Questions and Answers

Lucky,

Would you say it is better to buy Avianca Lifemiles rather than transferring Amex points to Aeroplan? I have accounts with both rewards programs, but in terms of availability only a mixed itinerary shows up for both (even at the last minute). I am trying to plan a trip for my parents in either business or first, but it is proving difficult to decide which program option I should go with. Is there an even more creative way to shop for award tickets with one versus the other? I do subscribe to the same service you use for award tracking, but even then it doesn’t appear on either website.

It really depends on the specific itinerary, in my opinion. Lifemiles can be great for awards that would have fuel surcharges or require a lot of miles through Aeroplan, but you can’t build custom itineraries with LifeMiles.

With Aeroplan, you can search segment-by-segment, and call in routings that the website can’t price.