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United Award Travel: What You Need to Know

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Table of Contents

Does United have an award chart?

How many miles do i need to book united award travel, how can i find the lowest-priced united award flights, combining money and miles to book united flights, using the united excursionist perk to save more miles, earn united miles quickly, final thoughts on united mileageplus awards.

United Airlines’ loyalty program, MileagePlus, allows members to redeem United miles on award flights with both United and its partner airlines. Although there is no longer a United award chart, MileagePlus still offers some great ways to redeem miles for United award travel. Below, we dive into what you need to know for booking United award travel.

United ditched its award chart in November 2019, making it harder to predict how many miles you’ll need to book an award flight with the airline. According to United, award pricing can “fluctuate based on a variety of factors, including demand.”

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Because United eliminated its award chart, you’ll need to search for a specific flight on United.com or through the United MileagePlus X app to determine how many miles are required for a given flight.

On United.com, make sure the “Book with award miles” option is selected before running your search.

Using a flight from Chicago-O’Hare to Munich as an example, you’ll get results that will show you a range of prices. These are often affected by the class of service and whether the flight is with United or a partner airline.

On the date selected, from Chicago to Munich, an economy seat ranges from 30,000 to 33,000 miles, while premium economy is 108,300 miles and business class is 175,000 miles.

» Learn more: Best benefits of United Airlines credit cards

If you want to find the lowest-priced award flights on United and are flexible with travel dates, it would be wise to take advantage of the “View 30 day calendar” feature.

Searching for premium economy award tickets using the 30-day United award calendar shows that we can save thousands of points by adjusting travel dates by a few days.

Flexibility is your friend if you want to book the lowest-priced award ticket. For example, if you were set on flying on April 29th, you’d need to use 108,300 miles to fly. However, if you move your travel ahead or back by just a day or two, you would instead only need 45,000 miles.

» Learn more: All the ways to earn United MileagePlus miles

If you’re running low on miles, United offers MileagePlus members a way to combine miles and money to book flights. This can easily be done on United’s website by following these steps:

First, search for your desired flight using money on United.com or the United app.

Choose your flight and select the “Money + Miles” option.

Select the flight portions you want to pay in money and miles.

The Money + Miles option on United can be helpful when you have a pile of United miles but not enough to fully cover the cost of your award ticket. When you pay for flights using Money + Miles, your United miles are valued at 1 cent per mile — just below our baseline value for United miles at 1.2 cents each (here's how we came to that number ).

For example, you’d be able to save $24 off your flight by using 2,400 United miles. If you're trying to get out-sized value for your United miles, paying for your flight this way is not the strategy. You'd likely be better off saving those miles for a future business cabin booking.

» Learn more: The NerdWallet guide to the United MileagePlus Program

United offers an Excursionist Perk feature that can save you miles on your United award travel booking. The Excursionist Perk can get you a one-way award ticket for award bookings on certain multi-city itineraries.

Here's an example of how it works: Let's say you want to fly economy class on a United award ticket from Chicago to London, then later fly from London to Paris before flying back home to Chicago from Paris. Your flight between London and Paris could be free with the Excursionist Perk.

According to United’s website, there are a few caveats to qualify for the Excursionist Perk:

The Excursionist Perk cannot be in the MileagePlus defined region where your travel originates (for example, if your journey begins in North America, you will only receive the Excursionist Perk if travel is within a region outside of North America).

Travel must end in the same MileagePlus defined region where travel originates.

The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk must be within a single MileagePlus defined region.

The cabin of service and award inventory of the free one-way award is the same or lower than the one-way award preceding it.

Only the first occurrence will be free if two or more one-way awards qualify for this benefit.

The Excursionist Perk can be a great way to save miles on your United award travel booking if you can make it work.

» Learn more: Which United credit card should you get?

Before you start using United miles, you have to earn them. Beyond flying, another way to amass a large number of United MileagePlus miles is to earn a sign-up bonus for United credit card.

on Chase's website

$0 intro for the first year, then $95 .

• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases, gas stations and local transit and commuting.

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and hotels (when booked directly with hotel).

• 3 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants, select streaming services and all other travel.

• 4 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and all other travel purchases.

• No foreign transaction fees.

• First checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.

• 2 United Club one-time passes each year.

• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.

• Priority boarding.

• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.

• $125 United purchase credit per year (good on airfare).

• Two 5,000-mile award flight credits per anniversary year.

