Avianca Lifemiles Just Got 145% Cheaper - Plus Chase's 70% Marriott Bonus Ends Thursday

✈️ Miles & Points Daily

There's a window open right now that I think closes faster than people expect - and it involves a program most US travelers ignore completely.

Avianca LifeMiles just launched its biggest buy promotion in recent memory. Combined with live Citi transfer bonuses and a Chase-to-Marriott window that shuts Thursday, today is one of those days where the calendar actually matters. Let's get into it.

Quick question before we dive in: Avianca LifeMiles is the frequent flyer program of a Star Alliance carrier. Which of the following partner airlines can you book using LifeMiles at zero carrier-imposed fuel surcharges?

• 🇩🇪 Lufthansa

• 🇺🇸 United Airlines

• 🇸🇬 Singapore Airlines

• 🇯🇵 ANA (All Nippon Airways)

The answer is near the bottom - keep scrolling. 👇

Avianca LifeMiles is running a 145% bonus on purchased miles right now, which brings the effective cost down to roughly 1.35 cents per LifeMile. That's not a price we see often - historically, LifeMiles promotions have hovered in the 50-100% range, so this is a notable outlier.

Why does this matter? LifeMiles prices Star Alliance awards - think United, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore Airlines - without passing along carrier-imposed fuel surcharges on most partners. That means a business class redemption to Europe or Asia can come in meaningfully cheaper in real-dollar terms than booking through a program that tacks on $700 in fees.

If you'd rather earn LifeMiles from points you already hold, Citi ThankYou is running a 25% transfer bonus to Avianca through Saturday, October 24. That's not as dramatic as the buy bonus, but if you have a stockpile of ThankYou points sitting idle, this is a reasonable way to top up before a booking.

You can track all live buy promotions - including this Avianca one - on our buy points tracker.

Buying miles speculatively is rarely smart - but if you have a specific redemption in mind (a United Polaris flight to Tokyo, an ANA business class booking, a Lufthansa award to Europe), 1.35 cents per LifeMile is a price worth taking seriously. Run the math against your target redemption before this closes.

This one is genuinely urgent. Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 70% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy, and it expires this Thursday, October 15. That means 10,000 Chase points become 17,000 Marriott points instead of the standard 10,000.

Marriott points typically value around 0.7-0.9 cents each, so at 17,000 per transfer, you're squeezing more out of every Chase point. The sweet spot here is using Marriott's 5th-night-free benefit on award stays - book four nights and get the fifth free, which can push the effective value of those transferred points well above 1 cent each.

If you're planning a Marriott award stay in the next 12 months, transfer now while the bonus is live. Points don't expire as long as you have account activity, so there's no downside to locking in the 70% uplift before Thursday night. We covered this bonus in detail when it launched - see our full breakdown if you want the complete picture.

The Citi Strata Premier has a quiet but real advantage right now: Citi ThankYou points can transfer to Avianca LifeMiles (+25% bonus), JAL Mileage Bank (+30% bonus), and Qatar Privilege Club Avios (+35% bonus) - all simultaneously, all expiring October 24-31. That's a lineup most cards can't match at this moment.

The card earns 3x on hotels, air travel, restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations for a $95 annual fee. If you've been defaulting to Amex or Chase, it's worth asking whether your ThankYou balance is working as hard as it could be - especially with these bonuses live.

The 35% bonus to Qatar Privilege Club is particularly interesting because Qatar Avios can book Qatar Airways business class (Qsuites) and oneworld partners at competitive rates. If you've been sitting on ThankYou points with no clear plan, the Qatar bonus - which runs through October 31 - is worth a hard look before it closes.

You can see every live transfer bonus across all programs on our transfer bonuses page.

The Strata Premier is frequently overlooked because it doesn't have the marketing muscle of the Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire Preferred. But with three simultaneous transfer bonuses live right now and a $95 fee, the value-per-dollar here is hard to argue with.

A new targeted Amex Offer has surfaced for Hilton Honors co-branded credit card holders: spend $200 at Hilton properties and receive 20,000 bonus Hilton points. The offer appears to be showing up on select Hilton Amex cards, so check your account today to see if you've been targeted.

20,000 Hilton points isn't a game-changer on its own - Hilton points typically value around 0.5 cents each - but layered on top of an existing hotel stay you were planning anyway, that's effectively $100 in Hilton value for a stay you'd be taking regardless. The offer is valid on upcoming stays over the next several months, so you have time to plan around it.

