May 21, 2014, 7:31 pm
Last edit by: Tokyoite
Coronawiki (March 2020)
Does anyone know if Lifemiles will waive cancellation fees for an award ticket due to COVID-19 concerns?
Unfortunately, barring an outright flight cancellation, Lifemiles will not waive cancel fees.
Just pay the $200 as a "self caution fee". (nobody is actually preventing you the passenger from flying as you booked).
In the future, it would be wise to invest in travel insurance.
=====
Transferring Amex MR points will extend expiration of LM. Post #906 confirms this. Expiration date updates overnight, so wait 24 hours after the transferred miles have posted to LM.
LifeMiles' Star Alliance Award Chart
Cash & Miles redemptions: the price per mile purchased during award booking varies significantly depending on how many miles are purchased. The "sweet spots" are between 38% and 58% of the total mileage required, where miles are purchased for 1.5 cents. See here for some examples.
Beware of Cabotage: LifeMiles has been known to issue tickets that constitute Cabotage, and at least one instance of denied boarding has been reported, stranding the passenger. An example is travel on Avianca from LAX to SJU (via SAL/BOG). For additional information see the WIKI of this thread.
https://www.lifemiles.com/eng/abo/wnb/wnbtercond.aspx
Does anyone know if Lifemiles will waive cancellation fees for an award ticket due to COVID-19 concerns?
Unfortunately, barring an outright flight cancellation, Lifemiles will not waive cancel fees.
Just pay the $200 as a "self caution fee". (nobody is actually preventing you the passenger from flying as you booked).
In the future, it would be wise to invest in travel insurance.
=====
Transferring Amex MR points will extend expiration of LM. Post #906 confirms this. Expiration date updates overnight, so wait 24 hours after the transferred miles have posted to LM.
LifeMiles' Star Alliance Award Chart
Cash & Miles redemptions: the price per mile purchased during award booking varies significantly depending on how many miles are purchased. The "sweet spots" are between 38% and 58% of the total mileage required, where miles are purchased for 1.5 cents. See here for some examples.
Beware of Cabotage: LifeMiles has been known to issue tickets that constitute Cabotage, and at least one instance of denied boarding has been reported, stranding the passenger. An example is travel on Avianca from LAX to SJU (via SAL/BOG). For additional information see the WIKI of this thread.
https://www.lifemiles.com/eng/abo/wnb/wnbtercond.aspx
Miles Expiration Policy valid from April 15th , 2018.
- Any miles accrual transaction in a member´s account in the Program extends the validity of the miles in the account of such member for a term of twelve (12) months from the date of such accrual of miles. Other transactions that may affect the balance of miles in a member’s account, including redemption transactions, will have no effect on them and will not extend the validity of the miles in such account. This general rule will have the following exceptions that extend the validity of such miles in the account of such member for twenty-four (24) months from the date of such accrual: (i) any accrual of miles in a member´s account with an Elite Status at the time of the accrual; (ii) any accrual of miles derived from a cobranded credit or debit cards under the LifeMiles brand.
- ......the following accrual activities do not extend the validity of the miles in the member´s account: 1) the birthday bonus or any other miles bonus that may be given by the LifeMiles Program and LifeMiles LTD so establishes.; 2) the migration of points or miles from other loyalty programs to the LifeMiles Program made as a consequence of the union of both loyalty programs or the migration of one member from another loyalty program to the LifeMiles Program; and 3) the merger of accounts of the LifeMiles Program, including those derived from a member´s duplicate accounts.
LM Newbie Lounge: Ask your Questions Here (Flame Free)
Feb 14, 2019, 6:34 pm
#811
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 261
32500 miles for over $700 USD - this was through the call centre
Feb 14, 2019, 7:35 pm
#812
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Amsterdam
Programs: A3, BA, OZ,
Posts: 1,099
You are entitled to one extra piece if *A Gold.
https://www.staralliance.com/en/recognitionExtra Baggage Allowance
You can take an extra 20 kg (44 pounds) where the weight concept applies or an extra piece where the piece concept applies.
