While navigating a foreign airline’s frequent flyer program may seem daunting, your savings on award travel can be significant. This is particularly true for Colombian airline Avianca and its unique Lifemiles frequent flyer program.

Avianca Lifemiles offers useful Star Alliance redemption opportunities and generally does not pass along carrier-imposed fuel surcharges. However, repeated pricing changes and occasional booking glitches mean you should confirm the award you want before transferring points or miles and that the program is generally better suited to intermediate and advanced points and miles enthusiasts.

Here’s what you need to know about earning and redeeming Avianca Lifemiles, elite status and the program’s most useful sweet spots.

How to earn Avianca Lifemiles

You can earn Lifemiles by flying Avianca, Star Alliance airlines (such as United Airlines, Lufthansa and Air Canada) and other carriers like Iberia and Gol Airlines. You can also earn on Avianca-coded flights operated by Clic Air, although Clic is not a general stand-alone award partner.

On Avianca-operated flights, redeemable earnings are based on eligible spending and the fare type. Current rates are 3 miles per dollar spent on Basic and Light fares, 6 miles per dollar spent on Classic fares, 8 miles per dollar spent on Flex fares and 10 miles per dollar spent on Business fares. Elite members can earn additional bonus miles. Partner airline earnings depend on the operating airline and the fare class, so check the applicable earning chart before deciding where to credit your flight.

Cardless offers two Lifemiles-branded credit cards in the U.S.:

• Avianca Lifemiles American Express® Elite Card: Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles: 60,000 miles after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days from account opening, plus an additional 40,000 miles after spending $25,000 in the first 365 days from account opening. Earn 3 Lifemiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases, 2 Lifemiles per dollar spent on dining and non-Avianca travel and 1 Lifemile per dollar spent on all other purchases. Other benefits include a 10% rebate on eligible Star Alliance award redemptions, 500 bonus Lifemiles each month, up to a 25% discount on Avianca award flights and Avianca Silver status, which includes Star Alliance Silver status, for as long as you have the card. This card has an annual fee of $249.
• Avianca Lifemiles American Express® Card: Earn 40,000 bonus Lifemiles after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. Earn 2 Lifemiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases, groceries and restaurants, and 1 Lifemile per dollar spent on all other purchases. Other benefits include Avianca Silver status, which includes Star Alliance Silver status for as long as you have the card. This card has an annual fee of $99.

The information for the Avianca Lifemiles American Express Elite Card and the Avianca Lifemiles American Express Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Avianca Lifemiles has a broad range of bank, business and hotel programs offering rewards you can transfer to Lifemiles at the following standard rates:

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Avianca often offers regular discounts on Lifemiles purchases. In the past, we have seen prices drop as low as 1.2 cents per mile, though the typical sale price ranges from 1.3 to 1.35 cents per mile. These rates are significantly lower than TPG’s October 2026 valuation of Lifemiles at 1.6 cents each. While buying points and miles speculatively is generally not recommended, these sales can be a good option if you have a specific redemption in mind.

If you frequently travel on paid tickets with Star Alliance carriers, it might be worth considering crediting your miles to Avianca. This may be advisable if you find more value in the Lifemiles program than in other options, such as United MileagePlus and Air Canada Aeroplan. Crediting your miles to Avianca is also beneficial if you don’t travel enough to earn elite status but still want to maximize your redemption opportunities.

Lifemiles usually expire 12 months after your last accrual. Redeeming does not reset the clock, but earning does. Avianca elite members and eligible cardholders get 24 months, while Lifemiles+ also extends mileage validity.

Avianca Lifemiles elite status

Avianca Lifemiles has five elite tiers. Red Plus through Diamond require both a set number of total qualifying miles and a minimum number of qualifying miles earned from Avianca-operated flights or additional services purchased directly from Avianca. Magno, introduced on June 10, requires at least 110,000 qualifying miles flown with Avianca annually, so it will only suit those who fly Avianca very regularly.

Related: Avianca upgrades business class on long-haul, regional flights

Lifemiles+ subscription program

Lifemiles offers a paid subscription program called Lifemiles+ (sometimes referred to as Lifemiles+ World).

This program is optional for members and offers four membership levels: Lite, Basic, Pro and Max. Lite is complimentary for Avianca Lifemiles American Express Elite Card members, and cardmembers can receive a discount on Basic, Pro and Max memberships.

