About Avianca

Avianca is Colombia's flagship carrier and national airline, and one of the largest airlines in South America. Although many readers living in the U.S. may never have flown the airline, some seasoned mileage collectors are very familiar with LifeMiles because of its many sweet-spot redemptions, multiple partner airlines, and several points transfer partners. Although AV was hit with another devaluation rumor in 2024, there are still many ways to get value from the program.

Avianca is a Star Alliance member, which means LifeMiles can be used to book flights on any Star Alliance airline to destinations around the world. Add in the fact that you can easily earn LifeMiles and that you don't have to pay airline-imposed fuel surcharges, and Avianca LifeMiles can sometimes fully replace UA miles. In this post, we'll cover how to earn Avianca LifeMiles and highlight some of the best LifeMiles redemption routes.

Earning Miles

In general, there are three main ways to earn AV miles: flying on Avianca and Star Alliance flights, applying for AV co-branded credit cards, and transferring from other points programs. In addition, AV often runs big mileage sales, and there are even regularly scheduled subscription-style packages you can buy at a discount if you already have a trip in mind.

We don't need to dwell on earning from flights here; you're still better off earning more useful UA miles.

AV Co-Branded Cards

AV has two co-branded credit cards, both issued in partnership with Cardless. The welcome bonuses on these two cards are pretty decent, but the earning rates are just average.

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Cardless Avianca Credit Card

Silver status upon opening the card

  • Welcome bonus: 40,000 miles (spend $3,000 in the first 90 days)
  • Rewards: 2x on Avianca purchases, travel, and dining; 1x on all other purchases
  • Redemption: Redeem for Avianca and Star Alliance flights
  • Annual fee: $99
  • Apply now>>

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Cardless Avianca Elite

Silver status with account opening; 10% off award redemptions

  • Welcome bonus: 60,000 miles (spend $4,500 in the first 90 days) + 40,000 miles (spend $25,000 in the first 12 months)
  • Rewards: 3x on Avianca purchases; 2x on travel and dining; 1x on all other purchases
  • Redemption: Redeem for Avianca and Star Alliance flights, with 10% off redemptions
  • Annual fee: $249
  • Apply now>>

That said, if you really like AV miles, the Elite card is worth considering. It comes with 6,000 miles each year, and mileage redemptions can come with discounts and promotions. If you redeem a lot, this card can still be well worth the annual fee.

Points Transfers

AV miles have a lot of transfer partners. Common options include AMEX, Capital One, Citi ThankYou Points, Bilt, and Wells Fargo, all at a 1:1 transfer ratio. Marriott can also transfer at 3:1. If you have several of these points currencies, it may make sense to use up partners with fewer transfer options first, such as Wells Fargo, Capital One, and Bilt, before moving on to partners with more transfer options, such as AMEX, Citi, and Marriott.

Buying Miles

Avianca often runs mileage purchase promotions, and you can often buy LifeMiles for as little as 1.27¢/p.

Avianca also offers a mileage subscription program, where you can receive miles every month. Joining LifeMiles also comes with extra benefits:

  • Up to 25% off Avianca flights (discount reflected immediately at booking)
  • 10% off Star Alliance redemptions
  • No change or cancellation fees (Basic, Pro, and Max plans only)
  • Exclusive mileage promotions
  • Earned miles count toward elite status qualification
  • LifeMiles expire after 24 months (the standard expiration period is 12 months with no account activity)

Using Miles

Avianca uses dynamic pricing for its own flights, meaning the higher the fare, the more miles required, so it's not really worth digging into. For partner airlines, such as Star Alliance partners UA, AC, ANA, and others, it still uses a fixed award chart. However, the chart has not been published, so you have to piece it together through searches.

If that seems overwhelming, you can go straight to the best redemptions to see whether anything fits.

U.S. to International

The redemption chart for flights departing the U.S. to other countries is below.

U.S. Domestic Redemptions

The U.S. domestic award chart is below. This covers most routes, and there are even one-way awards starting at 6,500 miles.

  • Zone 1: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia
  • Zone 2: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin
  • Zone 3: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington

Outside the U.S.

