Summary

  • Avianca’s lifemiles loyalty program offers multiple ways to earn and redeem miles, appealing to both Latin American and US travelers.
  • Earning lifemiles can be done by booking flights, purchasing additional services, using eligible credit cards, or transferring points from partner programs.
  • Members can also enjoy additional benefits through Lifemiles+ subscription, spend miles on flights with avianca, and benefit from mixed-cabin bookings when redeeming miles.

avianca launched its lifemiles loyalty program in 2011 when the carrier merged with TACA, replacing its former AviancaPlus program. The airline bills lifemiles as “the loyalty program with the most rewards in Latin America,” and offers ample opportunities for members to earn and redeem miles.

It is not just a program for those in Latin America—it is very popular in the US, too. Credit cards are offered in several markets (including the US), and there are many ways to transfer points from other programs.

How to earn lifemiles

As is the case with many other loyalty programs, one of the most cost-effective ways to earn lifemiles is by booking flights with the airline itself. Put simply, the higher the fare, the more miles are earned. However, earlier this year, avianca simplified its fare system, offering four clear options in each class of travel, and it is worth noting that booking the airline’s cheapest fare, known as Basic, does not earn any lifemiles.

The four avianca lifemiles earning tiers.

Image: avianca

However, it is not only when purchasing flights that members can earn lifemiles. The purchase of additional services with the airline, including seat selection, lounge access, and priority boarding, offers another chance to increase the number of miles earned.

Passengers can also earn extra mile bonuses depending on their Elite member status. For example, Silver members earn an additional 3 miles per $1, while those with Diamond status can earn up to 6 additional miles per $1 spent. A Diamond member purchasing a $500 classic fare will, therefore, earn 5,500 lifemiles (2,500 miles accrued from the flight ticket plus 3,000 bonus miles thanks to their Diamond Elite status).

Other ways to earn lifemiles include:

  • Spending on eligible credit cards, such as the lifemiles Visa card through Bancolombia.
  • Transferring points from partner programs, including American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
  • Booking hotel stays through the Lifemile hotel booking portal.

Earning miles through credit cards

Like most loyalty programs, lifemiles offers several co-branded credit cards that allow earning.

In particular, it also now has US cards with valuable benefits. Avianca launched two American Express cards in 2024, both of which come with avianca Silver status, which equates to Star Alliance Silver Elite Status. There are two different priced cards, with different earning rates and benefits. The standard card is aimed at general spending, and the premium one is aimed at frequent travelers.

Avianca elite card

avianca lifemiles American Express Elite Card

The avianca Lifemiles American Express Elite Card from Cardless comes with a $249 annual fee and offers cardholders elite status and a complimentary monthly subscription to LifeMiles+ Lite.

Avianca lifemiles card

avianca lifemiles American Express Credit Card

The avianca lifemiles American Express Card from Cardless comes with a $99 annual fee and earns 2 miles on most purchases with avianca or lifemiles, 2 lifemiles on restaurants & groceries, and 1 lifemiles on all other purchases.

Spending lifemiles on flights with avianca

life miles remain valid for 24 months from the date of the last accrual, giving members time to spend their miles wisely. The best deals can be found when spending lifemiles on flights with avianca, and the airline occasionally holds special promotions, offering flights to Europe for as little as 15,340 miles.

Unusually, avianca allows mixed-cabin bookings when redeeming lifemiles, which can be useful for multi-sector itineraries, allowing passengers to save valuable lifemiles when they are not necessarily needed. For example, on an itinerary made up of one long sector and one short sector, the longer leg can be flown in a premium cabin, while an economy class ticket can be booked for the shorter sector.

12 years as a Star Alliance member

Since June 2012, avianca has been a member of the Star Alliance
, the world’s largest airline alliance. This means passengers can earn and redeem points when traveling with other member airlines, such as United Airlines, Air Canada, and Turkish Airlines. avianca also has partnerships with Iberia, Aeromexico, and GOL, offering the same privileges to passengers on select flights with those airlines.

An avianca Boeing 787-8 flying in the sky.

Photo: BearFotos | Shutterstock

avianca lifemiles members can sometimes access better deals than the same flights booked through other Star Alliance airlines. For example, Air Canada charges its Aeroplan members 100,000 miles for a first class flight from Washington (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA) with Lufthansa, while the same flight when booking with avianca lifemiles is 87,000 miles.

Other ways to spend lifemiles

lifemiles members can get their journey off to a comfortable start with all-inclusive lounge access starting at 1,200 miles. This is available at most airports across Colombia, including Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) in Cartagena, José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) in Medellín, and the carrier’s hub at El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogot.

An avianca Airbus A320 about to take off.

Photo: Daniel Hernandez-Salazar | Shutterstock

Passengers can redeem miles to make their onboard experience more comfortable, too – when checking in at the airport, if the adjacent seat is free, passengers can use miles to block it out. The cost of this service varies per route, but it can make avianca’s longer flights to the likes of São Paulo (GRU) and London Heathrow (LHR) all the more relaxing.

The loyalty scheme is unique in having a subscription-based program that offers additional benefits. This is not tied to status earning or any Star Alliance status benefits. There are different subscription levels that offer increasing benefits.

Among other benefits, members receive:

  • Monthly bonus lifemiles (from 500 to 10,000 depending on the plan).
  • 10% miles back on their redemptions with Star Alliance carriers, Iberia, and GOL.
  • Up to 25% off redemptions on avianca flights.
  • Cardholders of co-branded American Express cards earn double miles on purchases (up to 10,000 miles on the top plan).
  • Up to 40% savings on stays at lifemiles partner hotels.

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This additional program is just one way that Lifemiles is appealing more to US travelers. With so much choice of loyalty program, these additional ways to stand out are important. It helps that the loyalty program is one of the around – it was awarded Best Customer Service at the prestigious Frequent Traveler Awards 2024, and was named the best Frequent Flyer Program in Latin America by point.me.

Simple Flying recently sat down with Valeria Yglesias, Chief Commercial Officer at lifemiles, to find out what goes into a winning program and how US travelers can use it to receive the most value for their miles. You can see more on this in our article:

Some background – the world’s second-oldest airline

From its hub at El Dorado International Airport, the airline flies to more than 60 destinations across Latin America, North America, and Europe. The airline also has several other focus cities throughout Colombia and operates long-haul flights to Madrid (MAD) from both Medellín (MDE) and Cali (CLO). avianca’s long-haul flights are operated by the Boeing 787-8, of which the carrier currently has 15 in its fleet, with a further one on order, according to data from ch-aviation. These are in addition to the carrier’s narrowbody fleet of eight Airbus A319s, 79 A320s, and 44 A320neos.

An avianca Cargo Airbus A330-200F taking off.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

avianca was the world’s most punctual airline in 2023 and is set for considerable regional expansion over the coming years with the arrival of more than 40 Airbus A320neos into the fleet. Some of these aircraft are destined for one of the carrier’s several subsidiaries. In addition to its passenger operation in Colombia and a cargo branch (avianca Cargo), avianca’s subsidiaries operate throughout South and Central America. These are:

  • avianca Costa Rica
  • avianca Ecuador
  • avianca El Salvador
  • avianca Guatemala
  • avianca Honduras
  • TACA Peru

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