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Great Deal: Purchase Lifemiles With up to a 135% Bonus
JT Genter
Contributor
JT is a location-independent digital nomad traveling 250,000+ miles each year with his wife Katie.
May 03, 2018
•
2 min read
Great Deal: Purchase Lifemiles With up to a 135% Bonus
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Lifemiles is Colombian-based airline Avianca's mileage program. It's really made itself known by being the wholesaler of cheap Star Alliance miles and award tickets. And now it's back with another offer: Now through May 30, buy miles with up to a 135% bonus. If you were targeted for the full 135% bonus, the bonus drops the price down to 1.47 cents per mile.
Even if you weren't targeted for the 135% bonus, the terms and conditions of the offer seem to indicate that all members can get a 125% bonus. At this bonus level, the price for buying miles is just 1.47 cents per mile — still below TPG's valuation of 1.7 cents per Lifemile.
Here's how the bonus was structured for me:
- Buy 1,000 – 50,000 miles, get a 100% bonus (1.65 cents each)
- Buy 51,000 – 100,000 miles, get a 115% bonus (1.53 cents each)
- Buy 101,000 – 200,000 miles, get a 125% bonus (1.47 cents each)
If you're looking for the absolute cheapest mileage cost, Avianca's "Club Lifemiles" monthly subscription plan still gives members a chance to buy miles as cheap as 1.39 cents per mile.
For a while, Lifemiles were so difficult to actually redeem that we didn't recommend it to readers. Since then, the program has made some notable improvements, but there can still be hassles. That said, the hassles can be worth it for the hidden gems in the program, such as domestic United flights starting at just 7,500 miles one-way. Lifemiles lands #1 on our list of most undervalued airline loyalty programs. Plus, if you need to top off your account, Lifemiles are now a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points.
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One of the best benefits of Lifemiles is that it doesn't pass along fuel surcharges, making it an excellent way of booking Lufthansa first class for cheap. At 1.47 cents per mile and an award cost of 87,000 miles one-way, a Lufthansa first class flight between the US and Germany only costs $1,279. Taxes and fees from the US to Germany only add another $25.
H/T: Loyalty Lobby
TPG featured card
Best for businesses with high spending
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site
Rewards
2 - 10X miles
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 months
Annual Fee
$395
Recommended Credit
740-850
Excellent
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month