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If you're looking to grow your balance of LifeMiles and could use elite status benefits when flying Avianca and other Star Alliance carriers, it could be worth considering an Avianca credit card.
Avianca offers two co-branded credit cards for U.S.-based applicants through Cardless (and backed by Amex): the avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card and the avianca lifemiles American Express® Card. These cards come with valuable welcome offers, lucrative benefits, and reasonable annual fees.
Here are all the details on these card offers and how to apply.
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Current Avianca Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses
Applying for an Avianca credit card and earning its welcome bonus is one of the easiest ways to grow your account balance. Here are the current offers available.
- avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card: Get up to 100,000 Welcome bonus miles* — 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.
- avianca lifemiles American Express® Card: Get 40,000 Welcome bonus miles* after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days
$99Rates & Fees
- 2x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- 2x miles on groceries and restaurant purchases
- 1x on all other eligible purchases
$249Rates & Fees
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
What are these Avianca card offers worth?
To put these offers into perspective, consider that, on average, AwardWallet users redeem LifeMiles for 2.85¢ each. At this rate, the welcome offer on the avianca American Express Elite Card would be worth approximately $2,850 toward award travel, while the avianca American Express Card‘s offer is worth closer to $1,140.
These card offers can be especially valuable because you can use LifeMiles to book premium cabin awards on Star Alliance carriers (such as Lufthansa, SWISS, United, and others), often at better rates than booking through those programs directly.
Related: Avianca LifeMiles Program: Overview and Sweet Spots
avianca American Express Elite Card: Earn up to 10k Bonus Miles
The avianca American Express Elite Card is issued by Cardless and comes with a healthy list in exchange for a $249 annual fee. Here's a look at what you'll have access to as a cardholder.
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
- Receive complimentary lifemiles+ lite membership
- Receive avianca lifemiles Silver Elite status
- No foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees)
- *See Offer Terms
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
avianca American Express Elite Card highlights
- Complimentary LifeMiles Silver status for as long as you keep your card open. This includes:
- Avianca lounge access
- Premium seat selection and select upgrade options
- Additional checked bag
- 30% bonus miles
- Priority check-in and boarding
- No foreign transaction fees
- Free subscription to LifeMiles+ Lite, which includes:
- 500 bonus miles per month (6,000 per year)
- 10% miles back on Star Alliance flight redemptions
- Up to 25% redemption discount on Avianca flights
- Up to 40% more miles on LifeMiles hotels and LifeMiles cars
- Up to 10% discount on LifeMiles rental cars
avianca American Express Elite Card earning rates
The avianca American Express Elite Card offers several categories in which you can earn bonus LifeMiles on purchases:
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
Because the card includes a LifeMiles+ subscription, you can also earn double the miles you accumulate each statement cycle, up to 1,000 bonus miles per month.
The included LifeMiles+ subscription and the large welcome offer make this card a solid option for boosting your LifeMiles balance. Since these miles can be redeemed for high-value awards, the sign-up bonus can stretch pretty far when booking Star Alliance flights.
avianca American Express Card: Earn 40k Bonus Miles
The avianca American Express Card comes with a smaller sign-up bonus and fewer benefits, but what it offers is still more than reasonable considering its $99 annual fee.
- Earn 2x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on groceries and restaurant purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
- Receive avianca lifemiles Silver Elite status
- No foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees)
- *See Offer Terms
- 2x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- 2x miles on groceries and restaurant purchases
- 1x on all other eligible purchases
avianca American Express Card highlights
- Complimentary LifeMiles Silver status for as long as you keep your card open
- No foreign transaction fees
avianca American Express Card earning rates
The avianca American Express Card features similar but slightly less rewarding bonus categories than its more premium stablemate.
- 2x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- 2x miles on groceries and restaurant purchases
- 1x on all other eligible purchases
Who Is Eligible to Earn a Sign-up Bonus on an Avianca Credit Card?
Eligibility for Avianca credit cards has expanded in recent years. Previously, Cardless limited applicants to one card per lifetime, but it has since scrapped that restriction. Here’s the fine print you’ll find on both Avianca credit card applications regarding who’s eligible to earn a welcome bonus:
This product is not available to either (i) current cardholders of any avianca lifemiles American Express® card, or (ii) previous cardholders of any avianca lifemiles American Express® card who received a new cardholder bonus for any avianca lifemiles American Express® card.
Aside from these terms, you should make sure you have a healthy credit score and are adequately spacing out card applications to improve your approval odds.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Our Take
It’s hard to deny the value you can unlock with Avianca LifeMiles. Earning up to 100,000 miles just by applying for a co-branded card and meeting the minimum spending requirements is icing on the cake.
In our opinion, the avianca American Express Elite Card is the more attractive option of the two. That said, the right choice for you depends on what awards you expect to book and how easily you can meet the minimum spending requirements.
$99Rates & Fees
- 2x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- 2x miles on groceries and restaurant purchases
- 1x on all other eligible purchases
$249Rates & Fees
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: avianca lifemiles American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card (Rates & Fees)
