60+ Secret LifeMiles Sweet Spot Routes to Europe (from 16,500 one way!)
Avianca LifeMiles is a lesser-known airline rewards program that offers incredible value. They have over 60 hidden sweet spots for flights to and from Europe with crazy low prices. Our team has tracked down all of these sweet spots and compiled a list for you. Don’t think you have LifeMiles? They are easy to earn! Major bank programs like American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Venture miles, and Citi ThankYou® Rewards points all transfer 1:1 to Avianca LifeMiles — sometimes even with a transfer bonus!
In this article, I’ll show you what these sweet spots are, how to find them, and how to book. Soon you’ll be ready to take that amazing trip to Europe for way less than you might think!
What is LifeMiles?
LifeMiles is the name of the loyalty points program for Avianca Airlines. The great thing about points and miles is that you can often use points from one program to book on a different airline.
This is possible because airlines partner together in alliances. Since Avianca is part of the Star Alliance, you can use their points to book on other airlines in the Star Alliance including United Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, and many more.
Why Book with LifeMiles?
The standard rate for booking one-way flights to Europe through LifeMiles is 30,000 miles with low taxes and fees. That’s a pretty decent deal. Especially because you can often find this rate from smaller, regional airports in addition to the big airports.
Even better, LifeMiles has many hidden sweet spots where you can fly for fewer miles — that’s what we have uncovered and are focusing on in this article. Dozens of options for just 20,000 miles and several for even less than that!
Plus – LifeMiles won’t pass on high fuel surcharges that some airlines like Lufthansa levy on award tickets.
It’s pretty easy to find availability with LifeMiles for most routes, even the sweet spots if you’re flexible with dates. It’s a great option for families because you can find 9+ seats at a time on most routes.
Keep in mind that just because a Star Alliance airline operates a certain route, it doesn’t mean it will be bookable with Lifemiles on any date. Each airline has a certain number of seats on any given route that they release to their partners to allow these partner bookings. We’ll share some tips below on how to find available dates.
Credit Card Programs that Transfer to LifeMiles
LifeMiles are relatively easy to earn because several credit card programs transfer to the program.
- American Express Membership Rewards1:1
- Capital One Venture miles 1:1
- Citi ThankYou® Points 1:1
- Marriott Bonvoy 3:1 with an additional 5,000 miles when you transfer in increments of 60,000
- Wells Fargo points 1:1 (new as of March 2024)
Generally it’s not recommended to transfer Marriott Points to LifeMiles because the redemption rate isn’t as good. However, it’s good to know about in case you are short by just a few miles.
Transfer Bonuses
Banks occasionally offer transfer bonuses where you can get even more miles. These change regularly. Check for current transfer bonuses here.
Sweet Spots to Europe Using LifeMiles
LifeMiles has over sixty sweet spots to Europe and over thirty returning to the United States. As far as I can tell, there’s no real rhyme or reason to why these sweet spots exist. You can find them on the east coast, the west coast, and everywhere in between. The routes include cities all across Europe.
They’re not limited to certain airlines or airports, but there are a few patterns. The highest number of sweet spots can be found flying into London and Dublin. Zurich, Paris, and Munich have quite a few deals as well. As do Copenhagen, Edinburgh, and Amsterdam.
The Sweetest Sweet Spots
The absolute best deal you can find on LifeMiles is New York to Geneva, Switzerland. The price is just 16,500 LifeMiles and $27.80 in taxes and fees.
Another extra sweet deal is Chicago to London for 17,500 miles.
Washington Dulles to Amsterdam is just 18,000 miles.
The great thing is that these sweet spots don’t just exist at major airports like JFK. You can find them from smaller airports as well. Here’s a deal from Grand Rapids, MI to London for 20,000 miles.
