Avianca LifeMiles American Express Elite
First Electronic Bank$249 a yearAmerican ExpressNo foreign transaction feeIssuer's page
A fair time to apply if the card fits how you spend.
Already have it? Keep it if what you use each year covers the fee.
Welcome bonus
100,000miles
- 60,000 after $4,500 in the first 90 days
- 40,000 more after $25,000 total in the first 12 months
Family Rules, 1 per 60 Days and 1 more. Am I eligible?
A typical spender, at Miles' point values.
| First-year value | Amount |
|---|---|
| Welcome bonus100,000 points at 1.3¢ | $1,300 |
| Rewards above a 2% no-fee cardvs Double Cash, on $32,500 typical spend | +$34 |
| Annual fee | −$249 |
| Meeting the $25,000 spendearns 1.3% here vs 2% on Double Cash | −$175 |
| First year | $910 |
| Each year after | −$200 |
Not counted in the first year: protections (each year after counts them).
Earning
| Rate | Category | Return |
|---|---|---|
| 2X | Dining | 2.6% |
| 2X | Travel | 2.6% |
| 3X | Avianca purchases | 3.9% |
| 1X | Everything else | 1.3% |
Personal card · Earns Avianca LifeMiles
Benefits
Credits & Perks (1)
- LifeMiles+ Lite: $20 (Monthly)
Complimentary LifeMiles+ Lite subscription ($20/month value), or $20/month discount on higher-tier LifeMiles+ bundles. Lite includes 500 bonus miles/month, double miles on purchases (up to 1,000 bonus miles/month), 10% redemption rebate on Star Alliance flights, up to 25% redemption discount on Avianca flights, up to 40% more miles on LifeMiles Hotels, and up to 10% discount on LifeMiles Cars.
Lounge Access (1)
- Avianca Lounges (5 visits/year)
Elite status (1)
- Avianca LifeMiles: Silver Elite
Protections (1)
- Trip Delay, up to $300, Up to $300 per trip when delayed 12+ hours for a covered reason. Maximum 2 claims per card per 12 consecutive month period. Coverage provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
Other Perks
- Double miles earned each month (up to 1,000 bonus miles/month, via LifeMiles+ Lite)
- 500 bonus LifeMiles per month (6,000 annually, via LifeMiles+ Lite)
The Avianca LifeMiles family
Sources and methodology
First-year value is Miles' estimate for a typical spender: the welcome bonus at Miles' point values, plus the rewards this card earns above the best no-annual-fee card's everyday rate on a typical year of spending, plus credits at the share a typical holder uses rather than their face value, plus any certificate or free night earned in that year, minus the first-year fee and the cost of putting the minimum spend on this card instead of that one.
Lounge access, elite status, other benefits, purchase and travel protections, and a certificate or free night that arrives on the card's anniversary are listed beside the first-year figure, not in it. Each year after counts them, with the rewards and credits, less the annual fee. A credit or benefit that needs a spend or a stay counts only where its condition is printed beside it, and credits gated on spend most people never reach are left out.
The fee, offer, earning rates, credits and protections come from the card's record in the Miles dataset, kept against the issuer's own terms. The verdict line is chosen from a fixed set of sentences by Miles' analysis of the offer and the card; nothing on this page is written by hand for one card.
Recent changes
- changed from null to LifeMiles EliteOct 8, 2026
- changed from null to 4500Aug 13, 2026
- changed from null to 90Aug 13, 2026