Is subscribing to Avianca LifeMiles+ worth it?

Avianca’s loyalty program, LifeMiles, has always held a unique position among points and miles enthusiasts. South American Airlines has long been one of the best value ways to book business and first class flights on Star Alliance partners like Lufthansa, United Airlines and Swiss at the lowest prices. Avianca has retained its streamlined awards rankings while other shows have moved on dynamic pricing – but low rates come at a cost.

LifeMiles is also notorious for its poor IT infrastructure and phone support, so changing or canceling Avianca or partner flights has become a point of contention among some TPG and guest program employees. friendly goods.

However, it appears the carrier is making positive changes to Avianca LifeMiles to improve its overall branding.

In addition to launching two new Avianca branded credit cards In the US, LifeMiles has also unveiled a new loyalty subscription service called LifeMiles+. What is this and is it worth it?

Related: How to book Lufthansa first class with points and miles

What is Avianca’s LifeMiles+ subscription?

Lifemiles+ has four different membership options:

All LifeMiles+ members can also receive a 10% discount on Star Alliance redemptions (posted within 15 days of booking) and an instant 25% discount on LifeMiles redemptions when flying Avianca.

Basic, Pro and Max members are not eligible for change or cancellation fees for award tickets.

Cardholder discount for Cardless’ new LifeMiles branded credit card, Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card*. This card provides:

• Welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus miles — 60,000 miles awarded after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days and an additional 40,000 miles after spending $25,000 in the first 12 months.
• Earn 3 LifeMiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases, 2 LifeMiles per dollar spent on non-Avianca dining and travel, and 1 LifeMile per dollar spent on all purchases buy another.
• LifeMiles+ Lite membership, with discounts for other levels in the subscription program.
• LifeMiles Silver status as long as you have the card, which also grants you Star Alliance Silver Status.
• Annual fee: $249 (See rates and fees).

Lower annual fees Avianca LifeMiles American Express Card* offers a bonus of up to 40,000 LifeMiles after you spend $3,000 with the card in the first 90 days but doesn’t offer any LifeMiles+ benefits.

If you decide to join LifeMiles+, you must commit to a minimum six-month subscription.

The information about these credit cards has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Is Avianca’s LifeMiles+ subscription worth it?

This is an interesting offer from Avianca and has the potential to be very lucrative for some. Star Alliance enthusiasts.

It is worth noting that regular LifeMiles Sell ​​miles with huge bonuses, bringing the purchase rate below 1.3 cents per mile. If you’re looking to grow your LifeMiles balance without a credit card by paying $200 per month to earn 10,000 extra miles and not using other benefits, you’re better off buying LifeMiles in bulk in one of the regular bonus offers.

The program also runs Occasionally sells mileage when certain return rates are reduced.

For those not interested in registering Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Carddon’t fly Avianca and only redeem LifeMiles for a few Star Alliance flights each year, paying a monthly subscription fee probably doesn’t make much sense.

However, if you regularly book Star Alliance redemptions and get a lot of value from not having to pay change and cancellation fees, then maximizing this service and increasing your mileage balance can easy.

For anyone looking to sign up for an Elite Amex card and travel regularly on Avianca (perhaps to visit family or friends), this is an attractive offer to earn extra miles and save both miles and money when exchange rewards.

But what good is free changes and cancellations if making changes online or over the phone is difficult?

LifeMiles CEO Luis Coreas spoke with View from the wing on the program’s actions to improve customer service, including reducing call center wait times, increasing the number of experienced agents available 24 hours a day to resolve complex issues and simplify the refund process.

So, in theory, this perk would be valuable.

Bottom line

Despite its disappointment, Miles of life is an underrated airline loyalty program with attractive low Star Alliance redemption rates worldwide with low taxes and fees.

As one transfer partner Among most major credit card currencies, LifeMiles are also easily available for as little as 1.3 cents during regular promotions.

If you’ve been thinking about venturing into the world of LifeMiles with its promises of improved customer service, now is a great time to do it. Whether you are registering for a new course Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card or not, and even if you don’t fly with Avianca, you can easily increase your mileage balance and save miles and cash on your next redemption with this unique LifeMiles+ sign-up offer.