Citi ThankYou Points is offering a 25% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles through December 12, 2018. If you’re in the market for premium cabin award tickets, LifeMiles could be an excellent choice since they offer a good award chart with no imposed fuel surcharges.
Citi and American Express are both transfer partners for Avianca at a 1:1 ratio making it relatively easy to collect the miles. Soon Capital One will add Avianca as a transfer partner at a 2:1.5 ratio. With this 25% promotion, it makes it Citi’s transfer ratio go to 1:1.25.
LifeMiles regularly runs promotions to buy miles at around 1.375 cents per mile, which gives you 140% extra miles compared to the standard buying rate of 3.3 cents per mile.
What can you do with Avianca LifeMiles?
Avianca LifeMiles is one of my favorite programs to redeem without fuel surcharges for Star Alliance premium cabin award tickets. LifeMiles sometimes has award space missing for their partner and specific routings might not work. However, LifeMiles can be very valuable if it works for you.
My favorite use of LifeMiles is crossing the Atlantic or Pacific in first or business class on one-way redemptions.
- Fly Asiana or ANA in first class from the US to North Asia for 90,000 miles.
- Fly in business class from the US to North Asia for 75,000 miles.
- Fly in Asiana or ANA first class from the US to Southeast Asia for 99,000 miles.
- Fly in business class from the US to Southeast Asia for 78,000 miles.
- Fly Lufthansa in first class from the US to Europe for 87,000 miles.
- Fly in business class from the US to Europe for 63,000 miles.
All without those pesky fuel surcharges, which can save you 100s of dollars.
If you’re outside of the US and find yourself in Asia, then one could fly Thai Airways 747 in first class from North Asia to Southeast Asia for 50,000 miles and have a fantastic ground experience.
LifeMiles certainly has some good redemptions for multiple different regions, which make the program still worthwhile outside the US.
I have been pleased the times I have redeemed LifeMiles for premium cabin tickets. If you’re in the market to fly first or business class, then this deal might work out in your favor.
Steve is a senior contributor for UponArriving and spends close to 300 nights a year in hotels while traveling the world and trying to eat as much as he can. Steve has spoken at summits like the FBZ Elite Summit in Austin. He holds top-tier elite status with almost every hotel program as a Marriott Ambassador, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire, and GHA Black. Utilizing credit card points and miles, Steve takes over 100 flights per year while experiencing some of the top first class and business class cabin in the sky.