Avianca's Lifemiles programme has launched a new promotion on purchased miles, running until 15 September 2026. Offers are targeted, so what lands in your account may differ from someone else's, but the standard deal is a bonus of up to 145% depending on how many miles you buy.
The tiers work like this: buy 1,000-20,000 miles and you get a 125% bonus, 21,000-50,000 miles earns 135%, and purchases of 51,000-200,000 miles unlock the top 145% bonus. Base pricing is 3.3 cents per mile, so maxing out with 200,000 miles bought plus the 145% bonus gets you 490,000 miles for $6,600 — an effective rate of 1.35 cents each. The yearly cap is 200,000 miles purchased per account before bonuses. It's not the biggest bonus the programme has ever offered, but there's no telling when a better one will show up.
The reason anyone considers buying miles at all is Lifemiles' sweet spot: redemptions on Star Alliance partners, with no fuel surcharges added. That makes it one of the cheaper routes to first class on ANA or business class across a long list of member airlines, if you can find the seats.
Two big caveats before you click buy. First, Lifemiles doesn't always see the same award availability as other Star Alliance programmes — sometimes it has less, occasionally more — so run some dummy searches for your actual dates and route before committing any money. Only buy with a specific, near-term redemption in mind. Second, redemptions don't keep your miles alive; you need to earn miles at least every 12 months (buying counts) to stop them expiring.
There are ways to sweeten the deal. Miles purchases are processed by Lifemiles itself and code as airfare, so using a card that earns bonus points on airfare spending can stack extra value on top. A Lifemiles+ subscription can unlock better redemption rates, and the programme's own credit cards offer a discount on it. If buying outright isn't appealing, Lifemiles also transfers from Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One and Citi ThankYou, so you can top up a balance that way instead.
Is it worth it? The source values Lifemiles at roughly 1.4 cents each, conservatively — meaning buying at 1.35 cents can break even or better, with real upside if you're flexible on dates and chase premium cabin space. At 2 cents-plus per mile redeemed in business class, the maths gets genuinely compelling. But the golden rule stands: check availability first, buy only what you need for a trip you've already sketched out, and treat the rest of your points portfolio as the backup rather than the other way round.