While planning part of our upcoming trip through Europe, I needed to book a short flight on Austrian Airlines. Since Austrian is part of the Star Alliance network, that meant I had several different airline programs I could use to redeem miles.
Like most points-and-miles enthusiasts, I started by checking an award search engine. In this case, I used Point.me, which makes it easy to compare redemption prices across multiple programs at once.
The results showed exactly what you’d expect: the same flight priced differently depending on which loyalty program you used.
At first glance, the cheapest option seemed obvious.
Avianca LifeMiles.
But despite showing the lowest mileage cost, I never ended up transferring points or booking the ticket. The deeper I looked, the less appealing the “sweet spot” became.
Why Points Nerds Like LifeMiles
If you spend any time reading about award travel, you’ve probably seen LifeMiles mentioned as a program with some great redemption opportunities.
There are several reasons why experienced travelers keep it in their toolkit:
- Redemptions can price lower than other Star Alliance programs
- The program partners with multiple transferable points currencies
- LifeMiles frequently runs promotions selling miles at discounted prices
- The program does not pass along fuel surcharges on partner awards
Put those factors together and LifeMiles often appears on lists of “sweet spot” redemptions.
But like many sweet spots, there’s more to the story once you start digging into the details.
The Price That Looked Too Good
When I searched for my Austrian Airlines flight, LifeMiles appeared to be the cheapest option.
Here’s what the award search showed:
At first glance, the comparison looked straightforward:
- LifeMiles: 5,000 miles
- United MileagePlus: 6,000 miles
- Aeroplan: 7,500 miles
LifeMiles seemed like the clear winner, but Point.me still ranked United ahead of Avianca’s program. That wasn’t because United was cheaper—it was because the search results don’t always tell you what the real cost (or risk) of an award will be until you’re further into the booking process.
The Fee That Doesn’t Show Up Right Away
Unlike United, LifeMiles adds a partner booking fee when redeeming miles for flights on Star Alliance airlines. This fee doesn’t always appear in the early search results. Instead, it often shows up when you reach the final booking screen.
In other words, the cheapest option in the search engine isn’t always the cheapest option in reality. And when you’re booking more than one ticket, that “small” fee can add up quickly.
And there’s another catch.
In many cases, you need to have at least 40% of the required miles in your LifeMiles account to proceed far enough in the booking flow to see the full total. That means transferring points before you can even confirm the final out-of-pocket cost.
LifeMiles Pricing Isn’t Always Transparent
My flight wasn’t affected by this, but there’s another known quirk with LifeMiles pricing.
As Frequent Miler has documented, LifeMiles sometimes shows inaccurate taxes during the search process, especially when an itinerary involves multiple airlines.
Again, that didn’t impact my specific booking. But it’s another example of why experienced travelers often double-check LifeMiles pricing before transferring points.
Cancellation Policies Matter Too
Another factor that influenced my decision was the difference in cancellation policies.
LifeMiles generally charges a fee to cancel an award ticket and redeposit the miles.
United MileagePlus, on the other hand, typically allows award cancellations and redeposits without a fee.
This isn’t always obvious when comparing redemption prices, but tools like Point.me do hint at it by showing “Limited Changes Possible” when displaying transfer instructions.
That difference may not matter if your travel plans are completely locked in. But it adds another layer of risk when transferring points to a program where changes could incur extra costs.
Even LifeMiles Fans Acknowledge the Downsides
Even bloggers who frequently recommend LifeMiles acknowledge that the booking experience isn’t always smooth.
The program can offer fantastic redemption value when everything works correctly.
But the website interface can be clunky, and if you need help after booking—especially with a partner award—the experience can become more complicated than it needs to be.
Why I Booked With United Instead
In the end, the decision came down to simplicity.
Once I factored in the LifeMiles partner booking fee and the less favorable cancellation policy, the difference between the programs became much smaller.
United required slightly more miles, but it avoided the extra fee and offered more flexibility if my plans changed.
I transferred points from Chase to United, the miles posted instantly, and the booking was completed within minutes.
No surprises. No additional fees. No second-guessing.
Final Thoughts
Award search engines have made it easier than ever to compare redemption options across multiple airline programs and transfer partners.
But those tools also make it easy to focus only on the mileage price.
As this example shows, the cheapest award isn’t always the best choice once you consider additional fees, cancellation policies, and how easy it will be to get help if something changes.
Sometimes the smartest move is simply choosing the program that makes the entire process easier—even if it costs a few more miles.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
