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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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Another reason to do the conversion is to extend the validity of the points of IHG or Marriott and the miles of Lifemiles.
This of course apart from some redemptions to do with Lifemiles which usually are at a good value.
Interesting valuation of Lifemiles, I’d always assumed buying them was the way forward rather than chopping in hotel points.
Excellent opportunity, I was wondering how to use my IHG points
With the bankruptcy of the airline, I would pass on this oppurtunity. Anyway, I usually find it not a good deal to transfer between programs.
I will use this bonus!! Thanks for the information.
Good offer, and I’m hopeful and confident Avianca (the airline) will come good
Not a bad deal but I am really hesitant to transfer points until the pandemic is under control. I’ve already booked and cancelled way too many itineraries.
I just got an email about transferring points to Marriott from Chase the other day. I believe you’re correct. Unless you will need right now no use in transferring anything. It’s good see the bonuses coming from Chase. I hope they will keep it up.
IHG has some of the worst point earning and redemption rates.
I’m finding just the opposite! I’m currently staying in a Holiday Inn in downtown NYC for just 18k a night. Earlier this month, we stayed in the heart of Paris for ~19k per night. It seems IHG redemptions on luxury properties has gotten out of whack, but I’m still getting ~1 cent each from budget brands.
@JT, thanks for the up-to-date examples of IHG redemptions from direct experience. I assume most AW contributors travel quite extensively. A recurring article idea might be you all sharing your recent travel redemptions. I’m sure they’d be insightful and motivate us all a bit thru the power of envy. New York and Paris in the same month, for example.
A hard pass. Only will consider transfers to LM when I have a near immediate need.
I think its best to avoid transferring points to a bankrupt airline unless your booking right away for a flight that is happening immediately!
That’s a good policy whether the airline is bankrupt or not!
Lifemiles is a great value for South America to Asia business class flight through ethiopian airlines via addis ababa (only 85.000 lifemiles each way). Consider also a stop over at addis, staying at airline hotel, quite new 5 star, 5’ minutes from airport.
I’ll need to read about this one to see if it fits my needs. Thank you for the information.
Underrated program for booking business class flights. Thank you for this!
Think I’ll keep my IHG points. Just checked out a few run-of-the-mill HI/HIX locations for a one night stay and the cash prices are crazy high, so those points may find better use than with a potentially in trouble airline. I do hope Avianca survives though…
I cant imagine the lifemiles being worth 3.7c ea. That said the Marriott exchange looks better than IHG.
I have a lot of lifemiles from a trip I was supposed to take last April and was cancelled because of covid. They expire in July now. I think I’ll risk some IHG points to keep them alive. Long live the lifemiles program (for all of its many flaws!)
There are other ways to keep an IHG account alive.
Indeed, Avianca’s situation is worrying. I hope that something will be done on behalf of the airlines, as Covid is being especially difficult for them.
%25 is not such a bad deal if you can actually use the points with limited travel these days
With the airline under bankruptcy, only do this is if you have an immediate use for the miles.
Does anyone know whether a ticketed itinerary would be honored by another Star Alliance airline if Avianca later goes out of business?
Who cares that some people can get 3.7 cents of redemption value from LifeMiles when you can just buy them for 1.2-1.5 cents…
Not a very logical argument…
Nice to see a hotel points transfer bonus at least! Things have been quiet on that front in the past year
This program with its aggressive “promotions” scares me somehow. Do others feel the same way?
25% is not the best offer. I’d wait till a better award!
Even the IHG points are much more precious than the Avianca points.
Great offer! Lifemiles are some of the most easily acquired and useful Star Alliance points out there. I’ve used them to fly myself and my kids to Europe on other Star Alliance carriers.
To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t transfer my earned points to this program. Although Life Miles is apart of the current Avianca bankruptcy file, I don’t think Avianca will longer survive and might affect and have serious problem by future redemptions with its partner.
25% sounds pretty good if you need to transfer.
Considering moving Marriott points (don’t have many and am not a hotel loyalist) to Avianca just to keep Lifemiles active…transferred AMEX points last year for a trip that got cancelled. No easy way to keep Lifemiles active other than AMEX transfer, but this might just do the trick. Convince me otherwise!
You have a decimal calculation problem on this line:
IHG: 10,000 points ($73) to 2,500 LifeMiles ($923)
Sure did! Fixed.
I suggest only doing this for immediate redemptions for flights that are close. I’ve lost points before or had them devalued a lot and its not worth it.
Is transferring the Marriott points a way to avoid them expiring? Transfer rather than lose them?
Sure, transferring your expiring Marriott points is a way to avoid losing them. Or, you can do any of several activities listed here to keep them from expiring: https://awardwallet.com/blog/do-marriott-points-expire/