LifeMiles is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs out there, in my opinion, given that they frequently sell miles at a discount, and have great award redemption rates. So they’re often my go-to program for booking premium cabin Star Alliance awards.

At the moment LifeMiles is offering a discount on award redemptions in select markets when traveling on Star Alliance partners. It’s rare for a frequent flyer program to offer discounted redemptions on partner airlines, so this is worth being aware of, in my opinion.

LifeMiles award sale

At the moment LifeMiles is running a sale on award redemptions, where they’re offering 10-31% off select redemptions. This promotion is valid for redemptions through August 14, 2019, though it’s fine if you actually travel on subsequent dates (all that matters is that you book by then).

The discount is valid for travel between specific city pairs, and you can find all the eligible markets at this link. In many cases the discounts are valid for travel in business and first class, including for some routes to/from the US.

Just to give some examples, below are some routes from the US that are on sale in first & business class:

  • Chicago to Taipei in business class for 64,000 miles
  • Houston to Taipei in business class for 64,000 miles
  • Los Angeles to Hong Kong in business class for 64,000 miles
  • Los Angeles to Seoul Incheon in business class for 64,000 miles
  • Los Angeles to Shanghai in business class for 64,000 miles
  • Los Angeles to Taipei in business class for 64,000 miles
  • New York to Beijing in first class for 81,000 miles
  • San Francisco to Hong Kong in business class for 64,000 miles
  • San Francisco to Taipei in business class for 64,000 miles
  • Washington to Beijing for 67,500 miles in business class or 81,000 miles in first class

Those are just the business and first class city pairs available from the US, though there are many more available, including from other points in North America, to North America, and in other regions.

LifeMiles offering a 145% bonus on purchased miles

Not only can you get a discount when redeeming LifeMiles, but you can also get a great discount when buying LifeMiles.

As I wrote about earlier, at the moment LifeMiles is offering a special bonus on purchased LifeMiles for readers of OMAAT. You can buy LifeMiles with up to a 145% bonus, which is a cost of just 1.35 cents per mile.

Here’s what the bonus chart looks like for OMAAT readers who register:

LifeMiles processes mileage purchases directly, meaning that buying miles with them qualifies as airfare spend, which I almost view as a further discount on purchased LifeMiles. Therefore you’ll want to consider using one of the following cards for your purchase, since they offer the following bonus miles for airfare spend:

CardPoints earned on airfare spend
The Platinum Card® from American Express5x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent
Citi Prestige Card5x ThankYou points per dollar spent
American Express® Gold Card3x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent
Chase Sapphire Reserve®3x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent
Citi Premier℠ Card3x ThankYou points per dollar spent
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card2x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent

So if you pay with The Platinum Card® from American Express then you earn 5x points. I value those points at 1.7 cents each, so to me that’s the equivalent of a further 8.5% return. That means that the real cost of each mile goes down from 1.35 cents to 1.24 cents, which is an even better value (this isn’t cash in your pocket, but rather points in your “pocket” based on my valuation).

Keep in mind there are numerous ways to earn LifeMiles through credit cards as well, both by transferring points from flexible rewards programs, or via the Avianca LifeMiles credit cards.

Bottom line

Not only is LifeMiles offering up to a 145% bonus on purchased miles, but you can also receive discounts on select redemptions. In some cases business class redemptions between the US and Asia will cost you just 64,000 miles one-way, which is an excellent deal.

Hopefully lots of you can take advantage of both the award sale and the sale on purchased miles, since you can combine the two for some great values!

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