Members receive various benefits based on their membership tier, including monthly bonus miles and additional miles per dollar spent on Avianca-branded American Express cards. A minimum six-month membership is required, so for non-Amex cardmembers, this would be at least a $120 investment.

Most importantly, members receive 10% of the mileage cost back on eligible Star Alliance redemptions, so if you are considering a redemption of more than 200,000 miles, perhaps for your family, this could be a wise investment.

Lifemiles+ subscriptions must be paid by credit card.

How to redeem Avianca Lifemiles

As a member of Star Alliance, Avianca allows you to use your Lifemiles for flights on the carrier or any of its partners. Avianca also partners with Gol Airlines and Iberia, providing opportunities to earn and redeem Lifemiles on eligible flights. You can earn Lifemiles on Avianca-coded flights operated by Clic, but remember that Clic is not a stand-alone redemption partner.

Lifemiles pricing varies by route and operating airline, and the program has repeatedly changed award prices without notice. The most reliable way to determine the current price is to search your exact itinerary on the Lifemiles website.

Redeeming Lifemiles is typically straightforward. You log in to the Lifemiles website and search for your desired award flight.

However, it is important to note that while Avianca should technically have access to the same Star Alliance award availability as United MileagePlus and Air Canada Aeroplan, Lifemiles doesn’t seem to show as many seats as other programs, and the carrier’s information technology is also known to have limitations. This can result in phantom award space, where seats appear online but are not bookable.

Conversely, Avianca may not always display available award space in United and Air Canada’s loyalty programs.

Avianca Lifemiles sweet spots

With most airline loyalty programs in 2026, you face a trade-off between low award rates and high fuel surcharges, or between spending more miles to avoid extra costs. However, Lifemiles is one of the few programs that excels in both aspects. It offers competitive rates for Star Alliance awards and does not pass on fuel surcharges to Lifemiles members.

As a result, you can expect to pay minimal taxes and fees when redeeming an award ticket.

While Lifemiles previously offered some of the lowest award rates of any program, especially in business and first class, various devaluations have made rates higher, though there are still some deals to be found.

Business class from the US to Europe

Given the many carriers that fly between the U.S. and Europe, it’s easy to find business-class availability using Lifemiles, especially if you are flexible on your departure and arrival cities and dates.

Lifemiles no longer charges a single business-class rate between the U.S. and Europe; however, we have found nonstop flights in business class for just 59,500 miles (or even less with a Lifemiles+ subscription).

Related: On board the first Lufthansa Allegris flight — was the new cabin worth the wait?

Longer domestic coach flights within the US

The shortest flights, such as within California on United, are priced at an OK but not amazing 10,000 miles one-way in economy. However, longer flights, like those from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), are only 15,000 miles in economy each way per person, which is a great price for a flight of around six hours.

Business class from the US to Asia

As expected, award rates from the mainland U.S. to Asia are higher, but we still found one-way flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) on EVA Air for 41,140 miles and 83,200 miles in economy and business class, respectively.

Economy class from the US to Colombia

Flights operated by Avianca can be astonishingly cheap with Lifemiles. We found flights under 10,000 miles each way (or less with a Lifemiles+ subscription) from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG), which is an incredible price.

Problems with Avianca Lifemiles

Although Lifemiles offers appealing award rates, it might not be the right program for you. The program has a reputation for error-prone IT and inconsistent customer service.

Lifemiles members often encounter website glitches when redeeming their miles, and the user experience can be frustrating. Additionally, if you reserve an economy award ticket and a business-class seat becomes available, Lifemiles requires you to pay a cancellation fee to redeposit your miles. You can then rebook your flight in business class.

While booking with Avianca may save you thousands of miles, canceling your ticket or changing your award could be tedious and costly. Refunds can be requested online through Lifemiles’ refund form or through the contact center, and fees may apply.

The carrier’s call center can be difficult to resolve issues with, especially if you cannot speak Spanish.

Bottom line

Avianca Lifemiles is a frequent flyer program that has proven its worth in the award travel world. With its decent redemption rates, lack of fuel surcharges and partnerships with major transferable points and miles programs, Lifemiles offers value and flexibility to its members. While there may be some customer service challenges and quirks to navigate, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for many travelers, though it is worth comparing award prices with programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan before transferring points.

So, take the time to explore Avianca Lifemiles, delve into its sweet spots and unlock the possibilities it presents for your future travels. With a little research, patience and planning, you can make the most of this program as you consider where to transfer your credit card points and miles.