Avianca LifeMiles has a new 15% transfer bonus with American Express. This is the third major transfer bonus in 2024, joining the 30% to Virgin Atlantic from Citi and the 150% to Air Canada from BILT. While the transfer bonus itself may seem small, due to the unique nature of the Avianca LifeMiles program, there is still significant value.

American Express To Avianca Transfer Bonus Details

Between February 26th, 2024 and March 15th, 2024, you can receive a 15% bonus when transferring American Express Membership Rewards to Avianca LifeMiles. Normally, the transfer ratio is 1.00 : 1.00, but with the bonus it becomes 1.00 : 1.15. You must transfer in lots of 1,000 Membership Rewards points, which makes the transfer bonus an exchange of 1,000 Membership Rewards points for 1,150 Avianca LifeMiles. While the transfer is normally instant, it can take up to 72 hours.

Note: Avianca LifeMiles is offering this transfer bonus opportunity and not American Express. As such, you will not see the transfer bonus on the American Express website and the LifeMiles transfer bonus will post directly with Avianca in a second transaction within 24 hrs.

Credit. Avianca LifeMiles. American Express Transfer Bonus Details.

Avianca Award Booking “Sweet Spots”

Despite the sometimes “finicky” nature of the Avianca website and the poor customer service, the award redemption deals are incredibly valuable. While the 15% transfer bonus is not huge, it makes the “sweet spot” deals even better and worth the hassle. Here are some great options for those Avianca LifeMiles:

Economy Class Deals

• Fly United From The United States To South America For 27,000 Points (Normally 30,000 Points)
• Fly Various Star Alliance Carriers From The United States To Europe For 27,000 Points (Normally 30,000 Points)
• Fly Various Star Alliance Carriers From The United States To South East Asia For 34,000 Points (Normally 39,000 Points)
• Fly United From The United States To New Zealand For 35,000 Points (Normally 40,000 Points)
• Fly United From The United States To Australia For 35,000 Points (Normally 40,000 Points)
• Fly Air New Zealand From The United States To New Zealand For 35,000 Points (Normally 40,000 Points)

Business Class Deals

• Fly Swiss From The United States To Switzerland For 55,000 Points (Normally 63,000 Points)
• Fly United From The United States To Europe For 55,000 Points (Normally 63,000 Points)
• Fly Brussels From The United States To Belgium For 55,000 Points (Normally 63,000 Points)
• Fly LOT From The United States To Poland For 55,000 Points (Normally 63,000 Points)
• Fly TAP From The United States To Portugal For 55,000 Points (Normally 63,000 Points)
  • Fly TAP From New York City (JFK) To Lisbon (LIS) For 31,000 Points (Normally 35,000 Points)
• Fly Turkish From The United States To Turkey For 55,000 Points (Normally 63,000 Points)
• Fly SAS From The United States To Scandinavia For 55,000 Points (Normally 63,000 Points)

First Class Deals

• Fly Lufthansa From The United States To Germany For 76,000 Points (Normally 87,000 Points)

As with all award bookings, take specific note of the potential taxes and fess.

Credit. The Points Guy. Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 First Class Seat.

Final Thoughts

The vast majority of people in the points and miles world have a love-hate relationship with Avianca LifeMiles. The best parts of the program are the incredible deals, specifically on flights to Europe, but it comes at the cost of a glitchy website with performance problems and poor customer service. This second part plays a particularly impactful role when there is a need to cancel or change a booking or if something goes wrong during a trip. With that said, the transfer bonus provides some incredible deal opportunities with Star Alliance partner airlines and usually is worth the downside.