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Now through September 30, 2021, Avianca LifeMiles members can get a 25% transfer bonus when transferring points from IHG Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy account to LifeMiles. This is the latest in a long line of promotions Avianca has been offering to boost up the LifeMiles program.
LifeMiles 25% Transfer Bonus Promotion
Avianca will give you a 25% transfer bonus when transferring points from IHG or Marriott Bonvoy until September 30, 2021.
IHG Rewards points usually transfer to LifeMiles at a ratio of 5:1. With the 25% bonus, you'll effectively get a 4:1 transfer ratio. For example, you'll get 2,500 LifeMiles for every 10,000 IHG Rewards points transferred.
Marriott Bonvoy points usually transfer to LifeMiles at a ratio of 3:1, plus a bonus 5,000 points for every 60,000 transferred. That means you typically get 25,000 LifeMiles per 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred. With this 25% bonus, you'll end up with 31,250 LifeMiles per 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred.
Terms and Conditions
- Valid for transfers initiated between August 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021
- 35,000 is the maximum number of bonus LifeMiles you can get per transaction with this promotion. So, you shouldn't transfer more than 700,000 IHG points or 345,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in one transaction.
- LifeMiles allows transfers from family and friend's hotel loyalty program accounts
- Marriott Bonvoy points usually transfer to LifeMiles within 1 day
- IHG points can take up to 3-4 weeks to transfer to LifeMiles
- Transfers can't be reversed
Doing the Math on This LifeMiles Transfer Bonus
Does it make sense to use your hotel rewards program points to get LifeMiles? Let's do the math. AwardWallet members have gotten the following redemption values from recent travels:
- IHG Rewards: 0.74 cents per point
- Marriott Bonvoy: 1.00 cents per point
- Avianca LifeMiles: 3.70 cents per mile
Without this promotion, we have the following normal conversion rates from hotel rewards to LifeMiles:
- IHG: 10,000 points ($74) to 2,000 LifeMiles ($74)
- Marriott Bonvoy: 10,000 points ($102) to 3,333 LifeMiles ($123)
With the 25% bonus points in this promotion, you get the following conversions:
- IHG: 10,000 points ($74) to 2,500 LifeMiles ($93)
- Marriott Bonvoy: 10,000 points ($102) to 4,167 LifeMiles ($154)
- Marriott Bonvoy: 60,000 points ($612) to 31,250 LifeMiles ($1,156)
As you can see, you can get a much better deal with converting Marriott Bonvoy points. But, it can still be a good deal to convert your IHG Rewards points for the right situation.
However, you might value these points differently. For example, you can generally buy IHG points for just 0.5 cents each and you may not be able to get 3.7 cents in value per LifeMile on redemptions you're considering. So, you'll have to make your own decision on whether this promotion is a good value depending on how you redeem your points and miles.
Our Take
With Avianca filing for bankruptcy in May 2020, the future of the airline is up in the air. LifeMiles is legally separate from the airline and not included in the bankruptcy filing. However, if the airline folds, it will mean that you can no longer use your LifeMiles points for Avianca or other Star Alliance flights. That will only leave redemptions such as car rentals, hotels, etc. Hopefully, it won't come to that.
Avianca has recently been pushing hard for members to purchase LifeMiles. There's another promotion giving a 25% transfer bonus when transferring Citi points to LifeMiles. If you can get good value from your IHG Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy points, that may be a better option than transferring points.
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