Last time we looked into Avianca LifeMiles was in 2022, when AFF Editor Matt Graham concluded that the program had lost its appeal.
This was mainly due to the lack of award availability at the time, and because of the LifeMiles website’s frustrating quirks which can make it difficult to successfully redeem miles. While the program sells miles cheaply, its 12-month expiration policy is also a bit painful.
That said, LifeMiles still offers some phenomenal deals from time to time, such as the current 160% bonus when you buy miles. So, in 2025, it’s worth revisiting the question: Is it worth buying LifeMiles?
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Why would you buy Avianca LifeMiles?
The key to Avianca LifeMiles’ popularity beyond its Colombian home market is twofold.
Firstly, the program runs frequent, generous bonus point promotions when buying points. For example, until 14 July 2025, you can get a 160% bonus when purchasing 21,000 miles or more.
This 160% bonus is at the more generous end of LifeMiles promotions, which tend to range from 125% up to a 200% bonus. This is a significantly higher bonus than most other frequent flyer programs offer.
Secondly, Avianca is a member of Star Alliance. This means those miles can (theoretically) be redeemed across the Star Alliance network at relatively competitive zone-based rates.
Some of the challenges with the LifeMiles program
While it sells miles cheaply, LifeMiles isn’t for the faint of heart! The website is notoriously temperamental. It has been known to show phantom availability and it struggles with multi-leg bookings.
Here’s what some AFF members have had to say in recent years:
Having difficulty with getting lifemiles website to load ? Any tips ?
blacksultan on the AFF forum
I have been trying to book a flight from Bangkok to Perth business class with Thai Airlines, when I search the system I am able to locate business class flight for date, I select and go through process of adding travelers, then when enter, it thinks for a while then I get an error message.
itstraveltime on the AFF forum
LifeMiles members also seem to get access to fewer award seats on Star Alliance partner airlines than through other programs, such as Air Canada Aeroplan. And LifeMiles award seats on other Star Alliance airlines seem to periodically simply disappear from the LifeMiles booking engine for months, only to suddenly reappear.
Additionally, LifeMiles transactions are in US dollars. While the current AUD-USD exchange rate isn’t great, using a credit card without foreign transaction fees will help you save money.
What is LifeMiles redemption availability like in 2025?
Before buying LifeMiles, you should definitely check on the LifeMiles website if there is award availability on the flight/s you want to book. Bear in mind, seats that are available to book through other Star Alliance programs might not be available through LifeMiles!
That’s not to say there’s no Business Class award availability. For example, I’ve spotted sporadic availability this year on Air India between Sydney and Delhi, and onwards to Europe. There’s also some ANA Business Class availability between Perth and Tokyo.
As another example, there’s currently a scattering of LifeMiles redemption availability on Thai Airways between Melbourne and Bangkok in Business Class in the second half of 2025 for 90,000 LifeMiles plus USD99.80 (~AU$153) in taxes, round-trip.
With the current 160% bonus point offer, you’d only need to buy 35,000 LifeMiles to net 90,000 miles. All up, this means you’d spend around AUD1,920 on the miles and taxes you’d need to book Melbourne-Bangkok return in Business Class!
The LifeMiles website wasn’t throwing any errors right to the point of entering credit card details. That’s an improvement and suggests the Thai Airways flights I’m seeing aren’t phantom availability. Although, with LifeMiles, you can never really be 100% sure until you have a confirmed ticket.
How does LifeMiles compare to Aeroplan?
Aeroplan – Air Canada’s loyalty program – is another popular option for buying points to redeem on Star Alliance flights. While Aeroplan’s promotions aren’t as generous as with LifeMiles, booking award flights on the Air Canada website is much easier than with LifeMiles – especially multi-sector journeys.
Those same flights between Melbourne and Bangkok cost 90,000 Aeroplan points, round-trip, and similar taxes. Aeroplan is also currently running a promotion, offering up to a 30% discount depending on how many points you buy. You get 25% off when buying the 90,000 points needed for this redemption.
The total cost of buying 90,000 Aeroplan points and paying the taxes on a round-trip Melbourne-Bangkok redemption in Business Class comes to just over AUD3,020.
In this example, you’d save over $1,000 by buying and redeeming LifeMiles, compared to Aeroplan points! So, it might not be time to write off LifeMiles just yet…
So, is it worth buying LifeMiles in 2025?
In a word: sometimes.
The LifeMiles website still isn’t great, especially for finding connecting flights. But it does OK with simple one-way or return trips.
If there is availability for a flight you want, buying LifeMiles definitely can still be worth it – especially during generous promotions like the current one. You just need to understand the risks.