London
Here’s a list of all the deals to London:
Chicago ORD | London Heathrow | United | 17,500 | non-stop |
Washington IAD | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | non-stop |
New York JFK | London Heathrow | Swiss or Lufthansa | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Cincinnati | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Boston | London Heathrow | Lufthansa | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Cleveland | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Philadelphia | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Grand Rapids | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Richmond | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Raleigh Durham | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Pittsburgh | London Heathrow | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Denver DEN | London Heathrow | United | 21,000 | non-stop |
Los Angeles LAX | London Heathrow | United | 28,500 | non-stop |
Dublin
These are the best deals to Dublin:
Washington IAD | Dublin | United | 20,000 | non-stop |
New York EWR | Dublin | United | 20,000 | non-stop |
New York JFK | Dublin | Swiss | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Philadelphia | Dublin | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Grand Rapids | Dublin | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Detroit | Dublin | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Boston | Dublin | Lufthansa | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Charlotte | Dublin | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
Asheville | Dublin | United | 20,000 | 1 stop |
All of the Sweet Spots US to Europe
Here’s every deal we found from the United States to Europe. This is the most comprehensive list that exists anywhere.
You can sort the list by destination, departure city, or lowest price to help you find the deals that work best for you.
wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Departure City | Arrival City | Airline | Miles needed | Stops |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | Washington IAD | Amsterdam | United | 18,000 | non-stop |
2 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | Denver DEN | Amsterdam | Lufthansa | 25,500 | 1 stop |
3 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | Chicago ORD | Amsterdam | United | 27,000 | non-stop |
4 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | Chicago ORD | Barcelona | United/Lufthansa/Swiss | 28,500 | 1 stop |
5 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | New York JFK | Brussels | Brussels Airlines | 22,000 | non-stop |
6 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | New York JFK | Copenhagen | Swiss Air | 20,000 | 1 stop |
7 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | Washington IAD | Copenhagen | Scandinavian Airlines | 20,000 | non-stop |
8 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | New York EWR | Copenhagen | Scandinavian Airlines | 20,000 | non-stop |
9 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | Boston BOS | Copenhagen | Lufthansa | 20,000 | 1 stop |
10 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:31 PM | Washington IAD | Dublin | United | 20,000 | non-stop |
All the Sweet Spots Europe to US
Just like flights going to Europe, the standard rate for booking return flights through LifeMiles is 30,000 points but there are dozens of sweet spots for less than that.
The taxes and fees can vary quite a bit depending on your departure city. Any flights that leave from the United Kingdom (especially London) are going to have high taxes and fees. These could be as much as $300 or even more.
If you’re planning a trip to the UK, you may want to consider departing from a different city to avoid those high fees.
A quick flight or train ride to Amsterdam, Paris, or Dublin could end up saving you hundreds of dollars, especially for a family with several tickets to buy.
Here are all of the sweet spots for returning from Europe:
wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Departure City | Arrival City | Miles needed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Copenhagen | New York JFK | 20,000 |
2 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Copenhagen | Washington IAD | 20,000 |
3 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Copenhagen | New York EWR | 20,000 |
4 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Copenhagen | Boston BOS | 20,000 |
5 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Dublin | Washington IAD | 20,000 |
6 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Dublin | New York EWR | 20,000 |
7 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Dublin | New York JFK | 20,000 |
8 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Dublin | Philadelphia PHL | 20,000 |
9 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Dublin | Grand Rapids GRR | 20,000 |
10 | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | kmgalli | 11/03/2024 02:23 PM | Dublin | Detroit DET | 20,000 |
What if I can’t find a deal from my home airport?
If you can’t find a deal from your local airport, check nearby airports or consider departing from the airport that has the best deal.
Many people use what’s called a positioning flight to “position” themselves to another airport. It could be worth taking an inexpensive domestic flight to take advantage of one of these sweet spots.
How to Book These Deals
Search for Availability using PointsYeah
One of the easiest ways to find availability for these sweet spots is to start by doing a search on PointsYeah.com.
PointsYeah is free to use. Put in your departure and arrival cities and preferred date range. If you’re not sure what city you want to go to, you can use the “Daydream Explorer” section and type in the country or even region.
For example, you could search San Francisco to Italy, California to Europe, or even the USA to Europe.
Click on Airline programs and choose Avianca Lifemiles only. You can also add the number of seats you need and preferred number of stops.
Not all available flights show up on PointsYeah so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, it’s worth checking the LifeMiles website to see if it’s there.
Search for Availability using the LifeMiles Website
Once you’ve found availability on PointsYeah, head to the LifeMiles website to confirm you can find the same availability on their site.
