It is usually a good suggestion to open a card with an airline you fly incessantly. For those who’re typically on Avianca flights, the Avianca Lifemiles American Express® Card could very effectively be up your alley.
The primary promoting level of this mid-tier airline card is its complimentary Avianca elite standing. I view it as an amazing match for individuals who incessantly fly to Colombia and Central America, the areas the place Avianca’s route community is strongest. If you have already got standing with Avianca or solely fly with the service often, it’s possible you’ll battle to justify this card’s $99 annual payment (see rates and fees).
Card score*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card rating is predicated on the opinion of TPG’s editors and isn’t influenced by the cardboard issuer.
Avianca Lifemiles Amex: The fundamentals
The Avianca Lifemiles Amex seems like a reasonably normal middle-of-the-road card at first look. It has a $99 annual payment, earns bonus miles on Avianca purchases and a number of on a regular basis classes and comes with airline-specific advantages. It is these airline perks that set it other than different airline playing cards.
Particularly, the Avianca Lifemiles Amex gives complimentary airline elite status, one thing you hardly ever discover on airline playing cards. You will obtain Avianca Silver standing with this card, granting you the next perks, amongst others:
- Avianca lounge access twice every year
- Further-legroom seat choice
- Choose improve choices
- An additional free checked bag (excludes Fundamental and Mild fares)
- Precedence check-in and boarding (Group B)
Many airline playing cards make checked luggage and precedence boarding the centerpieces of their advantages, however the standout right here for me is the lounge entry. It’s extremely uncommon to come back throughout sub-$300 playing cards that supply any form of lounge entry.
It will not be as far-reaching as a Priority Pass membership, but when your urge for food for annual charges is slim, this card may very well be compromise.
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On high of what you get by means of Avianca Silver standing, this card has no overseas transaction charges (see rates and fees) and gives a 5% low cost on redemptions for Avianca flights booked by means of Lifemiles.
It is necessary to notice that regardless of the identify, the Avianca Lifemiles Amex is not issued by American Express. Reasonably, it is issued on behalf of Cardless by First Digital Financial institution utilizing Amex’s fee community.
Avianca Lifemiles Amex execs and cons
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Avianca Lifemiles Amex advantages
At the moment, Avianca gives 4 standing tiers. Silver standing is the second tier, usually requiring 12,000 qualifying miles in a standing qualification yr (3,000 of which should be earned on Avianca flights). It matches to Star Alliance Silver standing, a strong worth proposition when you’re in search of fundamental advantages like precedence waitlisting and standby with a complete airline alliance.
It is necessary to notice that you will solely get two Avianca lounge visits per yr, however any lounge entry is a significant perk with a card that fees simply $99 every year. How far this specific profit stretches for you’ll rely on whether or not you will have lounge entry with one other card and what lounges are within the airports you transit by means of most.
You will obtain entry to all Avianca VIP lounges with Silver standing, although it is necessary to notice that the Miami International Airport (MIA) lounge location is included within the Precedence Move community. You may as well redeem considered one of your entry passes for a companion (aside from the Miami lounge).
Relying on what number of lounges you’ll be able to entry within the airports you frequent, it’s possible you’ll or could not discover this card profit helpful.
You will not obtain your additional free checked bag on Fundamental and Mild fares, which may very well be an enormous con for this card when you incessantly e book these fares. Your additional checked bag might value well over a hundred dollars, relying in your origin and vacation spot, so this profit alone can web you again the cash you spend on the cardboard’s annual payment. However I want this card adopted the sample of different airline playing cards by providing a free checked bag from the beginning, moderately than tacking an extra bag onto the one included along with your fare.
Whereas this card’s perks are helpful for these with no Avianca standing, anybody with Avianca Gold or Diamond standing will not get a lot. Avianca Silver is the spine of this card, and its perks are already included in Gold and Diamond standing.
Associated: San Francisco gets a new nonstop flight to Central America beginning June 1
How one can earn and use your rewards
How one can earn your rewards
The one method I see Avianca Gold or Diamond members getting significant worth from the Avianca Lifemiles Amex is that if they put vital spending on the cardboard.
This card’s bonus classes are:
- 2 miles per greenback spent on Avianca and Lifemiles purchases, dining and groceries
- 1 mile per greenback spent on all the pieces else
Airline playing cards are virtually by no means place to place your everyday spending. For those who put these bills on a basic journey rewards card as a substitute, you will earn transferable points or miles that you should utilize with many various airways and lodges. That may make it quite a bit simpler to get most worth out of your rewards.
The Avianca Amex is not any exception — I do not advocate placing your on a regular basis spending on this card.
