Lifemiles Redemption Fee: Tips for Cheaper Flights

The Lifemiles redemption fee can be a significant expense, but there are ways to minimize it. The fee ranges from $25 to $50 per passenger, depending on the airline and route.

To avoid paying the full fee, consider booking award flights on partner airlines. Lifemiles has partnerships with several airlines, including Aeromexico, American Airlines, and Delta.

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Avianca is the only airline that allows you to redeem Lifemiles for award travel on its own flights, as well as on its Star Alliance partners.

To redeem Lifemiles, you can visit the Avianca website or mobile app and use their award search tool to find available flights.

To redeem your Avianca LifeMiles award flight, navigate to the Avianca booking page and login to your LifeMiles account.

You'll need to select Avianca from the “Smart Search” drop down and input your desired airports, travel dates and number of passengers.

Avianca offers different fare levels within each class of service, and adding options like a checked bag or seat selection increases the miles needed for the award.

Avianca has two cabin classes, economy and business, further subdivided into four fare classes.

Here are the fare classes and their corresponding LifeMiles earning rates per dollar spent:

Avianca elite status provides benefits that can make your flying experience more enjoyable and quickly increase your LifeMiles balance due to elite member bonuses on paid flights.

The higher your elite status, the more bonus miles you'll earn on the base fare.

Here are the elite status levels and their corresponding bonus earning rates:

Avianca's award program has been devalued, increasing the number of LifeMiles required for redemptions with Star Alliance partners.

The cost of redeeming LifeMiles for flights to Europe has gone up, with economy awards now requiring 35,000 miles per person.

Awards to Europe aren't the only flights with increased costs, as business class awards to Europe now require 70,000 miles each, an 11% increase.

First class awards to Europe are now 49% more expensive, requiring 130,000 miles each.

The devaluation affects not just Lufthansa redemptions, but also ANA flights, with ANA first class awards between Chicago and Tokyo increasing from 90,000 to 120,000 miles each, a 33% price increase.

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Buying miles can be a good idea if you're looking to top off your mileage balance to make an award redemption.

LifeMiles, which you can purchase through points.com, is an exception to the general rule of buying miles being expensive. It frequently puts its miles on sale for a significant discount.

If you have a Citi Prestige Card, you can use it to buy LifeMiles and earn a refund on the first $250 of the purchase price, plus earn 4x ThankYou Points on that amount.

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Buying miles can be a bit tricky, but there are some exceptions to the general rule that it's not worth it. Buying LifeMiles, for example, can make sense when they're on sale for a significant discount.

LifeMiles frequently puts its miles on sale, offering as much as a 200% bonus on purchased miles. This can be a game-changer for those looking to top off their mileage balance for an award redemption.

Purchasing LifeMiles through points.com can be a good option, especially if you're short on miles but have a specific redemption in mind. It's essential to keep an eye on promotions, as they can offer a substantial discount.

If you're planning to buy miles, consider using a credit card that earns points on the purchase, such as the Citi ThankYou Premier Card, which offers 3x ThankYou Points on the purchase of LifeMiles.

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Shopping portals can be a useful way to earn miles, but they often have limited geographic reach. Avianca's shopping portal is a good example, as it's only available to residents of Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

You can earn LifeMiles through the shopping portal, which can be redeemed toward purchases. However, redeeming LifeMiles for merchandise is generally a poor value, so crunch the numbers first to see if it makes sense.

Avianca's shopping portal has a list of partners that qualify for purchases with LifeMiles, which you can find on the LifeMiles shopping portal.

Family Pooling is only available to LifeMiles members with elite status, allowing you to transfer miles for free between any members enrolled in your group.

If you don't hold elite status, gifting or transferring miles to another person comes with steep fees, at 1.5 cents per mile, making it not worth it.

You'd be better off booking a flight for others rather than paying those fees to transfer the miles or buying miles to top off an account for an award.

Avianca's award booking fee is quite straightforward: there's no fee for booking an Avianca award.

However, if you're booking a partner redemption online, be prepared for a $25 fee per ticket.

Booking through Avianca's sales office and call center incurs a booking fee, but the amount varies depending on the route.

Avianca's award booking fee is a consideration when redeeming your miles. There's no fee for booking an Avianca award. But if you're booking a partner redemption online, be prepared to pay $25 per ticket.

Booking through Avianca's sales office and call center can incur a booking fee depending on the route. This fee can vary, but it's something to keep in mind if you're planning to book a redemption through these channels.

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Changing or canceling an award ticket can be a hassle, especially if you're not prepared for the fees involved. Avianca charges between $30 to $185 U.S. dollars per ticket for changes or cancellations.

You won't be able to make these changes online, so be prepared to pick up the phone and contact an Avianca call center.

Avianca's award chart has some great redemptions, particularly with its Star Alliance partners. This is where the real value lies.

If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Preferred, or American Express Platinum, you can take advantage of these sweet spots.

These credit cards offer great rewards that can be used to book award flights through Avianca's Star Alliance partners, making your miles go further.

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Avianca's award chart is a treasure trove of sweet spots, but its real value lies with its Star Alliance partners.

If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X, Chase Sapphire Preferred, or American Express Platinum, you can unlock these sweet spots.

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Redeeming LifeMiles for flights within the same region on United Airlines can be a great option. You can expect to pay 7,500 LifeMiles, sometimes less.

For example, a flight from Denver, Colorado (DEN) to Grand Junction, Colorado (GJT) costs just 6,500 LifeMiles. That's a steal compared to the 13,000 miles you'd pay with United MileagePlus miles.

Here are some credit cards that can help you earn the miles you need for these sweet spots:

Avianca's award flights have become more affordable, especially for short-haul domestic flights on United Airlines. You can expect to pay 7,500 LifeMiles or sometimes less for flights within the same region.

Some award flights have seen significant price reductions. I recently checked prices for a flight from Los Angeles to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, and found that the cost has decreased by 20% - from 29,500 miles plus $28.20 to 23,550 miles plus $33.20.

Business class flights to Northern Europe are also cheaper now. You can fly in United Polaris business class from 45,000 miles per person, down from 60,000 miles previously. This is a 25% price reduction.

Avianca's award flights can be a great way to save miles, especially when compared to other airlines. For example, redeeming United MileagePlus miles for the same flights would cost at least 13,000 miles.

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If you're looking to travel in style to Europe, consider redeeming your LifeMiles for a business-class flight on Lufthansa, starting at 69,000 miles and just $155.50 in fees one way.

Fees for these flights are dependent on current currency conversion rates, so be sure to check those before booking.

Redeeming your LifeMiles for a first-class flight on Lufthansa requires just 120,000 miles, plus fees.

You can book Lifemiles redemptions on the Aeromexico website, as well as through their mobile app.

The Aeromexico website allows you to book and pay for your Lifemiles redemption in one transaction.

Lifemiles also offers a booking tool called "Award Availability" that shows you the available award seats on a specific flight.

This tool can be accessed on the Aeromexico website, and it allows you to filter by route, travel dates, and class of service.

It's worth noting that some airlines, like Aeromexico, charge a fee for booking award tickets over the phone.

This fee can range from $25 to $50, depending on the airline's policy.