Score Nearly 50% Off Select Star Alliance Flights With LifeMiles
You've got a week left to buy LifeMiles with up to a 125% bonus, and now, even more reason to do so. LifeMiles is the mileage program of Colombian-based airline Avianca. But even if you aren't interested in flying Avianca, it's worth getting to know LifeMiles since it's made itself known as the wholesaler of cheap Star Alliance miles and award tickets, as well as regular sales of discounted miles.
The latest sale allows those with a hefty LifeMiles balance to redeem for Star Alliance flights (think Air China and Asiana Airlines) with up to a 48% discount. You'll need to redeem by September 18, 2018, but your flights can occur beyond that. Unfortunately, the redemption of miles for air tickets is valid only through LifeMiles.com and the Avianca Call Center. If you can't find the award you're searching for online, be warned that dealing with Avianca over the phone can be a trying experience (plus, you'll be dinged a service fee of $25 or more, depending on the route).
Across Star Alliance partners, this deal unveils a number of attractive one-way first class redemptions:
- New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) to Seoul (ICN): 72,000 LifeMiles (a 20% discount from the usual 90,000 miles)
- New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) to Beijing (PEK): 72,000 LifeMiles (a 20% discount from the usual 90,000 miles)
- New York (JFK) to Taipei (TPE): 64,000 LifeMiles (a 15% discount from the usual 75,000 miles)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Seoul (ICN), Beijing (PEK), or Shanghai (PVG): 60,000 LifeMiles (a 20% discount from the usual 75,000 miles)
For those near-50% discounts, you'll need to look for intra-Asia routes, such as economy class redemptions like Tokyo (HND) to Shanghai (PVG) and Seoul (ICN) to Bangkok (BKK). The entire list of discounted routes can be found here.
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. And if you need to top off your account, remember that LifeMiles is also a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Rewards.
H/T: One Mile at a Time
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 2X miles | Earn 2X miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere |
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Pros
- Simple earning structure
- Bonus categories
- Annual credits
- No foreign transaction fees
- Flexible redemption options, including transfer partners
Cons
- Has an annual fee
- Fewer bonus categories than some competitors
- Lacks premium perks
- Limited-time offer: Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles—75,000 miles once you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months, and an additional 75,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® every four years. Terms and conditions apply
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- $95 annual fee
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
- Top rated mobile app