Avianca’s LifeMiles program has launched a fresh targeted sale on purchased miles, offering bonuses of up to 125 percent and bringing the effective cost down to about 1.47 cents per mile for top–tier buyers. The promotion, which runs through December 16, 2025, gives frequent flyers another chance to top up balances ahead of the peak holiday and early 2026 travel period, but it falls short of the most aggressive offers the program has rolled out earlier in the year.

More News:

Key Details of the New LifeMiles 125% Bonus Sale

The latest campaign allows members to buy between 1,000 and 200,000 LifeMiles in a single transaction, with a tiered bonus that tops out at 125 percent. The bonus structure, available to many but not all members, typically looks like this: purchases from 1,000 to 20,000 miles earn a 115 percent bonus, 21,000 to 50,000 miles earn 120 percent, and 51,000 to 200,000 miles unlock the full 125 percent bonus.

At the highest tier, the math works out cleanly. LifeMiles normally sell for 3.3 cents each before any discount. A purchase of 200,000 miles would therefore cost 6,600 US dollars. With a 125 percent bonus applied, the buyer receives 450,000 miles in total. That drops the effective per–mile cost to about 1.47 cents, positioning this as a solid, if not record–breaking, opportunity for travelers targeting premium cabin redemptions on Star Alliance airlines.

The sale is scheduled to end at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time on December 16, 2025. As with previous LifeMiles promotions, the sale is processed in US dollars and annual purchase caps still apply. Members can generally acquire up to 200,000 miles before bonuses per transaction and up to 500,000 miles, including bonuses, over the course of the calendar year.

Importantly, some members are reporting slight variations in the bonus structure, which appears to be at least partially targeted. That means individual offers may differ in either the maximum bonus percentage or the spend tiers required to unlock it, underscoring the need for members to log in and confirm what they personally have been targeted for before committing funds.

How This Offer Compares With 2025’s Strongest LifeMiles Sales

Viewed in isolation, a 1.47 cent acquisition cost is competitive in today’s loyalty landscape. However, in the context of LifeMiles’ own track record in 2025, the current promotion sits notably behind the best deals that have appeared throughout the year. Earlier campaigns have dangled bonuses of 135 percent, 155 percent, 160 percent and even 165 percent on purchased miles, pushing the effective price as low as the mid–1.2 cent range.

In February and March 2025, LifeMiles ran a sale with bonuses of up to 160 percent, allowing buyers to effectively acquire miles at roughly 1.27 cents apiece at the top tier. A subsequent June promotion offered up to a 155 percent bonus at around 1.29 cents per mile, and other public and partner–promoted deals in 2025 referenced similar sub–1.3 cent pricing for those willing to buy in bulk.

Those headline figures themselves were not program records. In 2024, LifeMiles used major retail events such as Cyber Week to briefly offer miles near 1.16 cents each, widely viewed by mileage enthusiasts as among the most generous sales the program has ever run. Against that backdrop, the current sale’s 1.47 cent price point looks modest and is likely to appeal more to travelers with near–term, specific redemption plans rather than speculative buyers.

The relative weakness of the latest promotion does not necessarily preclude stronger offers in 2026, but it continues a recent pattern in which the most aggressive bonuses tend to appear during limited windows linked to marquee retail periods and flash sales, while more routine promotions cluster in the mid–teens to low–20s percent range in terms of discount equivalency.

Who Should Consider Buying LifeMiles at 1.47 Cents Each

For US–based travelers with flexible plans and a solid understanding of Star Alliance award pricing, the 125 percent bonus can still represent good value. LifeMiles is known for comparatively reasonable award rates on key long–haul routes, especially in business class on partners such as ANA, Lufthansa, SWISS and Turkish Airlines. One–way business class itineraries between North America and Europe often price from 63,000 to 63,500 miles, while transpacific journeys to Japan can start around 90,000 miles one way in business.

