Buying Avianca LifeMiles: Should You Wait for a Bonus?

Without a bonus, an Avianca LifeMiles mile costs 3.30 US cents. The latest promotion (September 16 to 25, 2026, up to 145%) brought it down to about 1.35 US cents. That kind of promotion is what makes it worth buying Avianca LifeMiles miles when a booking is in sight. The bonus varied with the quantity purchased. That promotion has ended, and no new round has been announced yet.

Buying Avianca LifeMiles: the tiers

The annual purchase cap is 500,000 miles (before the bonus) per account per calendar year. The maximum is 200,000 miles per transaction, and you cannot receive more than 1,000,000 miles per year, bonus included.

For example, in that latest offer, buying 40,000 miles cost US$1,320 and earned 54,000 bonus miles (135% x 40,000), for 94,000 miles in total. That put the mile at 1.40 US cents at this tier. Without a bonus, the same purchase works out to 3.30 US cents per mile, before Canadian taxes.

The bonus applied by tier, based on the quantity purchased:

Avianca LifeMiles purchase bonus tiers, September 16 to 25, 2026
Number of miles purchased	Bonus
1,000 – 20,000	125%
21,000 – 50,000	135%
51,000 – 200,000	145%

The points purchase transaction is in US dollars. For people living in Canada, sales taxes may be added at checkout.

We recommend using a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign currency conversion fees, such as:

You’ll save 2.5% in fees with this points purchase!

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 12 months Up to 50,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $7,500 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank^®* Platinum American Express^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$399	Welcome offerAfter $10,000 in 6 months Up to 100,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $10,000 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare

Is it worth buying Avianca LifeMiles?

The answer to this question depends on your travel plans. However, we never recommend buying miles speculatively: you need to have a specific goal in mind and make sure the flight is available before buying.

Get up to 130% Bonus on the Purchase of Avianca LifeMiles - boeing 787 avianca

LifeMiles are useful for booking flights not only on Avianca, but also on all Star Alliance partners. More specifically, if you’re looking for business class or First Class seats, it can be worth turning to Avianca LifeMiles to book these award tickets.

To see whether buying miles is a good deal for you, compare the costs. If the price of the miles you buy is lower than the cash ticket, it’s a good deal!

In Canada, it’s not possible to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to the Avianca LifeMiles program. So the only options to get these miles are:

To buy them directly;
To transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Avianca at a 3-to-1 rate, plus 5,000 bonus miles per 60,000 points transferred (60,000 points = 25,000 miles).

Conclusion

Buying Avianca LifeMiles miles can be worthwhile if you have a specific travel goal or want to top up your balance to get an award ticket. Especially since in Canada, the only other way to earn LifeMiles is to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points.

Compare

Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card

American Express Marriott Bonvoy

Annual fee: $120
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600Plus $100 of bonus paid after the first year, not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $600
Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months: Up to 70,000 points

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card is the best credit card in Canada for free hotel nights.

New Cardmembers can earn up to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® points with the current offer:

Earn up to 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership.
Plus, earn 10,000 points after you spend $500 on your Card in your 13th month of Cardmembership.

The annual fee is $120, and there is no annual fee on Additional Cards, so you can add a partner or a family member at no extra cost.

Every year after your first Card anniversary, you receive an Annual Free Night Award good for a redemption of up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. At a valuation of 0.9 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, that certificate is worth roughly $315, which on its own more than covers the $120 annual fee. That is the main reason to keep this Card year after year instead of cancelling it.

To get the most out of the certificate, aim it at a night that would otherwise price close to the 35,000 point ceiling.

The Card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. Those credits count toward the next Elite tier, so you begin every year 15 nights ahead of where you would otherwise start.

You move up to Gold Elite status automatically when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card in a year, or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your Card.

Marriott Bonvoy points are generally valued at 0.9 cents each. On that basis, the 70,000 point welcome offer is worth about $630, and an Annual Free Night Award used at its full 35,000 point ceiling is worth about $315.

Marriott Bonvoy points pull their weight on free nights rather than on gift cards or merchandise, which is why this Card should be judged on the hotel stays it produces.

You earn 5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 7,000 hotels around the world.

The Card carries a solid package of coverages: $500,000 travel accident insurance, flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage and hotel or motel burglary at $500 each, car rental theft and damage up to $85,000 for rentals of up to 48 days, Purchase Protection for 90 days and a one year Extended Warranty.

Two things to plan around: the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, and the 21.99% purchase interest rate, which makes this a Card to pay in full every month. Like all American Express Canada Cards, no minimum income is published for this Card, and you can see whether you would be approved before you apply, with no impact on your credit score.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

Annual fee

Primary card$120

Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0

Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

5xMarriott Bonvoy hotels
2xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,210

2nd Year Value$312

Travel insurance

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $500

Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded

Extended Warranty+1 years

Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days