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Update: The 10,000 bonus Avios for signing up for the waitlist is no longer available.
Barely three weeks ago, Avianca announced that it was bringing back LifeMiles-earning credit cards for U.S.-based applicants. We at AwardWallet love LifeMiles, so the news about Avianca partnering with Cardless to introduce two new credit cards was a big deal.
Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long for the announcement to come to fruition. The Avianca LifeMiles American Express® Elite Card and the Avianca LifeMiles American Express® Card are here and now open for applications. And yes, they're worth your attention.
Like everything Avianca-related, there are several details, so buckle up as we introduce you to the airline's brand-new credit cards.
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Avianca LifeMiles American Express® Elite Card
Avianca LifeMiles‘ new premium travel rewards card features a $249 annual fee and comes with several benefits to justify the cost. The card is backed by American Express.
The value starts with a two-tiered welcome offer worth 100,000 Avianca LifeMiles. Cardholders can earn 60,000 miles after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days, plus an additional 40,000 miles after spending $25,000 in the first 365 days of account opening.
And if you signed up for the waitlist, you'll earn an additional 10,000 LifeMiles after meeting the minimum spending requirements. To qualify for the extra miles, you must sign up for the card by June 18, 2024 — within four weeks from the launch date.
On average, AwardWallet users redeem LifeMiles for 2.85¢ apiece. That value makes the 100,000-LifeMile bonus worth about $2,910 toward award travel, and the additional 10,000 miles worth $291. That's a valuable sum of miles.
Related: How To Earn Avianca LifeMiles: A Complete Guide
Avianca American Express Elite Card earning rates
The Avianca American Express Elite Card earns a reasonable amount of miles on spending. Its three earning categories are broken down like this:
- 3X LifeMiles per $1 spent on Avianca or LifeMiles purchases.
- 2X LifeMiles per $1 spent at restaurants and on non-Avianca travel purchases.
- 1X LifeMiles per $1 spent on everything else.
As an incentive to spend on the card, Avianca will match the first 1,000 LifeMiles you earn each statement cycle. Thus, if you earn 1,000 LifeMiles through spending during a statement period, Avianca will credit your account with 2,000 LifeMiles. Over time, the additional miles can add up meaningfully.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Travel Purchases
Avianca American Express Elite Card benefits
One of the most interesting aspects of the Avianca American Express Elite Card is its benefits. Elite cardholders can take advantage of two key perks:
- Complimentary LifeMiles+ Lite subscription: As a subscriber, you're entitled to the following perks:
- Automatically earn 500 bonus LifeMiles per month (6,000 annually).
- Up to a 25% redemption discount on Avianca flights.
- 10% redemption discount on Star Alliance flights.
- Earn 40% more miles on LifeMiles Hotels bookings.
- 10% redemption discount on LifeMiles Cars.
- LifeMiles Silver status: Enjoy one year of LifeMiles Silver status after approval, which comes with several benefits:
- 30% bonus miles on Avianca flights (on classic, flex, and business fares).
- Priority check-in, boarding, call center service, and baggage handling.
- Five lounge passes and two companion pass lounge entries to Avianca’s VIP lounges.
- Check an additional bag for free.
- 10% discount on premium seat purchases.
- Star Alliance Silver status.
The redemption discounts are easily the most valuable. These can result in significant savings — especially on premium cabin awards. However, note that “discount” usually means “rebate,” as you'll likely only get the LifeMiles credited back to your account after flying.
In the original press release we received from Cardless, the fintech platform indicated that the Avianca American Express Elite Card and the Avianca American Express Card (which you'll learn about shortly) were due to offer a one-time 10% discount on an Avianca flight base fare starting 45 days after approval. Cardless removed this benefit before the cards launched, which was rather peculiar. Hopefully, this isn't a sign that other card benefits will be removed in the future.
Avianca LifeMiles American Express® Card
Avianca's mid-tier product has a $99 annual fee. The Avianca American Express Card has a handful of benefits to justify the cost — some similar to the Elite version of the card. This card is also backed by American Express.
New applicants can take advantage of a simple welcome bonus of 40,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days. Signing up for the waitlist awards 5,000 LifeMiles after you meet the spending requirements; apply by June 18, 2024 to qualify.
Based on recent redemptions, the 40,000 miles bonus is worth $1,425 toward award travel. The waitlist bonus tacks on an additional $145 worth of value.
Related: Do Avianca LifeMiles Expire?
Avianca American Express Card earning rates
Like its more expensive stablemate, the Avianca LifeMiles American Express® Card features three earning categories.
- 2X LifeMiles per $1 spent on Avianca or LifeMiles purchases.
- 2X LifeMiles per $1 spent at restaurants and on groceries.
- 1X LifeMiles per $1 spent on everything else.
There's no mileage match with this card. That's a perk reserved for Avianca American Express Elite Card holders.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Groceries and Supermarkets
Avianca American Express Card benefits
The Avianca American Express Card has one primary benefit that's identical to what you'll find on the Avianca American Express Elite Card: complimentary Silver status.
- LifeMiles Silver status: Enjoy one year of LifeMiles Silver status after approval, which comes with several benefits:
- 30% bonus miles on Avianca flights (on classic, flex, and business fares).
- Priority check-in, boarding, call center service, and baggage handling.
- Five lounge passes and 2 companion pass lounge entries to Avianca’s VIP lounges.
- Check an additional bag for free.
- 10% discount on premium seat purchases.
- Star Alliance Silver status.
Mid-tier cards offering complimentary elite status are rare. Thus, the Avianca American Express Card is a cost-effective way to pick up Star Alliance Silver status; it's worth a look if you're looking for a new Star Alliance airline to commit your loyalty to.
Who Is Eligible for an Avianca Credit Card?
Cardless has developed its own risk model internally. Thus, you may or may not be eligible for either of the Avianca credit cards based on several factors that issuers don't normally take into account.
Additionally, based on the language on the Cardless website, there may be a one-card-per-lifetime rule. Bear this in mind before you apply for any of its cards in case you're ineligible to apply for another.
However, ensure that if you do apply and receive approval, you keep your credit card active. According to a spokesperson for Cardless, the issuer “endeavor[s] to approve customers that show repeated engagement with their brand partners.” In other words, Cardless is leaving the door open to future approvals if you don't neglect your cards. But then again, this statement is very vague.
Related: Get a Discount if You Book Avianca LifeMiles Awards in Advance
Final Thoughts
The Avianca LifeMiles American Express credit cards are worth your attention. Both the Avianca American Express Elite Card and Avianca American Express Card offer a valuable array of perks for their annual fees. Moreover, both cards — the Elite version in particular — offer several ways to earn a boatload of LifeMiles.
Taking advantage of a valuable welcome offer is an easy way to fill your account with a valuable mileage currency. LifeMiles can take you incredibly far on Star Alliance carriers like Lufthansa. As one of South America's largest airlines, Avianca can take you pretty far, too. And routinely, it offers sales that make your miles go further.
And don't discount the complimentary elite status for the first year, either. Picking up an Avianca credit card, earning LifeMiles silver status, and earning your way to higher tiers by crediting flights to the program is an easy way to get better Star Alliance-wide benefits without crediting activity to other loyalty programs in the alliance like United MileagePlus.
If there was ever an incentive to switch your loyalty to another Star Alliance airline, these new cards (and recent devaluations observed on partner alliance airlines) should pique your interest.
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