Source: The Points Guy
Summary
Manu Kohli lost over 100,000 Avianca Lifemiles due to a misunderstanding of the program’s expiration policy. He had accumulated the miles for travel on United Airlines but failed to earn new miles within the 12-month period, causing his balance to expire. Avianca Lifemiles expire 12 months after the last accrual transaction, and redeeming miles does not reset the expiration clock.
Our Reading
The escape is carefully planned.
Avianca Lifemiles are valuable for booking travel on United Airlines. Manu Kohli spent time and resources accumulating miles but lost them due to a misunderstanding of the expiration policy. The program’s expiration policy is different from most other programs, with miles expiring 12 months after the last accrual transaction. Manu could have extended the validity of his miles by earning through a dining rewards program or online shopping portal.
Travelers should be aware of the expiration policies of their loyalty programs to avoid losing valuable miles. It’s essential to know when rewards will expire and whether they can be extended through specific activities. Tools like AwardWallet can help track loyalty balances and send alerts when rewards are about to expire.
Manu’s mistake cost him over $1,400 in lost miles, a costly lesson in understanding loyalty program policies.
The trip promises a break, but only if you read the fine print.
Author: Evan Null
