American Express is back out with not one but two transfer bonuses to get even more out of your Amex Membership Rewards points, and this one's a doozy.
You'll currently get a 15% bonus when transferring points to Avianca LifeMiles from cards like the American Express® Gold Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express. But this new transfer bonus is only available through Dec. 7, so you've got less than a month to take advantage before it disappears.
Not sure how (or why) to transfer your miles? Read our full guide to Amex transfer partners!
Using transfer partners like LifeMiles is one of the best ways to put your Amex points to use for even more value. These transfer bonuses make it even better – think of it as a way to get some free airline miles. Amex is also out with a 25% bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles, but this Avianca bonus unlocks even more opportunities.
From cheap economy flights in the U.S. to jaunts down to South America and booking business class seats to Europe or Asia, Avianca LifeMiles is one of our go-to airline programs. While its website isn't the best and its customer service can be poor, you won't find a better combination of cheap award rates and low taxes and fees to book flights.
Just remember: These transfers are a one-way street – once you send points to Avianca, you can't get them back in your LifeMiles account. That means you'll want to scope out award availability to ensure the flights you want are bookable before transferring any points.
But with a mileage program as lucrative as LifeMiles, you've got plenty of options to put this transfer bonus to use.
Best Ways to Use This Bonus
If you're not aware of LifeMiles, it's time to study up. This program is the key to unlocking some of the cheapest mileage rates to Europe, Asia, and beyond. And this 15% transfer bonus just makes the sweet spots even sweeter.
LifeMiles is the quirky yet still underrated mileage program of South American carrier Avianca. While customer service can be spotty and even its IT is hit or miss, you put up with it because few airline programs offer cheaper ways to book flights using miles around the globe – with low cash taxes and fees, too. And that's not just true of flying Avianca itself: It's even better when using LifeMiles to fly United, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish Airlines, and other top Star Alliance airlines.
Here are a few sweet spots that come to mind:
- LifeMiles can be a great way to book domestic flights within the U.S. on United, and this transfer bonus just lowers the cost even more
- You can book TAP Air Portugal business class from New York City (JFK) to Lisbon (LIS) for just 35,000 miles one way. With this 15% bonus, transferring just 31,000 Amex points to LifeMiles is all you need to book
- Other business class flights to Europe are 63,000 miles each way, which works out to just 55,000 Amex points with this transfer bonus
- LifeMiles is also one of the best ways to book Lufthansa First Class at 87,000 miles each way or just 76,000 Amex points with this 15% bonus! Thanks to a quirk with LifeMiles' pricing, you can drop that cost even further by connecting onward elsewhere in Europe. Just keep in mind you can only book it within a few weeks of departure.
- After a recent devaluation, most business class flights to Asia now cost 85,000 miles or 90,000 miles one way from the U.S. But it's more affordable with this bonus: You could transfer 74,000 Amex points to get what you need to book ANA business class to Tokyo!
Bottom Line
Got Amex points? Don't sleep on this transfer bonus.
Through Dec. 7, you'll get a 15% bonus when sending Amex Membership Rewards points to Avianca LifeMiles. LifeMiles is one of the best ways to book many flights with miles, and this makes those sweet spots even sweeter.