Avianca Is Selling LifeMiles at 1.35 Cents Until September 25. That Is Not the Best Price This Year.
Avianca LifeMiles is running a buy-miles promotion from September 16 to September 25, 2026 with a bonus of up to 145%. At the top tier that works out to 1.35 cents per mile.
The offer is targeted. Different members see different bonuses, and some members see nothing at all.
A 145% bonus is a good price and not a great one. LifeMiles sold at 160% in both March and April of this year.
The short version
The promotion runs September 16 to September 25, 2026
Three tiers: 125% on 1,000 to 20,000 miles, 135% on 21,000 to 50,000, and 145% on 51,000 to 200,000
LifeMiles cost 3.3 cents each at list price, so a 145% bonus brings them to 1.35 cents
200,000 miles bought at the top tier becomes 490,000 miles for $6,600
LifeMiles has devalued three times in the past 15 months
How much do LifeMiles cost with the 145% bonus?
Avianca LifeMiles prices miles at 3.3 cents each before any promotion. Buy the maximum 200,000 miles with the 145% bonus and you end up with 490,000 LifeMiles for $6,600, which is 1.35 cents per mile. The bonus tiers step down for smaller purchases, so a 10,000-mile order earns 125% and lands closer to 1.47 cents.
Ben Schlappig at One Mile at a Time values LifeMiles at roughly 1.4 cents each, so buying at 1.35 is a small positive spread rather than a windfall. That is the honest frame for this deal. You are paying close to what the miles are worth, betting you will redeem them better than average.
What makes LifeMiles worth buying at all?
Avianca LifeMiles sits in the Star Alliance and charges no fuel surcharges on partner awards. That single rule is why people buy these miles. Booking Lufthansa, Swiss, ANA or Turkish business class through a program that adds $600 of surcharges wipes out the savings, and LifeMiles does not do that.
The counterweight is award availability. LifeMiles does not always see the same partner space other Star Alliance programs see, in both directions. Run dummy searches on the exact dates you want before you spend a dollar. Buying first and searching second is how people end up with 490,000 miles and no seats.
Is 145% a good bonus by LifeMiles standards?
Avianca LifeMiles has run buy-miles promotions at 160% in January, March and April 2026, and at 155% in February. The 145% offer now on the table has appeared twice since August. Against that record, this is a middle-of-the-pack sale from a program that discounts constantly.
If you have a booking to make this month, the math works. If you are stockpiling, waiting costs you nothing and the program has shown it will go deeper. Our points and miles valuation guide covers how to judge a buy-points offer against what the currency is worth.
Should the devaluation history change your answer?
Avianca LifeMiles raised award prices three times in 15 months, most recently in a change we covered in August. Miles you buy today are miles you are holding in a currency with a documented habit of getting more expensive. That risk does not show up in the cents-per-mile math, and it should.
The practical rule is to buy for a booking you are making within weeks, not for a trip next summer. Speculative balances in a program like this one lose value while they sit. We laid out the pattern in our piece on Avianca's third devaluation in 15 months.
What card should you buy the miles with?
Avianca processes mileage purchases directly, so they code as airfare. A card paying a bonus rate on airlines beats a flat 2x card here. The Amex Platinum earns 5x on flights booked with airlines, the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 4x on direct airline purchases, and the Amex Gold earns 3x.
On a $6,600 purchase, 5x versus 1x is a difference of 26,400 points. That is not a rounding error, and it quietly improves the effective price per LifeMile. Our best travel credit cards guide has the full earning rates by category.
What this means for you
Log in and check your own offer first, since these are targeted and yours might be better or absent. Then search award space for the exact flights you want. Buy only if the seats are there and the trip is close.
Waiting for 160% is a defensible choice. LifeMiles has hit that number three times in 2026 alone.
FAQ
When does the Avianca LifeMiles 145% bonus end?
The Avianca LifeMiles buy-miles promotion runs from September 16 to September 25, 2026. Purchases must be completed before the offer closes at the end of September 25 in El Salvador time, which is GMT minus six.
How many LifeMiles can you buy?
Avianca LifeMiles caps purchases at 200,000 miles before the bonus is applied. With the 145% bonus on the top tier, that produces 490,000 miles in total.
Do LifeMiles expire?
Avianca LifeMiles expire if you have no mileage-earning activity for 12 months. Buying miles counts as earning activity and resets the clock. Redeeming miles does not.
Is 1.35 cents a good price for LifeMiles?
It is a fair price rather than a bargain. LifeMiles are commonly valued around 1.4 cents each, so a 1.35-cent purchase leaves a thin margin that depends entirely on redeeming for premium cabin Star Alliance awards.
Can you transfer credit card points to LifeMiles instead?
Yes. Avianca LifeMiles partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One and Citi ThankYou. Transferring existing points avoids the cash outlay, and transfer bonuses to LifeMiles appear a few times a year.
The bottom line
A 145% bonus on Avianca LifeMiles is a fine deal for someone with a Star Alliance business class seat already picked out and a bad deal for someone buying on spec. The no-surcharge rule is what you are paying for. The devaluation record is what you are risking.
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