It is usually a good suggestion to open a card with an airline you fly regularly. Should you’re usually on Avianca flights, the Avianca Lifemiles American Specific® Card might very nicely be up your alley.
The principle promoting level of this mid-tier airline card is its complimentary Avianca elite standing. I view it as a fantastic match for many who regularly 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, you might wrestle to justify this card’s $99 annual payment (see charges and costs).
Card ranking*: ⭐⭐⭐
*Card ranking 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 commonplace middle-of-the-road card at first look. It has a $99 annual payment, earns bonus miles on Avianca purchases and a choice of on a regular basis classes and comes with airline-specific advantages. It is these airline perks that set it aside from different airline playing cards.
Particularly, the Avianca Lifemiles Amex provides complimentary airline elite standing, 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 entry twice every year
- Additional-legroom seat choice
- Choose improve choices
- An additional free checked bag (excludes Fundamental and Gentle 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 is very uncommon to return throughout sub-$300 playing cards that provide any type of lounge entry.
It will not be as far-reaching as a Precedence Cross membership, but when your urge for food for annual charges is slim, this card could possibly be an excellent compromise.
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On prime of what you get via Avianca Silver standing, this card has no international transaction charges (see charges and costs) and provides a 5% low cost on redemptions for Avianca flights booked via Lifemiles.
It is necessary to notice that regardless of the title, the Avianca Lifemiles Amex is not issued by American Specific. Slightly, it is issued on behalf of Cardless by First Digital Financial institution utilizing Amex’s fee community.
Avianca Lifemiles Amex professionals and cons
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Avianca Lifemiles Amex advantages
Presently, Avianca provides 4 standing tiers. Silver standing is the second tier, usually requiring 12,000 qualifying miles in a standing qualification 12 months (3,000 of which should be earned on Avianca flights). It matches to Star Alliance Silver standing, a strong worth proposition for those who’re in search of primary advantages like precedence waitlisting and standby with a whole airline alliance.
It is necessary to notice that you will solely get two Avianca lounge visits per 12 months, however any lounge entry is a significant perk with a card that costs simply $99 every year. How far this explicit profit stretches for you’ll rely upon whether or not you may have lounge entry with one other card and what lounges are within the airports you transit via most.
You will obtain entry to all Avianca VIP lounges with Silver standing, although it is necessary to notice that the Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) lounge location is included within the Precedence Cross 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 possibly can entry within the airports you frequent, you might or might not discover this card profit helpful.
You will not obtain your further free checked bag on Fundamental and Gentle fares, which could possibly be an enormous con for this card for those who regularly e book these fares. Your further checked bag may price 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, reasonably than tacking a further bag onto the one included together 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 will get a brand new nonstop flight to Central America starting June 1
Find out how to earn and use your rewards
Find out how to earn your rewards
The one means I see Avianca Gold or Diamond members getting significant worth from the Avianca Lifemiles Amex is that if they put important spending on the cardboard.
This card’s bonus classes are:
- 2 miles per greenback spent on Avianca and Lifemiles purchases, eating and groceries
- 1 mile per greenback spent on all the pieces else
Airline playing cards are virtually by no means an excellent place to place your on a regular basis spending. Should you put these bills on a common journey rewards card as a substitute, you may earn transferable factors or miles that you should use with many various airways and lodges. That can make it lots simpler to get most worth out of your rewards.
The Avianca Amex isn’t any exception — I do not suggest placing your on a regular basis spending on this card.
That stated, for those who’re extremely loyal to Avianca or you should prime off your Lifemiles stability for a selected redemption, this card earns reasonably nicely on groceries and eating. It is a respectable choice for Avianca purchases, until you may have a card that earns extra on flights (such because the American Specific Platinum Card®).
I might wish to see this card provide the next incomes charge for Avianca purchases since many airline playing cards with an annual payment provide not less than 3 miles per greenback spent.
Find out how to 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 may wish to fly with Avianca not less than a few instances every year to correctly benefit from your Silver standing.
Outdoors of that, although, you could find some nice award redemptions on different Star Alliance airways, akin to United Airways, Air Canada and Lufthansa. The Lifemiles program is a good way for factors and miles inexperienced persons to follow companion award redemptions.
Katie Genter, TPG’s lead author for factors and miles, just lately 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 value was $279, so she acquired 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 acquired 2.5 cents per mile in worth.
Potential drawbacks to the Avianca Lifemiles Amex
Should you’re somebody who flies with Avianca on a regular basis, you might not discover the perks that Avianca Silver standing gives to be sufficient. Relying on how usually you fly, you could possibly obtain Gold or Diamond standing, negating most 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 12 months since this is not a premium airline card. Nonetheless, it could possibly be a downside for somebody who considers having lounge entry a prime precedence.
Lastly, this card does not provide the strongest incomes charges. It earns decently on Avianca purchases, but it surely’s outclassed by many common 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 Specific® Elite Card, a extra premium choice with a $249 annual payment (see charges and costs).
Each playing cards provide Avianca Silver standing, however the Avianca Amex Elite provides extra perks past this, together with:
- As much as 6,000 bonus miles yearly, deposited as 500 miles per thirty days
- 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 keeping with TPG’s April 2026 valuations, 6,000 Lifemiles are value $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 onerous to place a price on. Personally, I might persist with the Avianca Lifemiles Amex.
Is the Avianca Lifemiles Amex value it?
Should you’re an enormous fan of Avianca otherwise you fly regularly 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 provides sufficient to the correct cardholder. Simply remember the fact that you may wish to fly with Avianca a few instances a 12 months to correctly benefit from Avianca Silver standing.
When to use for the Avianca Lifemiles Amex
Presently, 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 keeping with TPG’s valuations, that welcome provide is value $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 correct match for you, contemplate considered one of these choices as a substitute:
For added choices, browse our picks for the finest journey playing cards.
Backside line
For Avianca followers, the Avianca Lifemiles Amex is a strong choice. It requires a average dedication to the airline, however you need not fly with Avianca solely to get lots of worth.
Should you already maintain Avianca Gold or Diamond standing, I might contemplate a card that earns transferable rewards on flights or common journey as a substitute. In any other case, the Silver standing that comes with this card can go a little bit means towards making your experiences with Avianca extra fulfilling.
Apply right here: Avianca LifeMiles American Specific Card