There used to be an award chart for destinations outside the U.S., as shown below. However, after the devaluation there have been some changes; the exact details are still LifeMiles

Best Redemptions

LifeMiles redemptions have a number of advantages, such as:

  • No fuel surcharges on Star Alliance partner award tickets.
  • Most Star Alliance partner awards can be booked relatively easily online.
  • No close-in booking fees.
  • You can price itineraries with connections separately for business and economy cabins, which often saves miles.

U.S. Domestic UA Short Hops for 6,500 Miles

There are quite a few short-haul routes within the U.S. that only cost 6,500 LifeMiles, and this even includes short international flights to Mexico and Canada. This 6,500-mile price is most likely to show up for city pairs within 500 miles of each other. And the distance is based only on the origin and destination, so connections are fine.

Los Angeles to Hawaii in Economy from 15,000

The usual mileage requirement for flights from U.S. cities to Hawaii is 20,000 LifeMiles. However, flights from Los Angeles to Hawaii are priced lower, at 15,000 LifeMiles. The return is 16,000, which is pretty good.

U.S. Northeast to Europe for 22,500/45,000

Eligible routes include flights from Newark to places like London and Dublin, with economy at 22,500 and business at just 45,000, which is very good.

U.S. to South America from 21,100/37,000

Avianca offers solid redemptions on partner airlines to South America, especially Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Redeeming Avianca-operated flights itself may not always be a great value, but there are still some good options, such as this flight from Washington, D.C. to Bogotá.

Business Class to Eastern Europe From the U.S. for Around 70,000 LifeMiles

If you're flying to anywhere other than the far northern part of Europe, or departing from the U.S. West Coast, expect to pay around 70,000 LifeMiles for business class. Here’s one example itinerary from New York/Newark to Lisbon priced at 69,000 LifeMiles. Other possible options include:

  • San Francisco to Zurich in SWISS business class for 75,000 LifeMiles
  • Chicago to Munich in Lufthansa business class for 69,000 LifeMiles
  • San Francisco to Istanbul in Turkish Airlines business class for 69,000 LifeMiles

Lufthansa First Class From the U.S. to Europe for 120,000 LifeMiles

Redeeming 120,000 LifeMiles for the luxury of Lufthansa first class is a solid deal, especially considering that other mileage programs, such as ANA Mileage Club, pass along Lufthansa’s massive surcharges. Avianca generally adds very few taxes and fees, making it an excellent option for Lufthansa awards.

Business Class From the U.S. to the Middle East for 78,000 LifeMiles

Avianca also has a strong award chart for flights from the U.S. to the Middle East. A business class ticket on SWISS from the U.S. to Dubai via Zurich costs just 78,000 LifeMiles, which is more than Europe but a bit cheaper than South Asia or Central Asia.

Business Class to Australia or New Zealand for 80,000 LifeMiles

Another great Avianca sweet spot is flying business class from the U.S. to Australia, New Zealand, and other Pacific islands in Oceania for just 80,000 LifeMiles. Considering the flight time can be as long as 15 hours, this is an excellent value.

First Class From Europe to India for 60,000 LifeMiles

For travelers looking to fly from Europe to India, 60,000 LifeMiles for Lufthansa first class from Munich to Delhi is a terrific deal, especially since this nonstop flight costs more than $6,000 in cash. Again, there really aren’t many mileage programs that let you book Lufthansa while avoiding extra surcharges.

Business Class From Europe to Japan for 75,000 LifeMiles

Paying 75,000 LifeMiles to fly from Europe to Japan is an excellent deal, especially when you consider that you can spend more than 12 hours onboard one of the world’s top airlines, ANA.

Drawbacks

There are still quite a few frustrating things about AV miles.

  • It can be difficult to reach customer service for booking help, and the experience may be unpleasant.
  • All award tickets have a flat $25 booking fee, which only appears at checkout.
  • Changing an award ticket costs $150.
  • Cancellation fees are fairly high: $50 for domestic U.S. itineraries and up to $200 for international tickets.
  • Avianca does not allow stopovers or open-jaws on award flights.
  • If you need to book an award ticket by phone, Avianca customer service is not very good.

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