Some airlines do not offer this benefit on individual flights but only on connecting Star Alliance flights. Within Europe on "Light" fares offered by Lufthansa, Austrian & SWISS, "Check&Go" fares offered by Brussels Airlines and “Go light” fares offered by SAS as well as on “Seat” fares offered by Air New Zealand, the extra baggage allowance is not offered.
https://www.staralliance.com/en/recognitionExtra Baggage Allowance
You can take an extra 20 kg (44 pounds) where the weight concept applies or an extra piece where the piece concept applies.
Some airlines do not offer this benefit on individual flights but only on connecting Star Alliance flights. Within Europe on "Light" fares offered by Lufthansa, Austrian & SWISS, "Check&Go" fares offered by Brussels Airlines and “Go light” fares offered by SAS as well as on “Seat” fares offered by Air New Zealand, the extra baggage allowance is not offered.
In theory, yes. However, the Star Alliance rules are more like suggestions and considering the Avianca website contradicts this, I certainly wouldn't rely on that. Air New Zealand, for instance, does not give business class passengers an extra bag for being *G. So I was just hoping someone had actual experience with this situation to know what Avianca's policy was.
Feb 14, 2019, 9:38 pm
#813
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,838
Kia ora, in order to comply with Star Alliance core values, we've made a slight amendment to the checked baggage allowance for Star Gold customers when travelling in Business Premier or Business Class. Star Gold members are entitled to 1 additional standard piece of checked baggage without charge, where the ticketed itinerary has 2 or more Star Alliance airlines. ^MJ
Feb 15, 2019, 12:47 am
#814
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Amsterdam
Programs: A3, BA, OZ,
Posts: 1,099
Right, but that is for tickets involving more than 1 airline. I was not asking about that. Star Gold status no longer gives an extra bag unless the airline chooses to or there are more than 1 *A airlines involved in the ticket. Most airlines, however, still do give Star Gold that benefit so I was asking if Avianca does as well or not.
Feb 15, 2019, 1:53 am
#815
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,838
Right, but that is for tickets involving more than 1 airline. I was not asking about that. Star Gold status no longer gives an extra bag unless the airline chooses to or there are more than 1 *A airlines involved in the ticket. Most airlines, however, still do give Star Gold that benefit so I was asking if Avianca does as well or not.
Mar 4, 2019, 10:31 am
#816
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 2
Advance Seat Assignment on AV with AV miles in Economy
Does anyone know if you can get advanced seat assignments on an AV award booking on AV in economy, or do you have to wait until 24 hours before departure to get seats?
I am looking to book a one-way award ticket on an AV flight from JFK to CTG nonstop in Economy using Lifemiles. I am travelling with a young child and would like the certainty of adjacent seats ahead of time, but I cannot find any details on the website about whether I can get an advanced seat assignment, or if I have to wait until 24 hours before the flight to get seats. Unfortunately, 2 calls to Lifemiles ended up with very long hold times and 2 different answers. I would like to know this before transferring miles to AV (and cannot start a dummy booking to check without sufficient miles already being in the account).
There are two prices offered for this flight in economy -- "Economy on Sale" for 17.5k miles, and "Economy" for 23k. Happy to pay the 23k miles if that's what it takes.
Thanks for any help
I am looking to book a one-way award ticket on an AV flight from JFK to CTG nonstop in Economy using Lifemiles. I am travelling with a young child and would like the certainty of adjacent seats ahead of time, but I cannot find any details on the website about whether I can get an advanced seat assignment, or if I have to wait until 24 hours before the flight to get seats. Unfortunately, 2 calls to Lifemiles ended up with very long hold times and 2 different answers. I would like to know this before transferring miles to AV (and cannot start a dummy booking to check without sufficient miles already being in the account).
There are two prices offered for this flight in economy -- "Economy on Sale" for 17.5k miles, and "Economy" for 23k. Happy to pay the 23k miles if that's what it takes.
