Avianca LifeMiles Introduces Short-Haul US Awards Starting at 7,500 Miles One-Way
Avianca's LifeMiles program has some hidden gems, such as reasonably priced international premium-cabin awards. It's just added a discounted redemption option for short-haul awards in the US, potentially making it even more valuable.
With the new option, you'll be able to fly domestically on short-haul routes for as few as 7,500 miles one-way. In economy, you can fly one-way between the US1 and US3 regions (i.e., New York to California) for 12,500 miles one-way. Here's a full screenshot of what awards will cost you for these domestic routes:
Avianca's new chart breaks the US into three regions. Oddly enough, Washington State and West Virginia don't appear to be included in any of the groups; the award chart lists a Washington in the US1 group along with other states on the East Coast, leading us to believe this means Washington, D.C. Based on Washington's location, it'll likely be included in US3 along with Oregon and other West Coast states. We reached out to LifeMiles for clarification but have yet to hear back.
For reference, here's how LifeMiles breaks down each of the US zones:
United States 1: Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington (D.C.)
United States 2: Alabama, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin
United States 3: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming
These awards are now bookable, and there appears to be some decent availability based on searches at the LifeMiles website. For example, you can fly from Newark (EWR) to Boston (BOS) for 7,500 LifeMiles with United:
On the same flight, United is charging 10,000 miles:
Avianca LifeMiles is a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1), Capital One (2:1.5 ratio), Marriott Bonvoy (3:1) and Amex Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio). Plus, the program frequently sells its miles for cheap. If you're able to purchase some LifeMiles, this new addition to the program could make for a valuable redemption.
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Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
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- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
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