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Avianca LifeMiles is a quirky program that doesn't get much attention outside of its mileage promotions with mile-long terms. The program has an elite status component, and Avianca recently introduced some changes for 2024. But what's most interesting about LifeMiles elite status is that it can provide a path to Star Alliance Gold. And depending on your travel habits, it's surprisingly achievable if you see yourself spending some time on Avianca planes.
Here's what you need to know about the announced changes to the Avianca LifeMiles elite status program, plus how to get Star Alliance Gold through Avianca.
A Primer on the Avianca LifeMiles Elite Program
To earn elite status on Avianca, there are two requirements: earn enough qualifying miles and fly a minimum number of miles with Avianca. Meet those, and you can find yourself in one of four tiers:
- Red Plus (equivalent to Star Alliance Silver)
- Qualifying miles: 6,000
- Minimum miles flown with Avianca: 1,000
- Silver (equivalent to Star Alliance Silver)
- Qualifying miles: 12,000
- Minimum miles flown with Avianca: 6,000
- Gold (equivalent to Star Alliance Gold)
- Qualifying miles: 24,000
- Minimum miles flown with Avianca: 12,000
- Diamond (equivalent to Star Alliance Gold)
- Qualifying miles: 45,000
- Minimum miles flown with Avianca: 22,500
Compared with 2023's elite status requirements, the only tier that saw any changes was Diamond, which now requires 5,000 more qualifying miles and 2,500 more miles flown with Avianca. And to alleviate any confusion over what a “qualifying mile” is, Avianca publishes a helpful graphic:
You can think of these as base miles and bonus miles, if that helps. Of particular interest is that you'll earn one qualifying mile for every two transferable points you move to Avianca LifeMiles. Effectively, you can boost your way to LifeMiles elite status through point transfers and taking a handful of Avianca flights. More on this shortly.
And in typical Avianca fashion, the list of benefits you'll receive at every tier of elite status is a mile long. Notably, elite status holders can enjoy a 5% redemption discount on Avianca award tickets, lounge entry, bonus miles on paid fares, complimentary baggage, and more.
What's Changing in the LifeMiles Elite Program
As to what's changing, Avianca has introduced a handful of new benefits for its elite members. Let's take a look.
Access to Avianca lounges
Elite members will receive expanded access to Avianca lounges for themselves and their companions. The number of complimentary visits is tallied as:
- Red Plus: 1 entry into an Avianca lounge, 0 entries for companions.
- Silver: 5 entries into an Avianca lounge, 2 entries for companions.
- Gold: 20 entries into an Avianca lounge, 8 entries for companions.
- Diamond: Unlimited entries into an Avianca lounge, 12 entries for companions.
Access GOL Lounges
While this benefit isn't entirely new, the number of complimentary visits Gold and Diamond members can enjoy in Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and São Paulo (GRU) has been adjusted. Each elite member in one of these tiers is granted eight visits.
Space-available upgrades on intra-American routes, premium seat selection
On select intra-America routes featuring wide-body aircraft, elite members are entitled to space-available upgrades to business class. Effectively, you'll gain the following number of coupons to automatically be added to the waitlist:
- Silver: 2 coupons
- Gold: 4 coupons
- Diamond: 7 coupons
Routes include:
- Bogotá (BOG) to/from:
- Buenos Aires (EZE)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Mexico City (MEX)
- Miami (MIA)
- New York (JFK)
- Santiago (SCL)
- São Paulo (GRU)
- El Salvador (SAL) to/from:
- Los Angeles (LAX)
Additionally, elites will also receive the same number of coupons to select premium seats free of charge. Now, you won't have to wait until seven days before departure to make a complimentary seat selection. This benefit extends to the main traveler on the reservation and each companion.
Family pooling
Avianca added family pooling in early March 2024, allowing you to link the accounts of up to seven family members and transfer LifeMiles between accounts. If you don't have elite status, transferring miles to another person isn't free; for those with status, pooling can be a handy feature.
