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The Best Ways to Fly to South America With Points and Miles [Step-by-Step]

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South America is a continent with a diverse set of countries with half of its population located in Brazil. From Machu Picchu in Peru, to the beaches in Rio de Janeiro, to the food scene in Lima, to the bustling capital cities of Buenos Aires and Santiago, to the salt flats in Bolivia, the continent is filled with a diverse set of travel experiences.

After reading about these things to do, you may be asking yourself, is there a good way to get there with points and miles? Of course! This article covers the best programs you can use to book award flights to South America, how to book an award flight, and how to earn enough miles for your next redemption.

Table of contents

Table of Contents

Best Programs to Use to Book Flights

South America is well-served with flights from the U.S. by airlines across all major airline alliances: Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam.

As with most award searches, premium cabin award space is easiest to find by searching close-in (within 2 weeks of the travel date) or far out in the calendar (10-11 months).

This article covers the best programs to use, including Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Etihad Airways, among others.

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

Use Japan Airlines to book American Airlines business class! Image Credit: American Airlines

The Japan Airlines Mileage Bank program provides value to nearly every destination in South America across all cabin classes. Japan Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance, which is helpful given Oneworld member airlines American Airlines and LATAM offer a number of nonstop flights from the U.S. to South America.

Book Awards With Japan Airlines

JAL uses a distance-based award chart to determine the amount of miles required, which is based on the total distance and cabin class of your itinerary. Calculate the distance of your flight using Great Circle Mapper and then refer back to the Oneworld award chart.

Search for LATAM and American Airlines business class award availability on the British Airways website, and then confirm the same availability on the Japan Airlines website or call Japan Airlines at 800-525-3663 to book the award flight.

Search for American Airlines and LATAM economy award availability on the British Airways/Qantas websites and then confirm the same availability on the Japan Airlines website or call directly to book. For a step-by-step, check out this guide on how to search Oneworld award availability.

Here are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for both American Airlines and LATAM round-trip flights to South America:

Hot Tip: Need help booking an award flight? Here’s a step-by-step guide to booking American Airlines business class and our review of AA’s Business Class on the 787-9 Dreamliner.

American Airlines and LATAM fly nonstop from the U.S. to South America on a number of routes. If you are looking to fly first class on American, Dallas (DFW), Miami (MIA), and New York (JFK) offer it on select routes.

Here are the nonstop flights to several locations in South America that are bookable with Japan Airlines miles:

Nonstop American Airlines flights to Bogotá, Colombia (BOG):

• Dallas (DFW)
• Miami (MIA)

Nonstop LATAM flights to Bogotá, Colombia (BOG):

Nonstop American Airlines flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE):

• Dallas (DFW)
• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)

Nonstop American Airlines flights to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GIG):

• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)

Nonstop American Airlines flights to São Paulo , Brazil (GRU):

• Dallas (DFW)
• Miami (MIA)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• New York (JFK)

Nonstop LATAM flights to São Paulo , Brazil (GRU):

• Boston (BOS)
• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)
• Orlando (MCO)

Nonstop American Airlines flights to Lima, Peru (LIM):

• Dallas (DFW)
• Miami (MIA)

Nonstop LATAM flights to Lima, Peru (LIM):

• Los Angeles (LAX)
• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)

Nonstop American Airlines flights to Santiago, Chile (SCL):

• Dallas (DFW)
• Miami (MIA)

Nonstop LATAM flights to Santiago, Chile (SCL):

Earning JAL Miles

Japan Airlines partners with 1 transferable point program: Marriott Bonvoy. Separately, Japan Airlines doesn’t offer a co-branded credit card with a meaningful sign-up bonus, making it hard to earn Japan Airlines miles with plastic.

For those looking to transfer Marriott points to Japan Airlines, keep the transfer ratio and transfer time in mind. Marriott point transfers take 7 days at a 3:1 ratio. While that’s not ideal, the upside is that Marriott points are easy to earn with credit cards like these:

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Unlike Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines provides value to only a few South American destinations. Alaska Airlines is a member of Oneworld and also has individual partnerships with airlines, including LATAM for flights from the U.S. to South America.

Book Awards With Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines uses zone-based award charts and the number of Alaska miles that you’ll need will depend on the zones of your travel and cabin class. For American Airlines flights, Alaska Airlines divides South America into Zone 1 and Zone 2. Zone 2 includes Argentina, Brazil (excluding Manaus), Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. All other American Airlines flights to South America are considered Zone 1.

Search and book American Airlines awards directly on the Alaska website. LATAM economy flights can be searched on the Qantas website, then you’ll call Alaska Airlines at 800-252-7522 to book the flight. Search for LATAM business class award availability on the British Airways website and then call Alaska Airlines to book the flight.

With that said, below are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for American Airlines and LATAM round-trip flights to South America:

*Alaska offers off-peak award pricing for LATAM economy flights, which are available from March 15 – June 30 and all of August, October, and November.

