Citi is offering a 25% transfer bonus when moving ThankYou Points to Avianca LifeMiles, and the deadline is April 18 at 11:59 PM ET. That means every 1,000 points you transfer today becomes 1,250 LifeMiles instead of the usual 1,000. If you have been sitting on ThankYou Points and wondering what to do before the hotel transfer devaluation hits on April 19, LifeMiles is worth a hard look right now.
Who Should Transfer
This bonus is most valuable if any of the following apply to you:
- You have a Star Alliance flight in the next 12 months (LifeMiles books United, Lufthansa, ANA, and all Star Alliance partners)
- You are planning a trip to South America, where Avianca’s own routes offer excellent value
- You want to move points out of Citi’s ecosystem before the April 19 hotel devaluation drops transfer ratios to Choice Privileges and I Prefer
- You have 30,000 or more ThankYou Points with no current redemption plan
Who should skip it: if you do not have a concrete flight goal in the next year, avoid speculative transfers. LifeMiles expire if the account sees no activity for 12 months, and Avianca has historically devalued its award chart without much warning. Transfer with a purpose.
How the Bonus Works
The math is straightforward. The normal transfer ratio is 1:1, meaning 1,000 ThankYou Points convert to 1,000 LifeMiles. During this promotion, you get 1:1.25, so every 1,000 points generates 1,250 LifeMiles. Transfers happen in increments of 1,000, with a 1,000-point minimum.
| TY Points Transferred | Normal LifeMiles | With 25% Bonus | Extra Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 2,500 |
| 30,000 | 30,000 | 37,500 | 7,500 |
| 60,000 | 60,000 | 75,000 | 15,000 |
At a conservative valuation of 1.3 cents per LifeMile, 75,000 miles from a 60,000-point transfer are worth roughly $975. Push redemption value to 1.5 cents per mile on a premium cabin award, and that same batch is worth $1,125.
Eligible Cards
The promotion applies to ThankYou accounts linked to these cards:
- Citi Strata Premier
- Citi Strata Elite
- Citi Prestige (legacy card, no new applications)
- Citi Double Cash (only when linked to a full ThankYou account through a Strata Premier or Strata Elite)
The Double Cash earns ThankYou Points in its own right, but it cannot transfer directly to airline partners unless paired with a full-earning ThankYou card. If you carry only a Double Cash, confirm that your account shows airline transfer partners before initiating a transfer.
Best Uses for Avianca LifeMiles Right Now
LifeMiles punches above its weight for a few specific redemptions. These are the ones worth targeting with a bonus transfer:
United Domestic and Short-Haul Awards
LifeMiles prices United flights at Avianca’s own award chart, which tends to be lower than United’s own MileagePlus rates. Short domestic hops start at 7,500 miles one-way in economy. A round-trip domestic United flight can run 15,000 to 20,000 LifeMiles, which at 1.3 cents per mile puts you at $195 to $260 in value from a transfer of just 12,000 to 16,000 ThankYou Points (with the bonus applied).
Lufthansa Business Class to Europe
One of the best-known LifeMiles sweet spots is Lufthansa business class from the U.S. to Europe at around 63,000 miles one-way. United and Air Canada business class to Europe runs similar or lower. At current bonus rates, you can transfer roughly 50,400 ThankYou Points and end up with 63,000 LifeMiles for a transcontinental business class seat. That works out to under $655 in points cost if you value ThankYou Points at 1.3 cents each.
Avianca South America Routes
If you are traveling within South America or from the U.S. to Colombia, Peru, or other Avianca hubs, the airline’s own route pricing is competitive. Short intra-South America segments can start as low as 5,000 miles one-way.
How to Execute the Transfer
- Log into your Citi account at citi.com
- Navigate to ThankYou Rewards and select “Transfer Points”
- Choose Avianca LifeMiles from the transfer partners list
- Enter the number of points to transfer (minimum 1,000, in increments of 1,000)
- Confirm your LifeMiles account number
Transfers to LifeMiles are processed immediately. The 25% bonus posts automatically; no registration is required. You do not need to be an existing Avianca flier to open a LifeMiles account. Registration is free at lifemiles.com.
The Devaluation Connection
On April 19, Citi is cutting transfer ratios to two hotel partners: Choice Privileges drops from 1:2 to 1:1.5, and I Prefer drops from 1:4 to 1:2. April 18 is the last day the hotel transfers are worth doing at current rates, and it is also the last day the LifeMiles bonus runs.
For TY holders deciding where to move points, the picture is clear. Points headed toward flights benefit from the 25% LifeMiles bonus and should move before midnight on the 18th. Points intended for hotel transfers at current ratios face the same hard deadline. Points with no specific use case can stay put; ThankYou Points do not expire while your card account remains open.
For full details on what changes on April 19, see our Citi ThankYou hotel transfer devaluation guide.
Bottom Line
The 25% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles runs through April 18 and is one of the better active transfer bonus offers for Star Alliance travelers right now. If you have a concrete use for LifeMiles and carry a Citi Strata Premier or Strata Elite, moving points before the 18th gets you 25% more miles at no extra cost. If you are not sure you will use the miles within the year, hold off; speculative airline transfers rarely pay off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the 25% bonus apply to all Citi ThankYou cards?
A: No. The bonus applies to ThankYou accounts linked to the Citi Strata Premier, Citi Strata Elite, Citi Prestige (legacy), or AT&T Access More card. Citi Double Cash cardholders can transfer only if their account is linked to one of those full ThankYou cards.
Q: How long does the transfer take to post to my LifeMiles account?
A: Transfers are immediate. The miles and the 25% bonus should both appear in your LifeMiles account within minutes of completing the transfer.
Q: Is there a cap on how many points I can transfer during the promotion?
A: Citi does not publish a stated cap for this promotion. Transfers are subject to your available ThankYou Points balance and the standard per-transfer limits.
Q: Can I book a Lufthansa award directly through Avianca’s website?
A: Yes. LifeMiles allows online booking of Star Alliance partners, including Lufthansa, through the LifeMiles award search tool. Phone booking fees apply if you call in, so book online where possible.
Q: What happens to my LifeMiles if I do not have a trip booked after transferring?
A: LifeMiles expire after 12 months of account inactivity. Any earning or redemption activity resets the clock. If you transfer but are not booking right away, keep the account active with a small earning or redemption before the 12-month mark to avoid forfeiting your miles.