If you have been holding off to top off your Avianca LifeMiles account, this could be the time to do so. Avianca is offering one of its more generous mileage sales through September 25, 2026 with a bonus of up to 145% on purchased miles. If you're a fan of Star Alliance partners such as United, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines or Swiss, this sort of deal can make the difference between booking that business class seat of your dreams or watching it go down the drain because you didn't have enough miles.

However, don't forget that the amount of the bonus gives no indication of its value. The question isn't “how much do I get off the price”, it's “what am I going to do with these miles once I have them?” Let's count, count down, and see if this sale is worth your considering.

What the Promotion Actually Offers

Avianca offers "miles of sale" that come in various buckets, with higher bonuses available for greater numbers of miles. Through September 25, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central time, you’ll earn a bonus when purchasing Avianca Lifemiles, and the bonus is available in 3 tiers:

• Wait until you have 1000-20,000 miles and get a 125% bonus.
• Purchase between 21,000 and 50,000 miles and receive a 135% bonus.
• Get a 145% bonus (about 1.35 cents per mile) when you buy 51,000 to 200,000 miles.

The true value is in that top tier. On a single transaction, you could spend $6,600 to purchase    200,000 miles; with the bonus, you would then have 490,000 LifeMiles. Most travel reward experts estimate the worth of an Avianca LifeMile to be about 1.4 cents, so if you purchase it for 1.35 cents you're actually slightly below par, as it were, for such a miles buy.

Huge bonus: Keep in mind that Avianca limits its mile purchases to 500,000 miles per calendar year (apart from bonus miles), which is not a scheme to buy unlimited miles for use at a later date.

A Quick Note on how the Charge Appears

Avianca's mileage sales are done via a third party (points.com), so it usually won't show up as an airline purchase on your credit card statement. This generally will not add to airline bonus categories. Rather, this is a great chance to help you pay the charge on the card that has the highest spending limit for general or everyday purchases, or on any new card that you opened up to participate in a minimum spending challenge.

Where These Miles Can Actually Take You

This is actually the actual heart of the decision. Mileage sales are only a good option if you have a redemption event in mind or at least a realistic one in your future. Avianca LifeMiles opens up award capability throughout the entire Star Alliance that is home to well-known carriers such as United, Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. There are two redemptions that stand out to me as being excellent uses of the miles that were purchased during this sale.

First time: Fly business class to Europe. Airlines such as Swiss, Turkish Airlines or Brussels Airlines usually spend 70,000 and 80,000 LifeMiles per one-way business class ticket, depending on the route. Based on this promotion's 1.35 cents per mile rate, you would be getting about $945 to $1,080 in miles for your money a great deal if you think about it since miles can cost several thousand dollars with cash.

Second, consider the local, with United Polaris. United's one way business class ticket from Newark to either LA or SF is only 25,000 LifeMiles. That many miles would cost about $337.50 during the sale, a bargain versus the $1200 to $3,000 that these transcontinental business class fares can run for cash.

Don't Forget About Transfer Partners

However, before you plunge in and purchase miles, it may be worth seeing if you already have points available in an account that will be accepted by Avianca. LifeMiles has teamed up with a number of prominent transferable currencies, such as:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Bilt Rewards
• Brex Rewards
• Capital One Miles
• Citi ThankYou Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Wells Fargo Rewards

In the case of any of these programs, if you already have a lot of points, you may be able to move them over without a single dollar out of your pocket to get to your point redemption target. Buying miles is best for filling a small deficit, such as one that you're 15,000 miles away from that business class seat across the Atlantic rather than as a way to build a balance.

The Bottom Line

A 145% bonus is an excellent deal when it comes to buying airline miles, and at just 1.35 cents each, you are getting a bit under the average value of LifeMiles. If you've got a business class hop plan to drink in mind whether over the Atlantic or from coast to coast in United Polaris then that particular math works well. The exception to this promotion is when someone is purchasing miles for the purpose of holding them and then using them later, a time when they might be more valuable; if that's the case you're simply parking cash in a loyalty program and hoping it's useful later.

It's best to look at your current transfer partner balances before committing as switching points you already own is almost always cheaper than purchasing new points. However, if you've done that calculations and you're still in need of something else, this sale, which ends today, Sept. 25, is a good chance to get something at a reasonable price. But don't be too late to make your decision after the promotion period, you'll be paying full price for the same miles again.