go to LifeMiles to confirm the same availability before transferring points. If searching with Aeroplan, only the Star Alliance partners can be booked through LifeMiles. With MileagePlus, only the Star Alliance partners or United flights noted with "Saver Award" or Business Class (I) can be booked through LifeMiles.

Step 1: Create an LifeMiles Account
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This is required to search, and you will need to have a LifeMiles account setup to transfer points. If the site initially appears in Spanish, click the flag in the upper right to switch to English.

Step 2: After logging in, click "Travel" and enter route details and search
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The "Smart Search" generally works well, but you can also choose the appropriate airline or Star Alliance option from the dropdown menu. Since rates are set based on zones, it's best to search and book one way at a time.

Step 3: Select a date
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Available flights will *sometimes* be indicated by blue bars or dots on a date, though this is not always accurate. To make it easier to find availability, we recommend first searching through programs like Air Canada Aeroplan or United MileagePlus (note: when using United's site, only United "Saver Awards", "Business Class (I)", or flights operated by Star Alliance member airlines can be booked by LifeMiles).

Step 4: Review and select flight
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Nonstop routes are straightforward. If the itinerary includes multiple flights, you can "mix and match" business and economy class (below) to save some points!

 

The rates on this page do not include the $25 booking fee per passenger. This fee will be added when proceeding to the next screen.

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If you're searching a route that includes flights operated by Avianca, the results will initially only show Avianca flight options. Select the "Star Alliance" or partner airline checkbox to see more options. 

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A "club lifemiles" option will also appear in results that include Avianca flights. This is a subscription program that offers discounts on Avianca award bookings. Unless you're flying Avianca very frequently, it's probably not a good deal to join. 

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Step 5: Transfer points and complete booking

At this point, you have confirmed the flight availability and are ready to transfer your points to book. Transfers to LifeMiles are instant in most cases, but you usually have to sign out and back in to see the updated points balance in your account. Once the points post, search for the flight again and go through the booking process - it's pretty straightforward!

 

There will automatically be a "Miles Care" option added on the checkout page. This is a form of travel insurance that generally isn't worth the cost. We recommend deselecting this option and instead paying the taxes with a card that includes travel insurance.

 

To select seats: the LifeMiles record locator (a 6 digit alphanumeric code) might not work for a partner airline. You'll need to contact LifeMiles at +1 866 919 0081 Option 3 and request the partner record locator. Once you have that, you can go to the site or app of the airline operating the flight and use the record locator to manage the booking, select seats, check-in online, etc. This is also helpful because LifeMiles doesn't give you an option to add a Known Traveler Number for TSA PreCheck, but it can usually be added through the operating airline's site.

 

Tip: Aerolopa.com has the most detailed seat maps for all major airlines around the world. It's a great reference to use when selecting seats!

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