Related: Which Rewards Programs Let You Pool Points and Miles With Others for Free?
Discount on Club LifeMiles subscriptions
Club LifeMiles is a subscription program offering monthly miles plus a slew of other Avianca-related perks, such as a 10% discount on redemptions for Avianca-operated flights. Elite members can take advantage of discounts on Club LifeMiles subscriptions, bringing the monthly costs to the following:
- Individual Plus (save 10%): $20.70 for 1,250 LifeMiles per month
- Familiar (save 15%): $42.50 for 3,000 LifeMiles per month.
- Familiar Plus (save 20%): $79.20 for 6,000 LifeMiles per month.
Premium seat discount
Avianca is offering an upfront discount on the purchase of premium seats — between 5% and 20% depending on your elite status tier. If you don't use a premium seat upgrade coupon or reserve seven days before departure, you can save on your seat selection.
Anytime boarding
Possibly the most strange addition of a “perk,” but Avianca is also introducing “Anytime Boarding.” Now, Gold and Diamond elites can board their flight at any moment. As to why elites couldn't previously board at any moment after their group was called, who knows.
Achieve Avianca Gold Elite, Pick Up Star Alliance Gold Status
For U.S.-based travelers, the main draw to Avianca elite status is that it provides an opportunity to earn Star Alliance Gold. If you're unfamiliar with Star Alliance Gold, this status tier (equivalent to Avianca Gold and Diamond) offers quality perks when you fly on other Star Alliance airlines, such as United.
For example, if you picked up Star Alliance Gold through Avianca, you could access United Clubs each time you fly United on a domestic U.S. flight — even in economy. By comparison, if you held United's Star Alliance Gold-equivalent status, Premier Gold or higher, you couldn't access United Clubs on domestic tickets unless you held an eligible credit card or were flying an eligible fare.
Through Avianca, the easiest path to Star Alliance Gold is by targeting Avianca Gold elite status — offered after earning 24,000 qualifying miles and flying 12,o00 miles on Avianca-operated flights.
Earning Avianca Gold
Qualifying miles are easy to earn. In fact, at the published ratio (one qualifying mile for every two miles you transfer to LifeMiles), you could satisfy the qualifying mile requirement by transferring 48,000 credit card points to Avianca. And with plenty of LifeMiles sweet spots, you could put your new balance to great use.
Earning 12,000 miles on Avianca flights is a bit more challenging. The website states you'll earn one qualifying mile for each base mile earned on an Avianca flight. And since elite bonuses or ancillary add-ons like baggage likely don't count, given what the terms say, you'll earn the following base miles on each fare class:
- XS: 0 miles
- S: 3 miles per dollar
- M: 5 miles per dollar
- L: 7 miles per dollar
- XXL: 7 miles per dollar
And if you take the 12,000 miles necessary to achieve Gold elite status, that means you'd need to spend roughly the following in each fare class to earn Star Alliance Gold:
- S: $4,000
- M: $2,400
- L/XXL: $1,715
Sure, the Avianca LifeMiles program is convoluted, and the terms aren't the most straightforward. But, if you're after Star Alliance Gold status, you can achieve it through Avianca. And if you restrict yourself to L or XXL fares, you can likely earn status for a comparable cost to what you'd pay to reach it in another Star Alliance program — maybe even less.
Ultimately, earning status on Avianca hinges on flying the airline. And if that's not in the cards, then pursuing Star Alliance Gold through Avianca likely isn't worth the effort. But it's still an option to keep in your back pocket nonetheless.
Final Thoughts
Avianca's LifeMiles elite status program has undergone some changes and introduced benefits for some of the airline's most frequent flyers. But what makes the program worth a look is how you can use it to get Star Alliance Gold status. Whether it's the best way to get Star Alliance Gold or just a way…well, it's worth keeping Avianca LifeMiles in mind as you decide which programs can most easily help you reach your annual elite status goals.
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