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AMEX Membership Rewards Transfer Bonus to Avianca: A Great Option for Flying Business Class to Europe Without Fees

  • Meghan Hunter

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    We don’t talk much about Avianca miles, but they can be valuable for booking Star Alliance flights from the US to Europe in Business Class and for flights within the US on United Airlines.

    And the good news is AMEX Membership Rewards points is currently offering a 15% transfer bonus to Avianca miles.  This is good for those of y’all who have cards like:

    Normally, the transfer ratio to Avianca is 1:1.  But with this deal, you’ll get a 15% bonus, so 1,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points become 1,150 Avianca miles.

    Here’s what you need to know.

    It’s Time to Use Your AMEX Membership Rewards Points to Fly to Europe in Those Fancy Premium Seats

    AMEX Membership Rewards Transfer Bonus to Avianca

    Through April 1, 2019, you’ll get a 15% bonus when transferring AMEX Membership Rewards points to Avianca.  If used wisely, you can get lots of value from Avianca miles.

    Avianca charges a $25 award booking fee, but no fuel surcharges or close-in fees, making for some good award booking opportunities.  They’re also a part of the Star Alliance, so you can book award flights on partner airlines like United Airlines and Lufthansa with Avianca miles.

    Their award chart has sweet spots like flights within the US for as little as 7,500 Avianca miles one-way in coach and 15,000 to 25,000 Avianca miles for one-way Business Class flights on United Airlines.  That’s often fewer miles than United Airlines will charge you, so there’s certainly value to be had here!

    You can also book a Business Class flight to Europe for 63,000 Avianca miles on Star Alliance partners, or pay just 87,000 miles to Europe in First Class including partners like Lufthansa (with no fuel surcharges!).  With the bonus you’d only need to transfer 55,000 to 76,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points to book these awards.

    Earn More Avianca Miles

    Both the Avianca LifeMiles Vuela and Avianca LifeMiles Vida cards are easy wins because they have NO minimum spending requirement.  You’ll receive your miles after your first purchase!

    You’ll earn:

    These cards are issued by Banco Popular.  So if you’ve got lots of cards with other banks, and you’re looking for another opportunity to earn miles, this is a great offer for you!

    But if you’re new to the miles and points hobby, I wouldn’t recommend them.  There are better credit cards you should open first.  Because these cards will count toward your Chase “5/24” status and possibly limit you from being approved for their valuable cards.

    So when you’re starting out, you’re better off getting a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.  And you’ll still be able to book the same Star Alliance awards with partners like United Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

    Do you plan on taking advantage of this transfer bonus?

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    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)