Log into your Amex account and check the Amex Offers tab on your Hilton card. Add the offer before you book - you can't retroactively claim it. If you're not yet a Hilton Amex cardholder and want to stack future offers like this one, this is a reasonable moment to consider the lineup.

Quick heads-up on a transfer bonus with a real deadline: Amex Membership Rewards is offering a 30% bonus when transferring to Hilton Honors, and this one ends tomorrow, Wednesday October 14. That means 10,000 Amex points become 13,000 Hilton points instead of the standard 10,000.

If you're planning a Hilton award stay and holding Amex points, tonight is the time to move them. Hilton's award pricing is dynamic but generally rewards high point balances - and with the Hilton buy bonus from last week already off the table, this transfer bonus is the last easy top-up path before standard rates kick back in.

IHG One Rewards cards come with annual free night certificates that can be used at properties up to a certain point value - and the math on these tends to work out better than most cardholders realize. A Category 4 IHG property in a major city can easily run $200-300 per night in cash, which makes the certificate alone worth more than some cards' annual fees.

The IHG Premier card (annual fee: $99) is one of the cleaner examples of a card where the free night certificate covers the fee, and everything else - 10x points at IHG, fourth night free on award stays, Platinum Elite status - is essentially free. If you're doing a one-night stay at a Crowne Plaza or an InterContinental, the math writes itself.

Free night certificates are one of the most underused benefits in hotel loyalty. If you're holding an IHG card and haven't used this year's certificate yet, check your expiry date now - most certificates expire within 12 months of issuance. Award Travel Finder is also worth checking for IHG award availability if you want to layer a certificate with a multi-night award stay.

The answer is United Airlines. LifeMiles generally does not pass along carrier-imposed fuel surcharges on United metal, which makes it one of the cleaner options for booking United Polaris business class without the fee hit. Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa redemptions via LifeMiles can carry surcharges depending on the route, so always check the fee breakdown at the time of booking.

Do you actively buy miles when a big bonus hits, or do you prefer to earn organically through credit card spend and transfers? I'm curious whether readers treat buy promotions like the Avianca 145% offer as a regular part of their strategy - hit reply and let me know. I read every response.

The Avianca deal today is genuinely one of the more interesting buy opportunities I've seen this year - especially for anyone with a Star Alliance redemption already mapped out. And Thursday's Chase-Marriott deadline is real, so don't let that one slip.

- Jack

A real US flight runs today. Pin the airport on the map, then guess the route in 5 tries. Wordle for plane geeks.

These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

1. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 200,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($5.5/yr)

2. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 mon... ($0.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points + A Free Night Reward after you spend $3... ($1.5/yr)

Points sitting in your account? These are the redemptions worth looking at this week, tracked by Award Travel Finder:

Hotels:

• JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa - Aventura, FL, US | 8.2cpp value | 65,000 pts/night

• Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott, Maui - Wailea, HI, US | 1.5cpp value | 88,000 pts/night

• Conrad Bora Bora Nui - Bora Bora, PF | 2.3cpp value | 120,000 pts/night

• Grand Hotel Victoria Concept and Spa - Lago di Como, an SLH Hotel - Menaggio, IT | 1.4cpp value | 140,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Hotels San Diego - San Diego, CA, US | 1.1cpp value | 68,000 pts/night

Status Matches & Challenges:

• Flying Blue Status Match - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue (New Markets) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue UK (BA Status Holders) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

Live Transfer Bonuses:

• Amex Membership Rewards → AeroMexico ClubPremier: +20% bonus - ends October 30 (in 17 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Air France KLM Flying Blue: +25% bonus - ends October 31 (in 18 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +30% bonus - ends tomorrow, Wednesday (October 14)

• Capital One Miles → British Airways Avios: +20% bonus - ends October 31 (in 18 days)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: +70% bonus - ends this Thursday (October 15, in 2 days)

• Citi ThankYou Rewards → Avianca LifeMiles: +25% bonus - ends Saturday October 24 (in 11 days)

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• Alaska Airlines (Atmos Rewards): 110% bonus at - ends this Monday (October 19, in 6 days)

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at - ends November 12 (in 30 days)

• Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles): 50% bonus at - ends October 31 (in 18 days)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at - ends November 12 (in 30 days)

• Frontier Airlines (Frontier Miles): 150% bonus at - ends Friday October 23 (in 10 days)

• JetBlue Airways (TrueBlue): 20% discount at - ends this Sunday (October 18, in 5 days)

Full live tracker → milesandpointsdaily.com/buy-points-promotions

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

Friday Flight Deals finds the best flight deals when paying cash beats using points.

Browse all deals at FridayFlightDeals.com →