Most of the time you’ll be able to, but every once in a while the flight you see on PointsYeah won’t show up on the LifeMiles site. It’s always a good idea to double-check before transferring any points.
You’ll need a LifeMiles account to search for award flights. It’s free to join.
Start by checking one way at a time. It’s easier to find availability this way. Input the departure and arrival airports. Leave the date section blank for now. Be sure to include the correct number of passengers, then click search.
After the search loads, on the left-hand side, select the month you’d like to travel. At the top of the screen in the blue bubble, you’ll see the lowest available price. For this route (JFK to Geneva), it’s 16,500 LifeMiles.
The blue squares on the dates show when that price is available.
It’s not always accurate though. You may not see the blue bubble or blue dates at all, even when flights are available. If the date you want isn’t blue, go ahead and click on it anyway to see if there is availability.
Confirm Available Flights
Once you click on a date, you’ll be able to see if flights are available. Some routes will have multiple options to choose from and some will have just one flight per day.
If you don’t see availability on your preferred date, try checking nearby dates.
Next, calculate the point total needed for all passengers. The rates shown are per person, one way.
For return flights, you’ll search the exact same way. The price you pay per one-way flight is the same whether you book it as a round trip or not, so it usually makes the most sense to book the trip one way at a time.
Booking this way makes it easier if you want to make any changes to your flights later on. Plus, you don’t have to return from the same city.
Transfer Points to LifeMiles
Once you’ve confirmed the flights you want are available, it’s time to transfer points so you can book!
If you’re not sure how to transfer points, check out my free Travel Points 201 guide for step-by-step instructions.
Book the Flight using LifeMiles
Once the points have been posted to your LifeMiles account you’re ready to book. Follow the previous steps to search and select your flight, then proceed with the booking!
Ready to Explore Europe for Less with LifeMiles?
So, you’ve unlocked the secret of budget-friendly European travel: LifeMiles! With its hidden sweet spots and incredible value, you’re well on your way to an unforgettable adventure.
Here are some key takeaways to keep in mind:
- LifeMiles offers incredible value: Standard rates are great, but the hidden sweet spots can save you even more miles on flights across Europe.
- Be flexible with travel dates: Availability is easier to find when you can adjust your travel window slightly.
- Consider nearby airports: Don’t limit yourself to your local airport. Positioning flights to a sweet spot airport can be a smart strategy.
- Plan your return journey strategically: High taxes and fees can sometimes be avoided by departing from a different European city.
Remember: Flexibility with dates is key to unlocking the best deals.
Happy travels!
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Thanks Katie! As always, a practical guide broken down step by step! My family and I appreciate you!
This is a great guide, thank you! It’s worth noting that the downside to using LifeMiles is the high cancellation price of $200 per ticket, so $800 for family of 4, ouch! Not sure if there is a way around it except only booking on LifeMiles if you’re sure you’ll take the trip.
I would love to see your review of which award search tools are best for families. There are some many of them out them it gets overwhelming. Other bloggers have done reviews but they frequently focus on finding hard to find business class flights on short notice. I would prefer to use a free tool that allows me to search as many programs as possible as far out as I can. With kids in school booking far in advance is usually our only option to lower the cost. Thanks
Yes, this is a good point that we need to add more info on in this article so people make sure they are only booking this if they actually plan to take a trip.
I will add that post to my list! As of now, I think PointsYeah.com is the best free option. I also use SeatSpy.com if I’m searching a nonstop route. When we were researching this article we started with Point.me and the paid service and while it technically has more airlines it shows…it doesn’t show LifeMiles accurately. Overall, though, if you’re planning that far ahead, I don’t find any of the services to be superior over searching directly with airlines. If you narrow it down to a certain airline or region, usually the airline tools are good. That’s because it isn’t true that searching further out always gives you the most availability. For some airlines, yes it is. But not all. And if you have something specific in mind (like using Lifemiles to book onto Star Alliance, Air France to fly to Europe, etc) you could search directly with United or FlyingBlue.
Can you comment on Lifemile’s cancellation fees? I tought I remember reading that they are really high. Thanks!
Looks like it is $150 to change and $50-$200 to cancel and redeposit the miles. So definitely best when you know you’ll take the trip!