• Access to United Club airport lounges.

Earn 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

Earn 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

If you seek more flexibility in redeeming miles for award flights, consider applying for a more general travel credit card instead. A more general travel credit card differs from an airline card in that you can book flights with multiple carriers, rather than reaping the benefits of staying loyal to a single brand.

The more high-end the travel credit card, the more benefits you can enjoy, including airport lounge access or automatic elite status in certain programs. That said, a brand-specific airline card can net you benefits like waived baggage fees, which can have meaningful dollar value.

» Learn more: Should I be loyal to a single airline?

Although United no longer offers an award chart and it’s harder to predict United award travel pricing, United’s MileagePlus program still provides a lot of value to its members (especially those who can be flexible with their travel dates).

United also allows MileagePlus members to pay for certain flights using a mixture of miles and money, which is a nice perk for casual and serious miles collectors alike. If you’re looking to save on a multi-city itinerary, you should try to see if your travel qualifies for the United Excursionist Perk to save even more miles.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-2x Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining, at gas stations, office supply stores and on local transit and commuting. Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.

75000 Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

1x-3x Earn 3x miles on United® purchases, 2x miles on dining, select streaming services & all other travel, 1x on all other purchases

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

United's One-Day Award Sale Offers Big Discounts on Summer Travel

The sale includes summer flights to Greece, Iceland, and Croatia.

Courtesy of United

If you've been thinking of booking a summer vacation, now's the time to buy! To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its MileagePlus rewards program, United Airlines is launching a one-day award sale for today only (May 6) on both domestic and international flights, including its new flights to Greece, Iceland, and Croatia.

The discounts are pretty substantial: Domestic flights start at 8,000 miles round-trip, while international flights start at 40,000 miles round-trip. While United no longer publishes an award chart, domestic award flights and international award flights usually start around 25,000 miles and 60,000 miles round-trip, respectively.

That said, award pricing during the sale is based on route and demand, so you might see a much bigger mileage price tag when you go to book. You'll also need to meet some specific criteria to partake in the sale, including booking round-trip travel that incorporates a Saturday-night stay. And the sale only applies to flights from June 1 through Aug. 31 this summer.

But if you're sitting on a mountain of miles and have a bit of a flexible schedule this summer, head to United's site right now to search for a good deal! If not, keep an eye out for other MileagePlus anniversary deals. As part of the celebrations, United is also offering a whole suite of special giveaways and promotions to MileagePlus members, including discounted glasses of Moët Champagne at United Clubs and 40 percent off when buying award miles.

"Throughout the past forty years, MileagePlus has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of our members as well as reward their loyalty," Luc Bondar, vice president of marketing & loyalty and president of MileagePlus at United, said in a statement . "That's why we celebrate this major milestone by offering our members generous promotions throughout May."

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United’s 2024 Hidden Saver Award Chart Changes

Every airline used to publish award charts, but Delta set off the trend of removing these charts from the public eye. By doing that, they were able to devalue points without having to notify the public about changes. Many airlines copied them.

United made some brutal changes last year to its hidden award chart.

Below is United’s 2024 hidden award chart. It’s not too far off from the 2023 award chart, but there are a few devaluations and improvements that I noticed after performing several dozen award searches.

• Premium business routes like Newark-Los Angeles are now capped for the saver level at 30K instead of 35K.
• Alaska is now pricing the same as the US48, dropping coach tickets capped for the saver level from 17.5K to 15K and business from 40K to 30K.
• Hawaii business is now capped for the saver level at 50K instead of 60K. Saver coach is pricing as low as 10K.
• Saver coach to Mexico and the Caribbean is pricing as low as 5K.
• Saver coach to Australia and New Zealand is pricing as low as 37.5K.
• Air Canada saver coach flights between the US and Canada went up from 16.5K to 20K.
• Mexico business is now capped for the saver level at 35K instead of 30K.
• Northern South America business is now capped for the saver level at 55K instead of 35K.

Of course, it’s worth noting that you’re often much better off using other partner award miles for booking flights, though many partners have been devaluing their award charts.

There are exceptions of course, as expanded saver award space for United cardholders and elites can only be booked with United. Plus while United’s awards are refundable for free at any time before departure, other airlines can charge up to $200 for award changes or cancellations.

What do you think of these changes?

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Earn 5x points on Lyft and Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, online grocery, and streaming, 2x points on travel, 10% anniversary bonus points, $50 annual hotel credit, increase your Chase points value, transfer points to miles, and more!