Thanks for any help
Mar 5, 2019, 5:37 pm
#817
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 2
Answering my own question above. I used Lifemiles to purchase the cheaper "Economy on Sale" seat and was able to immediately call and get an assigned seat, for free. The only difference between "Economy on Sale" and "Economy" seemed to be the change fee.
Mar 6, 2019, 5:44 am
#818
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: BRU
Programs: Miles&More SEN; ITA Premium, Asante Gold, IHG Platinum, BAEC Bronze, Accor Silver, Radisson Premier
Posts: 270
Hi. This is less a Life Miles question and more a general Avianca question, but hoping I can get some help somewhere. The Avianca website does not work at all for me when trying to search for flights and make bookings. It sets my location as Europe, which is fine, but when I put in the names of the airports and flight dates it simply does not let me search for flights. In my case I am looking for a multi-city BOG-SMR then MDE-BOG. The website doesn't even recognise the airports. I've tried on all browsers and the same issue appears. I also can't change the language/location from English to Spanish/Colombia. I've also tried searching for one way flights and round trips and nothing works. It doesn't even begin the search.
Is anyone else experiencing similar issues or know a work around?
Thanks
Is anyone else experiencing similar issues or know a work around?
Thanks
Mar 10, 2019, 1:29 pm
#819
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 274
Booking on SQ
Hi all,
I'm currently looking for Jan/Feb 2020 award space from US - Australia. SQ has many dates with 2 award tickets in business, but they aren't showing up in my Lifemiles search. I know that SQ seems blocked using United right now, but has that extended to this program as well?
Thanks!
I'm currently looking for Jan/Feb 2020 award space from US - Australia. SQ has many dates with 2 award tickets in business, but they aren't showing up in my Lifemiles search. I know that SQ seems blocked using United right now, but has that extended to this program as well?
Thanks!
Mar 11, 2019, 4:55 am
#820
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
Hi all,
I'm currently looking for Jan/Feb 2020 award space from US - Australia. SQ has many dates with 2 award tickets in business, but they aren't showing up in my Lifemiles search. I know that SQ seems blocked using United right now, but has that extended to this program as well?
Thanks!
I'm currently looking for Jan/Feb 2020 award space from US - Australia. SQ has many dates with 2 award tickets in business, but they aren't showing up in my Lifemiles search. I know that SQ seems blocked using United right now, but has that extended to this program as well?
Thanks!
Mar 11, 2019, 5:01 pm
#821
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Delata, Copa, Avianca
Posts: 3
Hola a todos,
I'm a former frequent flyer, and I've just accepted a new job that's going to make me a frequent flyer again. I've just started researching, but so much has changed. I'm trying to establish a reasonable points/status strategy before they send me on my first trip... so here's where I'm at, and hopefully this makes sense.
I'm based in Ecuador, and the bulk of my flights will be to Europe and the USA. I'll also have a few regional trips in S. America. I'm looking at Star Alliance, as the airport I'm closest to (MEC) only has Avianca (LM) as an option. International flights leave out of GYE (3 hr drive) and UIO (8 hr drive, or 1 hr flight out of MEC) Star alliance partners seem to also fly most places I'll be going, and Copa is also included in Star Alliance. I usually fly Copa on trips to the US for personal trips.
I have a decent amount of flexibility with my employer, I can chose to fly with a preferred airline/partner as long as it's not too far out of range of the rest of the options available. The bulk of my international trips will be in business class.
So the big question is, which program is better between Avianca LifeMiles and Copa ConnectMiles (or would y'all recommend a different Star Alliance program?) I'm looking to get status the quickest possible, and I can't find details on Avianca's program as to how many segments you get based on class booked. For example, if I book a local trip (MEC-UIO) round trip in business class, how many qualifying segments will that net me? Any other thoughts/advice on which program is the best within the Star Alliance to earn status quickly / keep it easier?
TYIA
I'm a former frequent flyer, and I've just accepted a new job that's going to make me a frequent flyer again. I've just started researching, but so much has changed. I'm trying to establish a reasonable points/status strategy before they send me on my first trip... so here's where I'm at, and hopefully this makes sense.
I'm based in Ecuador, and the bulk of my flights will be to Europe and the USA. I'll also have a few regional trips in S. America. I'm looking at Star Alliance, as the airport I'm closest to (MEC) only has Avianca (LM) as an option. International flights leave out of GYE (3 hr drive) and UIO (8 hr drive, or 1 hr flight out of MEC) Star alliance partners seem to also fly most places I'll be going, and Copa is also included in Star Alliance. I usually fly Copa on trips to the US for personal trips.
I have a decent amount of flexibility with my employer, I can chose to fly with a preferred airline/partner as long as it's not too far out of range of the rest of the options available. The bulk of my international trips will be in business class.
So the big question is, which program is better between Avianca LifeMiles and Copa ConnectMiles (or would y'all recommend a different Star Alliance program?) I'm looking to get status the quickest possible, and I can't find details on Avianca's program as to how many segments you get based on class booked. For example, if I book a local trip (MEC-UIO) round trip in business class, how many qualifying segments will that net me? Any other thoughts/advice on which program is the best within the Star Alliance to earn status quickly / keep it easier?
TYIA
Mar 21, 2019, 7:47 pm
#822
Join Date: May 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG100, Hyatt Globalist, MGM Gold, Caesars Diamond
Posts: 636
I've been looking at J class awards LAX-BOG-CUZ on United website using UA miles but flying Avianca metal. There seems to be one good flight on Tuesdays that leaves around 8pm and gets into CUZ around 10am. Now I can't find that flight on any dates. Am I doing something wrong? Would I find more seats and flights on Avianca website itself. Thank for the help
Apr 12, 2019, 12:04 pm
#823
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: Hilton, Marriott, Club Carlson, AA, UA, AS, SQ, AF
Posts: 124
Ok, I'm new to this program. I feel like a lot of times when I look for space, nothing shows up. I head over to United and see flights available. I've been playing around with different destinations and airlines and have found some. I realized the United shows itineraries with two airlines. I now know to ignore those on LifeMiles. But I can;t seem to get Copa routes to show up or Air Cananda down to GRU. For instance there is YUL-GRU on March 4 2019 save space on United, but nothing on Lifemiles.
Does LifeMiles always have such a discrepancy with save space on United Star alliance partners? FYI, I also see the same AC 96 on Aeroplan.
Does LifeMiles always have such a discrepancy with save space on United Star alliance partners? FYI, I also see the same AC 96 on Aeroplan.
May 1, 2019, 7:56 am
#824
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Seattle & Seoul.... and now, Maastricht....
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, NWA WorldPerks deserter, Alaska Airlines Something-er-Other...
Posts: 1,886
....another expiry question.....
I'm relieved to have read through this and got some answers. Thanks all! ^
I purchased some Avianca miles late last year, and I was sure they were going to expire in November. But now I know I can just buy more to keep the current ones alive. :-) Or transfer some in from a hotel program....
Since any addition of miles to the account will prolong the validity of all of them, would that include canceling a ticket and having the miles redeposited? Not planning it, of course, but just curious. :-D
Now that I know I can extend them, I'll be looking for the next big sale! Think they'll have one before November? :-D
I purchased some Avianca miles late last year, and I was sure they were going to expire in November. But now I know I can just buy more to keep the current ones alive. :-) Or transfer some in from a hotel program....
Since any addition of miles to the account will prolong the validity of all of them, would that include canceling a ticket and having the miles redeposited? Not planning it, of course, but just curious. :-D
Now that I know I can extend them, I'll be looking for the next big sale! Think they'll have one before November? :-D
May 11, 2019, 12:43 pm
#825
Join Date: May 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG100, Hyatt Globalist, MGM Gold, Caesars Diamond
Posts: 636
Just booked two Business class LAX-BOG-CUZ tickets using UNited miles. Is calling in the only way to seat assignments? I did not see a twitter account for Aviance :-)