At 1.47 cents per mile, a 63,000–mile business class ticket would equate to an effective mileage cost in the vicinity of 925 US dollars, plus taxes and any applicable fees. For premium routes that would otherwise command two or three times that amount in cash on full–service carriers, the economics can still be compelling. The value proposition is strongest when the alternative would be paying cash for a last–minute or peak–season ticket in business or first class.

Travelers based in smaller US markets with decent Star Alliance connectivity through hubs like Newark, Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare, Houston or Los Angeles may also find LifeMiles particularly useful, given the program’s access to United Airlines domestic feeder routes. While not every domestic itinerary prices favorably, the ability to combine United segments with long–haul partners on a single LifeMiles ticket is often a key draw.

On the other hand, travelers who primarily fly short–haul economy, or who do not have specific redemption opportunities in mind for the next 6 to 12 months, may find it more prudent to wait. Given that LifeMiles has already offered materially richer sales several times in 2025, locking in at 1.47 cents now for purely speculative reasons introduces unnecessary risk should more attractive opportunities reappear later.

Targeting, Eligibility and Program Quirks to Watch

As with many recent LifeMiles promotions, this campaign relies on targeted offers, often delivered by email or through personalized login prompts. While news outlets and blogs report a general template of up to a 125 percent bonus, there are indications that some member accounts may be restricted to lower maximum bonuses or have different thresholds for each tier. That variability can affect the true per–mile cost and should be verified before purchase.

LifeMiles’ terms and conditions also emphasize that bonus miles are credited only to accounts specifically selected by Avianca. Members need to be properly enrolled in the program with accurate personal details, and miles may take up to several business days to appear. In recent years, some travelers have reported occasional delays or discrepancies with bonus postings, which have generally been resolved but can be problematic when planning time–sensitive redemptions.

There are structural quirks in the LifeMiles booking engine that buyers should understand before committing. The program does not allow traditional mixed–cabin awards on a single ticket and can be sensitive to married segment logic, which sometimes causes attractive long–haul partner seats to vanish when combined with certain feeder flights. In isolated cases, users have described error–prone booking flows, higher–than–expected taxes when booking by phone, and challenges when trying to fix technical glitches through customer service.

While those issues do not affect every transaction, they underscore a central principle for any mileage purchase: buyers should think in terms of specific, realistic redemption scenarios on routes and dates they are comfortable flying. Given that LifeMiles purchases are nonrefundable and subject to dynamic partner availability, the best protection for consumers is conducting thorough award searches before and immediately after buying miles.

How LifeMiles Stacks Up Against Other Current Points Sales

The LifeMiles 125 percent bonus sale arrives at a time when several major airline loyalty programs are running their own holiday points promotions. Carriers including American Airlines, Air Canada and various global competitors are all marketing discounted miles or bonus offers to capture end–of–year demand from both frequent travelers and casual buyers looking to upgrade seasonal trips.

In that crowded field, a 1.47 cent per–mile acquisition cost is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive among global programs that cater to US residents. Some North American competitors are selling miles at or below 2 cents apiece for general members, with periodic flash sales offering deeper discounts to elite customers or co–branded credit card holders. The most aggressive deals often appear as short–duration offers tied closely to marketing campaigns or credit card promotions.

What sets LifeMiles apart, even in a slightly weaker sale, is the combination of relatively low redemption rates on certain premium international routes and the program’s historical willingness to roll out very aggressive bonuses at least a few times each year. Its lack of heavy fuel surcharges on many partner awards further enhances the real–world value of those redemptions compared with programs that pass on considerable carrier–imposed fees.

For US travelers comfortable managing multiple frequent flyer accounts, the decision often comes down to where they anticipate traveling in the next year and which programs offer the most practical award availability from their home airports. LifeMiles can still play an important role in a broader mileage strategy, but at 1.47 cents per mile it is more of a tactical tool for targeted trips than an all–purpose bargain suitable for mass speculative buying.