Learn more about this card and benefits in Dan's review here .

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29 Comments On "United’s 2024 Hidden Saver Award Chart Changes"

All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.

Dan, what’s the new way to fly to Israel in business using miles now that Turkish is expensive (and elal on Alaska is vanishin)?

I noticed that as part of a RT, the return is also 30k not 33k for ex Europe flights, usually only with a stop.

Interesting, sample route/date?

I’ve seen it on NYC-ZRH. IIRC, last summer I saw as low as 27.9k with a stop, those were always with SAS. I didn’t notice a pattern which one stops were 30k and which were more.

Even one ways ex Europe are 30k in some cases. I can’t discern a pattern, but I’ve seen PRG-ZRH-SFO with the TATL leg on both UA and LX pricing at 30k. PRG-FRA-SFO on LH prices at 43k so maybe there is totally dynamic pricing now based on fare classes or some such even though both book into X classes.

But always with a stop. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a non stop at 30k since the Great Devaluation. Although, I’ve seen exTLV at 27k.

IB RT 100-110k avios + ~$400. Probably the best you are gong to get. Not gonna see more than 2 seats per flight as a rule.

Sorry, forgot to include that this is referring to partner flights.

Is it better to transfer pts to united to book domestic or do thru ultimate rewards portal?

You have to evaluate which is costing you more in value. For example if the price through the portal is $600 and you have the reserve that is 40k points. But maybe the flight roundtrip on united website is 35k miles. So better to transfer to united. If it is 50k points then valuewise it is cheaper thru chase. But u also need to factor in that when u book thru chase it is expedia and more annoying to make changes to the flights. Sometimes united has allowed me thru their site to make changes when i booked thru chase, sometimes not. Another consideration is that if u book with united miles on their site u can easily cancel within certain timeframe of the flight and get ur miles back. With chase u only have 24 hrs and if u need to cancel, assuming it was cancellable, u will only get a united flight credit. That has been my experience. One additional thing. United seems to have some policy that if price comes down within 30 days they give u a flight credit for the difference. If u book on expedia they don’t. There are many trade-offs!

Depends on the specific flight and which card you’re using for the portal, but generally you’ll come out ahead through the portal. Also, you’ll earn points when booked through the portal.

Does United publish which countries are “central” vs “south” Asia?

https://www.united.com/en/us/region-list

*if you need to cancel after the 24 hrs (on chase)

Can someone pls explain to me what this means? If i want to book a UNITED flight from say EWR to ORD or MKE, how do i get the cheapest award fare? By transferring miles (or Saphire points) to which airline (and booking through them)?

I tried booking a United flight through Turkish Airlines but they weren’t showing flights available, even though United was flying then..

Each airline sets aside a subset of seats for partners. So, in theory, even though Turkish might have cheaper pricing, it doesn’t mean that Turkish has access to all of United’s award space. Typically, award space for partner airlines is drawn from the same bucket and is smaller than the award space United makes available for its own members. Which is to say that people looking to book United via Turkish are competing against ALL of United’s partner programs. Which naturally would make supply very limited. There are ways to search, but you need to know the different fare class codes and be very patient since it often requires searching day by day. For what it’s worth, on United the X fare class = economy awards available to partners, and the I fare class = business economy awards available to partners).

In reality, this isn’t feasible for most people, since most people don’t have the time or flexibility to piece together an itinerary that is suited to their preferred mileage points. Given that, I would recommend simply using United’s points. If you hold one of United’s co-brand cards, you have vastly expanded access to awards at lower price points. And if you’re a United elite, that access improves further.

Thanks for the reply Bobby Can you explain “If you hold one of United’s co-brand cards, you have vastly expanded access to awards at lower price points”

In addition, do you know which airlines that partner with United would give me the best award fare for a domestic USA ticket? THANKS

One of the benefits to holding the United Chase cards is better access to award space – think of it as another fare bucket reserved only for those with one of those credit cards. As for which United partner will give you the best rates, it’s difficult to provide a clear cut answer. Avianca and Turkish both provide good value, but again, the issue becomes whether you’re able to find availability on the dates you need or are willing to travel. Other programs might be good for short haul domestic flights but poor for long haul domestic flights (or vice versa). Aeroplan could be an option if you’re willing to book one way awards that connect in Canada. There is no one-size fits all best answer.

