Friends,

Every points program has quirks, but some are worth figuring out. For me, Avianca LifeMiles is one of them.

It’s not always intuitive. It’s not always pretty. But if you are looking at an itinerary that can be served by Star Alliance airlines — especially in premium cabins — LifeMiles is a secret weapon.

Here are a few reasons I keep coming back:

1. The Pricing Can Be Wild (In a Good Way)
LifeMiles has a dynamic-ish award chart, but it still offers fixed pricing on a lot of Star Alliance routes. You can pretty regularly find United and Air Canada flights for 6,500–8,000 miles one-way, and international premium cabins (think to Europe or Asia) for materially less than what most U.S. programs charge. I’ve booked Lufthansa first class for under 85k, and ANA for even less.

2. No Fuel Surcharges
Unlike some programs that tack on hundreds in carrier fees, LifeMiles doesn’t pass them along. That makes premium redemptions much more accessible — you're just paying the miles and (generally low) taxes.

3. Transfer Partners Make It Easy
You can move points into LifeMiles from Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt (I use CapitalOne and Amex, primarily). That gives you a lot of flexibility, especially if you’re sitting on transferable currencies and want to land a great redemption.

4. One-Ways and Mix/Match Itineraries
LifeMiles is great for piecing together one-way trips or combining carriers. Want to fly United to Europe and Brussels Airlines on the return? No problem.

Of course, there are downsides: the website can be clunky, customer service is hit-or-miss, and sometimes award availability just disappears. But when it works, it really works. It is definitely a program worth exploring, and asking for help (seriously: hit me up!) when you make your first redemption.

I wouldn’t build my whole “strategy” around LifeMiles — but I always check the program for availability. And when a sweet redemption pops up? It’s often unbeatable.

I hope this is a help to you for your next travels.

Fly well.

Links

Standard Hotels now bookable via Hyatt. Excited for this!

The Bridge is back! This lounge is seriously amazing.

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P.S. If I can ever help you plan your next travel adventure (slash help make your points go farther), I’d be delighted. You can schedule time together here.