Hot Tip: Book LATAM economy award flights during off-peak pricing dates to save 10,000 miles round-trip!

For those looking to book a flight, reference the Japan Airlines section for a full list of American and LATAM flights from the U.S. to South America.

Earning Alaska Airlines Miles

Alaska Airlines offers a number of ways to earn its miles including its own credit cards and by transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott has a number of airline partners that are unique to Marriott, with Alaska Airlines being one of those partners.

If you’re looking to transfer points from Marriott to Alaska Airlines, it’s helpful to know the transfer time and transfer ratio. Marriott point transfers take 2 days at a 3:1 ratio.

Etihad Guest

Use Etihad miles to fly American business class! Image Credit: American Airlines

Etihad Airways is similar to Alaska Airlines in that the program can be used in niche circumstances for flights to South America. The airline is not a member of an airline alliance, but instead has individual partnerships, including American Airlines, for flights from the U.S. to South America.

Book Awards With Etihad

Etihad uses a zone-based award chart for American Airlines flights and the number of Etihad miles needed depends on the zones of travel and cabin class.

Search British Airways/Qantas for award availability, then calling Etihad Guest at 877-690-0767 to confirm award availability and book the ticket.

When you decide where you want to travel, here are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for American Airlines round-trip flights to South America:

*Zone 1 includes Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Hot Tip: Etihad uses American Airlines pre-devaluation award pricing. Booking this award does require a phone call, but you can get solid value if you are patient.

Earning Etihad Miles

Etihad partners with 4 transferable points programs in American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Marriott Bonvoy. The airline unfortunately doesn’t have a co-branded credit card, so earning points that can be transferred to Etihad will be the easy way to earn miles.

If you’re looking to transfer points to Etihad, keep the transfer ratios and transfer times in mind. Amex points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio, Capital One points take 36 hours at a 1:1 ratio, Citi points take 6 days at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott points take 5 days at 3:1 ratio. With that said, focus on transferring Amex and Capital One points first.

Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Amex business credit cards.

Recommended Miles-Earning Capital One Cards (Personal)

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Image Credit: American Airlines

Cathay Pacific is an Asian program that provides value with Oneworld partner airline flights. In the case of South America, American Airlines is the partner that you’ll want to focus on.

Book Awards With Cathay Pacific

The Asia Miles program uses a distance-based award chart when flying Cathay Pacific or its Oneworld partners. When booking award flights, the number of Asia miles needed will depend on the number of airline partners that you fly, the distance, and the cabin class of your flight.

Search for Oneworld availability on the British Airways/Qantas websites. When you find a flight that works, call Cathay Pacific at 866-892-2598 to confirm the flight is available, then book the flight. If you’re looking for a step-by-step, check out this guide on searching for Oneworld award availability.

For American Airlines round-trip flights to South America, below is the number of miles and an estimate of the taxes and fees:

Earning Cathay Pacific Miles

Cathay Pacific partners with 4 transferable point programs in American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Marriott Bonvoy. In addition, Cathay Pacific offers a co-branded credit card with a relatively valuable sign-up bonus.

If you’re looking to use Cathay Pacific miles, it’s helpful to know the transfer times and ratios. Amex point transfers take 7 days at a 1:1 ratio, Capital One point transfers take 36 hours at a 1:1 ratio, Citi point transfers take 24 hours at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott point transfers take 10 days at a 3:1 ratio.

Asiana Airlines Asiana Club

Use Asiana miles to fly United business class! Image Credit: united.com

Asiana Airlines is not a well-known program, but it does have an upside if you know how to use it. The airline is a member of Star Alliance, which means you can use your miles to fly United Airlines or Avianca to South America.

Book Awards With Asiana Airlines

The Asiana Club program uses a zone-based award chart by cabin class for Star Alliance partner flights.

Search for Avianca and United Airlines award availability on the United website, then call Asiana Airlines at 800-227-4262 to confirm the award availability and book the flight. For a step-by-step guide, see our guide on searching for Star Alliance award availability.

For Star Alliance flights to South America, below are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees:

* South America 1 includes Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, and Peru

*South America 2 includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay

Hot Tip: The Asiana Airlines website does not allow you to search for Star Alliance availability. Instead, use the United search engine to use to find award availability on a Star Alliance flight.

Avianca and United Airlines fly nonstop from the U.S. to South America on a number of routes. There are currently no routes with first class offered.

With that said, here are nonstop flights to South America that you can book with Asiana Airlines miles:

Avianca flights to Bogotá, Colombia (BOG):

• Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Washington (IAD)

United Airlines flights to Bogotá, Colombia (BOG):

• Newark (EWR)
• Houston (IAH)

United Airlines flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE):

• Houston (IAH)
• Newark (EWR)

United Airlines flights to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GIG):

United Airlines flights to São Paulo , Brazil (GRU):

• Chicago (ORD)
• Newark (EWR)
• