Great Deal: Purchase Lifemiles With up to a 135% Bonus
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.
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
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| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
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
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app