Redemption Opportunities and Risks for US-Based Travelers

From a practical standpoint, US travelers evaluating this sale should focus on the actual award charts and online availability for their most realistic routes. LifeMiles’ sweet spots have traditionally centered on long–haul flights in premium cabins, especially where the program’s award costs undercut those of other Star Alliance carriers or where taxes and surcharges are significantly lower.

Sample scenarios where LifeMiles can shine include transatlantic business class flights to secondary European cities on carriers like Brussels Airlines, TAP Air Portugal or LOT Polish Airlines; transpacific itineraries to Japan or South Korea using ANA or Asiana; and connecting itineraries that combine United domestic segments with long–haul partners such as Lufthansa or SWISS. In many of those cases, the total out–of–pocket cost using purchased miles at 1.47 cents can still undercut available cash fares, particularly close to departure.

However, there are risks that US travelers must weigh carefully. Award space on marquee routes and airlines is volatile and can disappear without notice. LifeMiles does not guarantee access to all partner award inventory, and its online search engine sometimes fails to display seats that appear through other Star Alliance programs. When that occurs, buyers can be left holding a large mileage balance with fewer appealing redemption paths than expected.

Currency risk is another consideration. While the sales are priced in US dollars, LifeMiles is a proprietary currency and subject to program changes, including potential devaluations. Avianca and LifeMiles have not announced any immediate structural changes to award pricing coinciding with this sale, but the history of loyalty programs globally suggests that devaluations generally occur with limited warning. Travelers who buy in at 1.47 cents per mile should aim to redeem those miles relatively soon to reduce exposure to future changes.

FAQ

Q1. What is the current Avianca LifeMiles promotion offering?
The current promotion offers a bonus of up to 125 percent on purchased LifeMiles, allowing many members to buy miles at an effective rate of about 1.47 cents each when they purchase at the highest bonus tier.

Q2. How long does the 125 percent bonus sale run?
The sale is scheduled to run through December 16, 2025, typically ending at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, though members should verify the exact cutoff time displayed in their accounts.

Q3. Why is this promotion described as weaker than 2025’s best deals?
Earlier in 2025, LifeMiles ran multiple sales with bonuses of up to 155, 160 and even 165 percent, which dropped the effective per–mile cost into the low 1.2 cent range. At 1.47 cents per mile, the current offer is noticeably less generous.

Q4. Is the bonus structure the same for every LifeMiles member?
No. The promotion is at least partially targeted, meaning some members may see variations in the maximum bonus or the tiers required to unlock each level. Travelers should log in to their LifeMiles account to confirm their individual offer.

Q5. What is the maximum number of LifeMiles I can buy under this sale?
Most members can purchase between 1,000 and 200,000 LifeMiles before bonuses in a single transaction, subject to an annual cap that generally limits total purchased and bonus miles to around 500,000 per calendar year.

Q6. When does it make sense to buy LifeMiles at 1.47 cents each?
The promotion is most attractive for travelers who already have concrete plans to book premium cabin Star Alliance awards in the near future and can confirm that award space exists on the routes and dates they want.

Q7. Are LifeMiles purchases refundable if I change my mind?
No. Once processed, LifeMiles purchases are typically nonrefundable, and the miles cannot be converted back into cash, so buyers should be sure about their plans before committing funds.

Q8. Do taxes and fees still apply when booking tickets with LifeMiles?
Yes. While LifeMiles often avoids passing on large fuel surcharges for many partner awards, travelers are still responsible for paying government taxes and any applicable booking fees on award tickets.

Q9. How quickly do purchased and bonus LifeMiles post to my account?
In many cases miles post within minutes or hours, but the official guidance allows for several business days. Members planning time–sensitive bookings should factor in potential posting delays.

Q10. Should I wait for a potentially better LifeMiles sale in 2026?
That depends on your flexibility and risk tolerance. History suggests that Avianca may again run deeper bonus promotions, but there is no guarantee of timing or generosity. If you have an immediate high–value redemption in sight, the current 125 percent sale can still offer worthwhile savings despite being weaker than 2025’s best deals.