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Just like countless other services, Avianca LifeMiles offers a subscription plan of its own: LifeMiles+. This subscription-based program offers monthly bonus miles and a slew of other perks for a fixed monthly cost. But what exactly is LifeMiles+? And should you subscribe? Here's what you need to know.
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What is LifeMiles+?
Avianca LifeMiles is a quirky program. There's plenty of value in collecting LifeMiles and redeeming them for awards on LifeMiles partners — including on Star Alliance airlines like United, Lufthansa, and more. LifeMiles can be both difficult to work with and confusing, but LifeMiles+ is worth your time — especially if you have a Cardless-branded Avianca credit card.
To learn more about the ins and outs of LifeMiles+, here's a quick comparison of the four tiers you can subscribe to.
LifeMiles+ summary and benefits
As a subscriber, you can collect a sum of LifeMiles monthly and enjoy several other perks. Avianca offers four subscription tiers: Lite, Basic, Pro, and Max.
Depending on which tier you select, you can earn between 6,000 and 120,000 LifeMiles annually without stepping foot on an airplane. But note that you'll receive a portion of those miles monthly; Avianca won't give them to you as a lump sum.
Additionally, subscriptions last one year, but you can cancel after six months or modify your plan anytime. So, at a minimum, plan to pay for LifeMiles+ for half a year if you subscribe.
However, travelers have plenty of benefit-related reasons to sign up, including:
- Save up to 25% on Avianca redemptions (the discount will reflect immediately when booking)
- 10% rebate on Star Alliance redemptions (miles will be returned within 15 days of a redemption)
- Double miles on LifeMiles credit card purchases (earn up to 1,000 bonus miles per statement period)
- No change or cancellation fees (Basic, Pro, and Max plans only)
- Access exclusive mileage promotions
- Miles earned count towards elite status qualification
- LifeMiles expire after 24 months (standard expiry is 12 months without account activity)
- Save up to 40% on LifeMiles Hotels
- Save up to 10% on LifeMiles Cars
To subscribe or view the FAQ page, visit the LifeMiles+ landing page.
Related: Avianca LifeMiles Program: Overview and Sweet Spots
Should you subscribe to LifeMiles+?
If you value LifeMiles, subscribing to LifeMiles+ is an easy way to grow your account without much effort. Benefits aside, you can effectively buy LifeMiles at the following rates:
- Lite — Earn 500 LifeMiles per month
- Regular: 4¢ apiece
- Avianca American Express Elite Card holders: Free miles
- Basic — Earn 2,000 LifeMiles per month
- Regular: 2.5¢ apiece
- Avianca American Express Elite Card holders: 1.5¢ apiece
- Pro — Earn 4,500 LifeMiles per month
- Regular: 2.2¢ apiece
- Avianca American Express Elite Card holders: 1.78¢ apiece
- Max — Earn 10,000 LifeMiles per month
- Regular: 2.0¢ apiece
- Avianca American Express Elite Card holders: 1.8¢ apiece
You can purchase LifeMiles at a discount if you have the Avianca American Express Elite Card. But remember the card has a $249 annual fee. When you divide the annual fee by 12, the card costs about $20 per month, roughly the price difference between the cardholder-exclusive and standard pricing.
In other words, you're not getting much of a better deal by carrying the Avianca American Express Elite Card than if you purchase outright.
Moreover, Avianca routinely runs sales on LifeMiles, which you can purchase for as little as 1.27¢ each (or sometimes even less). Thus, you'll want to weigh the additional benefits to see if subscribing to LifeMiles+ is right for you.
And yes, the other benefits are intriguing. Saving 10% on Star Alliance redemptions is perhaps the most valuable perk. Saving up to 25% on Avianca redemptions isn't bad, either. Over time, this can amount to a substantial sum of miles you get back or don't have to pay.
But one of the best ways to leverage a LifeMiles+ subscription is to sign up for either Lite (free with the Avianca American Express Elite Card) or Basic. You'll get identical perks with each tier, but if you subscribe to Basic, you can enjoy waived change and cancellation fees.
Avianca has some of the most punitive change and cancellation policies in award travel, and Basic could pay for itself after a couple of canceled trips. And that doesn't account for the ancillary benefits and monthly sum of miles you'll enjoy as well.
Final Thoughts
Avianca's LifeMiles+ subscription options are interesting. For the right LifeMiles collector, subscribing to one of the airline's two most basic tiers is more than sufficient. You'll enjoy monthly bonus miles, mileage savings on Avianca and Star Alliance flights, and a lot more — all for a minimal cost.
But before you subscribe, be sure to crunch the numbers. If you want to earn a lot of LifeMiles, you're likely better off purchasing them outright or converting transferable rewards to Avianca LifeMiles to make your award booking.
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