Newark to LA/SFO has been 80k (or 120k) for awhile (its why I got rid of their credit card last year). Certainly haven’t seen it at 35k.

wiow business for 30k is awesome

That’s class IN Not I class

It was in I class too, but I was logged in so it shows IN.

Anyway, here’s an I. It does exist, it’s just rare.

Where do you see 100K Business to Australia and New Zealand? Random dates Fall 2024-January 2025 from IAD all I see is 250K-350K One way, and if flying from SFO or LAX it’s no different. That’s up from the 200K we reluctantly paid in 2023.

They’re hard to find unless you have Platinum/1K status, but they do exist:

At times they are plentiful and I wrote about it:

https://www.dansdeals.com/airfare-deals/mileage-deals/excellent-united-air-new-zealand-business-class-saver-award-upgrade-space-nonstop-us-auckland/

Seems that there’s no more 37.5k for economy to SYD/AKL beyond this March, X class costs at least 52.5k from Apr onward.

As far as changes go on the high side Aeroplan charges $300, which is absurd for a CDN domestic or US- CDN puddle jump. Business class to Europe, ok, maybe. Asiana charges $30 for a change fee.

Is there a tool that will compare these methods for me?

Where were you seeing 5k saver to Mexico/Caribbean? I can’t find anything lower than 10k, with most routes being 15k.

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I paid $300 to upgrade to premium economy on my long-haul United flight, and it's worth it for trips over 10 hours

• I fly internationally at least twice a year, and I recently flew 13 hours from Japan to the US.
• I upgraded my seat on the United Airlines flight to premium economy for $300. 
• I loved the added comfort, space, and amenities in the middle-grade class.

Part of my job as a travel writer is hopping on airplanes on a regular basis.

I always try to fly on United Airlines because there are many direct flights from my home airport in Florida, and it's fairly easy to move up in the airline's loyalty program, MilagePlus . Basic memberships earn 5 miles per $1, and premier members earn 7 to 11 miles based on their status.

On a recent trip to Japan , I upgraded my flight home from Tokyo to Washington, DC, from economy to premium economy, which the airline calls Economy Plus.

Here's why the $300 flight upgrade was worth it.

I got to sit near the front of the plane

I knew the premium seats were closer to the front of the plane , but I was really surprised by how much closer they were.

I selected window seat 21A in the second row of Economy Plus. Once we landed in DC, I was off the plane and going through customs in less than 10 minutes.

I didn't have that much time to make my connecting flight, so being able to get off the plane quickly was worth the upgrade.

I enjoyed the amenities in my upgraded seat

On my seat, there were a handful of amenities I could use during my flight, including a decent set of over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones, a Saks Fifth Avenue pillow, and a cozy blanket.

The flight attendants told us we were allowed to take these things with us at the end of the flight, but I decided to leave mine behind.

I also got a complimentary felt pouch filled with hand cream, a facial wipe, lip balm, and basic essentials like earplugs, an eye mask, socks, tissues, a pen, and a toothbrush.

None of these amenities were available to passengers in economy, so it was a nice treat.

The extra legroom was helpful when I needed to stretch out

The premium-economy seats had plenty of legroom — 38 inches compared to 31 to 34 inches in economy.

The extra room allowed me to stretch my legs when needed without getting up and walking around the plane every hour or so.

I also loved the footrest that was attached to the back of the chair in front of me. This allowed me to rest my feet in a slightly elevated position, which I found comfortable for sleeping.

Unfortunately, the footrest blocked any underseat storage for my personal item. But I ended up placing my small bag against the wall of the plane without any issues.

Larger entertainment systems made watching movies and TV easy

Each premium-economy seat had a 13-inch seat-back entertainment system. Economy seats only have 9-inch screens.

The bigger TVs were easier to watch, and I didn't find myself squinting to read subtitles.

The premium seats also had a small remote control on the side panel of the seats, so I didn't have to reach up and touch the screen.

The food service was slightly elevated

I really hate airplane food, but in Economy Plus, the meals were a little better.

I skipped dinner to take a six-hour nap, but I woke up in time to get some waffles and fruit for breakfast.

The meals were served on real plates with cloth napkins and real silverware. Drinks were also served in actual glasses versus the flimsy plastic cups I'm used to in economy.

I'd pay to upgrade my flight again, especially for long-haul trips

The $300 upgrade was worth it for my long-haul flight from Tokyo to Washington, DC.

The extra room allowed me to get some much-needed sleep — which rarely happens for me in economy — and I loved the elevated food service and amenities.