That mentioned, when you’re extremely loyal to Avianca or that you must high off your Lifemiles stability for a selected redemption, this card earns reasonably effectively on groceries and eating. It is a respectable choice for Avianca purchases, except you will have a card that earns extra on flights (such because the American Express Platinum Card®).
I might wish to see this card supply the next incomes price for Avianca purchases since many airline playing cards with an annual payment supply at the least 3 miles per greenback spent.
How one can redeem Avianca Lifemiles
Avianca Lifemiles are highly effective as a result of they are often redeemed for flights on any Star Alliance airline, not simply Avianca. As a cardholder, you will need to fly with Avianca at the least a few instances every year to correctly reap the benefits of your Silver standing.
Exterior of that, although, you will discover some nice award redemptions on different Star Alliance airways, equivalent to United Airlines, Air Canada and Lufthansa. The Lifemiles program is an effective way for factors and miles rookies to observe companion award redemptions.
Katie Genter, TPG’s lead author for factors and miles, not too long ago redeemed 8,280 Lifemiles plus $81 in taxes and costs for a one-way flight from Juan Santamaría Worldwide Airport (SJO) in Costa Rica to Mexico Metropolis Worldwide Airport (MEX). The money worth was $279, so she obtained 2.39 cents per mile in worth.
If Katie had the Avianca Amex and brought benefit of its 5% redemption low cost, she would’ve saved greater than 400 miles and obtained 2.5 cents per mile in worth.
Potential drawbacks to the Avianca Lifemiles Amex
For those who’re somebody who flies with Avianca on a regular basis, it’s possible you’ll not discover the perks that Avianca Silver standing offers to be sufficient. Relying on how typically you fly, you could possibly obtain Gold or Diamond standing, negating lots of the advantages of this card.
I will not dock too many factors from the Avianca Lifemiles Amex for under providing two lounge visits per yr since this is not a premium airline card. Nonetheless, it may very well be a downside for somebody who considers having lounge entry a high precedence.
Lastly, this card does not supply the strongest incomes charges. It earns decently on Avianca purchases, but it surely’s outclassed by many basic journey rewards playing cards that earn extra rewards per greenback spent on flights.
Avianca Lifemiles Amex vs. Avianca Lifemiles Amex Elite
The Avianca Lifemiles Amex‘s older sibling is the Avianca Lifemiles American Express® Elite Card, a extra premium choice with a $249 annual payment (see rates and fees).
Each playing cards supply Avianca Silver standing, however the Avianca Amex Elite gives further perks past this, together with:
- As much as 6,000 bonus miles yearly, deposited as 500 miles monthly
- 10% of your miles again on Star Alliance redemptions
- An as much as 25% low cost on Avianca redemptions
- 3 miles per greenback spent on Avianca purchases
- 2 miles per greenback spent on eating and journey, as a substitute of eating and groceries
In response to TPG’s April 2026 valuations, 6,000 Lifemiles are price $84. That will not put an excessive amount of of a dent within the Avianca Amex Elite’s annual payment, and its different perks are laborious to place a worth on. Personally, I might persist with the Avianca Lifemiles Amex.
Is the Avianca Lifemiles Amex price it?
For those who’re an enormous fan of Avianca otherwise you fly incessantly with Star Alliance airways, I like to recommend significantly contemplating the Avianca Lifemiles Amex. It is not the strongest or most well-rounded card round, but it surely gives sufficient to the appropriate cardholder. Simply take into account that you will need to fly with Avianca a few instances a yr to correctly reap the benefits of Avianca Silver standing.
When to use for the Avianca Lifemiles Amex
At the moment, new Avianca Lifemiles Amex cardholders can earn 40,000 miles after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening.
In response to TPG’s valuations, that welcome supply is price $560.
Bear in mind: Since this card is not issued by Amex, you will not want to fret about Amex’s once-per-lifetime welcome bonus rule.
Different playing cards to contemplate if you don’t need the Avianca Lifemiles Amex
If the Avianca Lifemiles Amex does not fairly sound like the appropriate match for you, think about considered one of these choices as a substitute:
For extra choices, browse our picks for the best travel cards.
Backside line
For Avianca followers, the Avianca Lifemiles Amex is a strong choice. It requires a reasonable dedication to the airline, however you needn’t fly with Avianca solely to get quite a lot of worth.
For those who already maintain Avianca Gold or Diamond standing, I might think about a card that earns transferable rewards on flights or basic journey as a substitute. In any other case, the Silver standing that comes with this card can go a bit of method towards making your experiences with Avianca extra pleasant.
Apply right here: Avianca LifeMiles American Express Card
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