Manu Kohli says he lost more than 100,000 Avianca Lifemiles—valued at about $1,400—after misunderstanding an expiration rule: Avianca Lifemiles don’t get refreshed by redeeming miles, only by earning them.
Every time Manu Kohli looked at his Avianca Lifemiles balance, the numbers felt secure. He’d spent time and resources building them up, including transferring 1,000 miles from his American Express card to the Lifemiles program periodically to prevent expiration.
Then, after one redemptions spree, he ran into a single small detail that cost him big. He says he had a little more than 100,000 Avianca miles remaining—valued by The Points Guy at around $1,400 based on its May 2026 valuations.
“I didn’t always have a redemption in mind. ” Kohli wrote. explaining that he focused on keeping the balance alive rather than immediately spending it. But he says he stopped short of the usual 1. 000-mile transfer from Amex because he assumed that redeeming Lifemiles would count as qualifying activity to keep the miles active.
It didn’t.
According to his account, after 12 months, his entire 100,000 Lifemiles balance was set to 0. He points to what made the misunderstanding so costly: unlike most airline miles programs, Avianca does not consider redemption as qualifying activity—only miles accrual.
Kohli later urged fellow travelers to read the terms and conditions for their mileage program to avoid losing “valuable miles.” Still, the damage was already done.
The situation has one clear timeline: Lifemiles usually expire 12 months after the last accrual transaction. But Avianca also offers a longer window—24 months—for elite members and cardholders who earn miles through an Avianca credit card. Even then. the requirement is the same in principle: as long as you earn Lifemiles at least once every 12 months (or 24 months if eligible for the longer expiration window). none of your Lifemiles will expire.
And the key quirk Kohli ran into is also the rule that keeps coming up: Lifemiles expire based on the date of the last accrual activity. Redeeming miles does not reset the expiration clock. Only earning new miles does—even if that earning is small, such as transferring rewards or buying miles.
That difference matters because many loyalty programs reset expiration through either earning or redeeming rewards. With Lifemiles, redemption alone won’t do the job.
Avianca Lifemiles makes the timing visible in the account login. and Kohli’s story shows why that visibility isn’t enough if the wrong assumption takes hold. Some programs notify members before rewards expire. but many don’t—and some even make it difficult to determine exactly when rewards will expire.
For travelers who want a second layer of protection, Kohli says he recommends using a tool like AwardWallet. It displays when rewards will expire on a dashboard and can send email alerts when rewards or other benefits—such as free night certificates—are about to expire. Kohli acknowledges that his husband works for AwardWallet, and also says they used it before he joined the company.
Once you’re staring at an expiration problem, the options are narrower but not always impossible. If rewards are set to expire before you can use them. Kohli’s take is to look for ways to extend validity—whether by transferring another 1. 000 transferable rewards or by getting and spending on the Avianca Lifemiles American Express® Card or Avianca Lifemiles American Express Elite Card.
There’s also a workaround that depends on how close you are to the deadline. Especially if points or miles aren’t set to expire for another few months. some people may be able to extend them by earning through a dining rewards program or an online shopping portal. Others may be able to push the expiration date further by purchasing points or miles.
The core takeaway in Kohli’s case is blunt: points and miles have real value only when they’re still unexpired. And with Avianca Lifemiles, redemption doesn’t restart the clock—earning new miles does.
If you’re trying to avoid the same mistake, his story is less about panic and more about one habit: track expiration dates, and treat “qualifying activity” as something you verify, not something you assume.
Avianca Lifemiles miles expiration policy airline loyalty American Express transfer AwardWallet travel rewards points and miles
So basically he tried to “use” the miles and they disappeared? That sounds like some kind of scam tbh.
Wait I thought redeeming miles keeps them from expiring because it’s like activity? The airlines always change the rules, I’m not surprised. Sucks but also… he should’ve read it before doing the transfer stuff.
This is why I don’t trust airline points. I swear every program is different like “oh redemption doesn’t count” like what?? If you’re spending them, shouldn’t that be considered “qualifying activity”?? Also 100k miles is a lot, that’s basically rent money.
I’m confused because he said he stopped short of the usual 1,000-mile Amex transfer, but then the article makes it sound like elite members get 24 months like that solves it? Maybe it’s just their way of forcing you to keep feeding the credit card for 12/24 months. Either way, $1,400 valuation seems made up… Points sites always inflate stuff. Still, if the account really hit 0 after 12 months that’s brutal.