InsideFlyer launched on Saturday with a new look for the former MilePoint community, including a front page with daily blog posts from travel experts in different fields. But most exciting is a plan to offer discounts, promotions, and other special offers with InsideFlyer’s travel partners.

The first of these is a promotion from Avianca, the national carrier of Colombia and a member of Star Alliance. You may already be a member of one Star Alliance carrier’s loyalty program (United MileagePlus, Lufthansa Miles&More, etc.), so you can earn miles as you fly and redeem on a variety of partners. But Avianca LifeMiles has two benefits for miles-and-points enthusiasts:

1. You can often purchase LifeMiles at a relatively low price. Rather than buy a ticket, you could buy the miles to redeem an award. This typically means paying less than the listed price for business or first class as long as award space is available.
2. You can take advantage of Avianca’s award chart, which does not collect any fuel surcharges on awards. Remember that you’re subject to the rules of the loyalty program that holds the miles, not the airline you fly on.

Avianca runs regular promotions that lower the cost of buying miles. InsideFlyer has partnered with Avianca to offer the best public offer ever: You can get a 150% bonus when you purchase a minimum of 100,000 miles (up to 150,000 miles). That means a purchase of 100,000 miles would actually deliver 250,000. Use those miles to fly on Avianca or any Star Alliance airline.

The cost? The list price is $38.94 per thousand, or $3,894 for 100,000 miles. But this includes taxes that only apply to some customers. U.S. residents need only pay $33 per thousand miles. With the 150% bonus it works out to 1.32 cents per mile.

That’s still a lot to ask, so check out One Mile at a Time for a review of the pros and cons of redeeming LifeMiles.

Get More Miles through October 12 — But Register Early!

This offer has been extended so that anyone can buy miles and get this bonus through early next week. But first you need to register for InsideFlyer and register for the promotion. That deadline is a little sooner. Create an account and register by October 8 and you’ll still get a couple days to decide before you make a purchase.

Use your miles by October 15 and you can take advantage of special discounts on LifeMiles awards — as much as 50% lower than normal rates. Here are just some of the offers for travel to/from North America:

Bottom Line

To take advantage of the special offer on purchased miles, do the following:

1. Register for InsideFlyer by October 8. You’ll have access to the community forums to read and post content, as well as learn about other offers as they’re announced.
2. Visit the Award Store and register for the offer. Even if you aren’t ready to buy yet, you’ll need to indicate your interest by October 8. Check the box at the top of the page and enter your LifeMiles number at the bottom.
3. Decide if you want to buy miles by October 12. The minimum purchase is 100,000 miles, and you’ll get an additional 150% bonus on top of that. The cost ranges from $38.94 to $33 per thousand miles depending on your location.
4. If you’re ready, book an award by October 15. Some awards are on sale for as much as 50% less than the usual cost. You can still travel after October 15 but must book by this date.