Avianca, Colombia’s flagship airline, has partnered with Cardless to introduce two new credit cards for U.S. travelers, providing exciting opportunities to earn and redeem miles within the LifeMiles frequent flyer program. These cards offer appealing benefits for those who frequently fly between the U.S. and Latin America or seek to maximize award redemptions on Star Alliance partners.
This article will cover everything you need about these two new LifeMiles credit cards.
Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card
The Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card is the more premium of the two cards and has a $249 annual fee.
Welcome Bonus of LifeMiles Elite Amex
The Avianca LifeMiles Elite Amex currently offers a welcome bonus of:
Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles — 60,000 miles awarded after $4,500 spent in the first 90 days and an additional 40,000 miles after $25,000 spent in the first 365 days.
Earning LifeMiles
The Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card offers the following earning rates:
- 3 LifeMiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases.
- 2 LifeMiles per dollar spent on dining and non-Avianca travel.
- 1 LifeMile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
These earning rates compete with other airline credit cards and can help you accumulate LifeMiles quickly, especially if you frequently make purchases in the bonus categories. For example, if you spend $500 monthly on dining and non-Avianca travel, you’ll earn 12,000 LifeMiles per year from those purchases alone.
Additionally, LifeMiles earned from card spending count double toward qualifying for elite status in the LifeMiles program. For every 2 miles earned from card spending, you earn 1 qualifying elite mile. This perk can be valuable for those looking to achieve or maintain elite status with Avianca, as it helps you reach the required thresholds faster.
Cardholders can also double the number of LifeMiles earned each statement cycle, up to 1,000 extra LifeMiles per cycle, via the LifeMiles+ program. For example, if you normally would have earned 900 LifeMiles in a month, you’ll get 1,800 total LifeMiles thanks to this program.
Benefits of LifeMiles Elite Amex
The Avianca LifeMiles Elite Amex offers these benefits:
Complimentary LifeMiles+ Subscription: One of the most valuable benefits of the Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card is the complimentary monthly subscription to LifeMiles+. This subscription includes a 10% award redemption discount on Star Alliance flights, 500 bonus LifeMiles each month, and a 25% redemption discount on Avianca flights. It’s important to note that these discounts are applied as rebates after booking, meaning you’ll initially pay the full amount of miles and then receive the discounted miles back into your account.
10% Award Redemption Discount on Star Alliance Flights: The 10% award redemption discount on Star Alliance flights can lead to significant savings when redeeming LifeMiles for award travel. For example, a one-way business class ticket from the U.S. to Europe on Lufthansa typically costs 63,000 LifeMiles. With the 10% discount, you’d initially pay 63,000 miles, but then receive 6,300 miles back as a rebate, effectively reducing the cost to 56,700 LifeMiles.
500 Bonus LifeMiles Each Month: The 500 bonus LifeMiles each month is another valuable perk, as it gives you an extra 6,000 LifeMiles per year just for being a cardholder. These bonus miles can help offset the annual fee and provide even more value on top of the miles you earn from card spending and the welcome bonus.
25% Redemption Discount on Avianca Flights: The 25% redemption discount on Avianca flights greatly benefits those who frequently fly on Avianca-operated routes. Similar to the Star Alliance discount, you’ll initially pay the full amount of miles for your award ticket and then receive 25% of those miles back as a rebate.
Up to 40% More Miles on LifeMiles Hotels Bookings: Cardholders get up to 40% more miles on LifeMiles Hotels bookings, helping you save miles when booking travel through the LifeMiles portal.
Up to 10% Redemption Discount on LifeMiles Cars Reservations: You can also enjoy up to a 10% redemption discount on LifeMiles Cars reservations, making your LifeMiles go even further.
LifeMiles Silver Status: Another key benefit is LifeMiles Silver status for as long as you have the card, which I cover all the benefits below.
Avianca LifeMiles American Express Credit Card
For those seeking a more affordable option, the Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card offers a solid set of benefits with a $99 annual fee.
While not as fancy as the Elite card, this card still provides good value for frequent Avianca and Star Alliance flyers.
Welcome Bonus
The Avianca LifeMiles Amex currently offers the following welcome bonus: Earn a bonus of up to 40,000 LifeMiles after spending $3,000 with the card in the first 90 days.
Earning LifeMiles
The Avianca LifeMiles American Express Card offers the following earning rates:
- 2 LifeMiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases, groceries, and restaurants.
- 1 LifeMile per dollar spent on all other purchases.
These earning rates are decent for a card with a lower annual fee and can help you earn LifeMiles on your everyday spending. Additionally, LifeMiles earned from card spending count double toward qualifying for elite status in the LifeMiles program. For every 2 miles earned from card spending, you earn 1 qualifying elite mile.
Card Benefits
The primary benefit of the Avianca LifeMiles American Express Card is the complimentary LifeMiles Silver status for as long as you have the card. The benefit of LifeMiles Silver are below.
Benefits of LifeMiles Silver Elite Status
Both the Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card and the Avianca LifeMiles American Express Card offer complimentary LifeMiles Silver Elite status, which comes with the following benefits:
- A 30% bonus for miles accrued from Avianca flights (applies to Classic, Flex, and Business fares).
- Priority check-in, boarding, call center service, and baggage handling.
- Five complimentary lounge passes and two companion pass lounge entries to Avianca’s 12 VIP lounges.
- One additional checked bag weighing up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds) on an economy fare.
- A 10% discount on premium-seat purchases on avianca.com.
- Various Star Alliance Silver status benefits, including access to a priority reservations waitlist and priority standby on eligible Star Alliance flights, such as those operated by United Airlines.
Are the Avianca LifeMiles Cards Worth It?
The Avianca LifeMiles American Express credit cards offer a pretty good value for frequent travelers, particularly those who regularly fly Avianca or other Star Alliance partners.
For those who can maximize the benefits of the LifeMiles+ subscription, such as the 10% rebate on Star Alliance award bookings and the 25% rebate on Avianca-operated award bookings, the Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card can be especially valuable. These rebates can lead to significant savings on award travel, making your LifeMiles go further and helping you achieve your travel goals faster.
Earning double LifeMiles on card spending each month (up to 1,000 extra miles) is another noteworthy perk of the Elite card, as it can accelerate your mileage earning and help you reach award thresholds sooner. This perk, combined with the generous earning rates on Avianca purchases, dining, and travel, can make the Elite card a powerful tool for racking up LifeMiles quickly.
Even the more affordable Avianca LifeMiles American Express Card can be worth considering for those who value LifeMiles Silver status and its associated benefits, such as lounge access and additional checked baggage allowance.