I probably won't upgrade every time I travel, but it's a worthwhile splurge for flights over 10 hours.

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Microsoft Start.

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Complete guide to earning and redeeming Avianca LifeMiles

Editor's Note

While navigating a foreign airline's frequent flyer program may seem daunting, your savings on award trave l can be significant. This is particularly true for Colombian airline Avianca and its surprisingly valuable LifeMiles frequent flyer program .

LifeMiles offers highly appealing redemption rates for Star Alliance awards and additional unique features that make this program worth your attention. Let's delve into everything you need to know about Avianca LifeMiles.

How to earn Avianca LifeMiles

Cardless recently launched two new LifeMiles-branded credit cards in the United States:

• Avianca LifeMiles Elite American Express Card : Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles — 60,000 miles awarded after $4,500 spent in the first 90 days and an additional 40,000 miles after $25,000 spent in the first 365 days. Earn 3 LifeMiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases, 2 LifeMiles per dollar spent on dining and non-Avianca travel, and 1 LifeMile per dollar spent on all other purchases. Other benefits include a 10% award redemption discount on Star Alliance flights, 500 bonus LifeMiles each month, a 25%-off award redemption discount on Avianca flights and Star Alliance Silver status for as long as you have the card. Annual fee: $249.
• Avianca LifeMiles American Express Card: Earn a bonus of up to 40,000 LifeMiles after spending $3,000 with the card in the first 90 days. Earn 2 LifeMiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases, groceries and restaurants, and 1 LifeMile per dollar spent on all other purchases. Other benefits include Star Alliance Silver status for as long as you have the card. Annual fee: $99.

The information for the Avianca LifeMiles Elite and Avianca LifeMiles cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The cards details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

You can also transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles, Bilt Rewards points, Wells Fargo Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Rewards points to your LifeMiles account at a 1:1 ratio. These transferable rewards programs sometimes offer transfer bonuses .

Additionally, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio. Unlike with most major programs, you won't receive the 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer; LifeMiles was one of the programs that lost this feature in 2022.

Beyond credit cards, Avianca often offers regular discounts on LifeMiles purchases . In the past, we have seen prices drop as low as 1.2 cents per mile, although the typical sale price ranges from 1.3 to 1.35 cents per mile. These rates are significantly lower than TPG's valuation of LifeMiles at 1.7 cents each. While buying points speculatively is generally not recommended, these sales can be a good option if you have a specific redemption in mind.

If you frequently travel on paid tickets with Star Alliance carriers , it might be worth considering crediting your miles to Avianca. This can be advisable if you find more value in the LifeMiles program than in other options like United MileagePlus or Air Canada Aeroplan . Crediting your miles to Avianca is also beneficial if you don't travel enough to earn elite status but still want to maximize your redemption opportunities.

Related: Where to credit paid flights in each alliance for the most possible points

How to redeem Avianca LifeMiles

As a member of Star Alliance, Avianca allows you to use your LifeMiles for flights on the carrier or any of its partners. Additionally, Avianca has partnerships with Gol Airlines and Iberia, providing opportunities to earn and redeem LifeMiles on select flights operated by these airlines.

LifeMiles follows a standard zone-based award chart for most flights. However, flights within the U.S. sometimes deviate from the standard award chart. Dynamic pricing is typically unfavorable. However, these discrepancies have often worked in favor of travelers, offering advantageous redemption options.

Here's a one-way economy flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) that prices out 1,000 miles cheaper than Avianca's award chart suggests:

Redeeming LifeMiles is typically straightforward. You log in to the LifeMiles website and search for your desired award flight.

However, it is important to note that while Avianca should have access to the same Star Alliance award availability as United Airlines and Air Canada, the carrier's information technology is known to have limitations. This can result in phantom award space , where seats appear online but are not bookable.

Conversely, Avianca may not always display available award space on United or Air Canada. Therefore, it is advisable to double-check your search using another Star Alliance search engine or tools like ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures) before transferring points to Avianca. This ensures you have accurate and up-to-date information before proceeding with your redemption.

Related: The best websites to search for Star Alliance award availability

Avianca LifeMiles sweet spots

In most cases, you are faced with a trade-off between low award rates and high fuel surcharges or spending more miles to avoid extra costs. However, LifeMiles is one of the few programs that excels in both aspects. It offers highly competitive rates for Star Alliance awards and does not pass on fuel surcharges to LifeMiles members.

As a result, you can expect to pay minimal taxes and fees when redeeming an award ticket.

Lufthansa first class from the US to Europe

Between Porsche amenity kits and gourmet inflight dining, Lufthansa's first class is often a dream come true for award travelers.

United typically prices Lufthansa first-class awards to Europe at around 154,000 miles each way. When there's award space, Air Canada charges 90,000-100,000 points. While Asiana Airlines and Lufthansa offer lower award rates for first-class redemptions, both airlines impose high taxes and fees.

Meanwhile, Avianca offers one of the best ways to book Lufthansa first class on miles. Award rates start at just 87,000 miles each way and carry minimal taxes and fees.

At 30,000 and 63,000 miles, Star Alliance economy- and business-class awards aren't bad deals, either.

ANA business and first class from Honolulu to Tokyo

If you want to travel to Japan on a shorter daytime flight, consider flying from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).

LifeMiles charges just 27,500, 48,000 and 66,000 miles for one-way flights in economy, business and first class (respectively) between Honolulu and Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT). These award rates are at least 10% less than what Aeroplan, KrisFlyer and MileagePlus charge for the same route.

Business class from the US to Asia

As expected, award rates from the mainland U.S. to Asia are higher, with one-way flights from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) costing 47,000 miles and 90,000 miles in economy and business class, respectively.

Nevertheless, this can still be a decent way to reach the continent for fewer miles than you'd see through other programs.

Business class to New Zealand

Although premium-cabin award space on Air New Zealand can be difficult to find, another LifeMiles sweet spot is the carrier's business class to Auckland Airport (AKL), with flights costing just 80,000 miles.

As Aeroplan sells these awards for 75,000 points , you might consider booking through Air Canada — though if you're buying LifeMiles, it's still a sweet spot worth knowing about.

Business class to South America

LifeMiles also offers great award rates on certain South American flights. Business-class awards cost just 35,000 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru — a hidden gem for a flight of this length.

Mixed-cabin awards

When traveling in long-haul business or first class, it's common to encounter mixed-cabin awards through LifeMiles. This happens in the following situations:

• When airlines don't offer first class on shorter routes, requiring passengers to connect in business or economy class
• When there isn't award space in your desired cabin

Most loyalty programs determine the award rate based on the highest cabin class of service used. However, LifeMiles takes a different approach. It prices each leg of the journey separately based on the class of service booked, which often leads to a discounted rate for mixed-cabin tickets.

In the above example, you can save 3,040 miles on a one-way ticket to Europe by starting your trip in economy class at Orlando International Airport (MCO). The total cost would then be just 59,960 miles. The flight from Orlando to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) doesn't have award availability in United's domestic first class, so this is a great way to still get the award you want.

Alternatively, even when there is award availability for your entire journey, you may decide it isn't worth using extra miles for a shorter connecting flight. Even then, you can pick economy and save some of your rewards for later.

Related: The best ways to travel to Europe using points and miles

Problems with Avianca LifeMiles

Despite LifeMiles offering appealing award rates, it might not be the program for you. The program has a reputation for error-prone information technology and inconsistent customer service.

LifeMiles members often encounter website glitches when redeeming their miles. Additionally, if you reserve an economy award ticket and business class becomes available, LifeMiles requires you to pay a cancellation fee to redeposit your miles. You can then rebook your flight in business class.

While you may save thousands of miles booking with Avianca, canceling your ticket could be tedious and costly. You typically can't cancel award bookings online, and Avianca is slow to issue refunds.

However, Avianca LifeMiles is reportedly working on rectifying some of its customer service issues and implementing changes. Most recently, Avianca launched a subscription-based miles service, LifeMiles+. If you sign up for the Basic, Pro or Max account, you can enjoy no change or cancellation fees on award tickets. If you're a frequent flyer of Avianca or use the carrier's loyalty program to book partner award flights, this subscription service could be for you.

Bottom line

Avianca LifeMiles is a frequent flyer program that has proven its worth in the award travel world. With its attractive redemption rates, lack of fuel surcharges and partnerships with major transferable points programs , LifeMiles offers great value and flexibility to its members. While there may be some customer service challenges and quirks to navigate, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for many travelers.

So take the time to explore Avianca LifeMiles, delve into its sweet spots and unlock the possibilities it presents for your future travels. With a little research and planning, you can make the most of this valuable program as you consider where to transfer your credit card points.

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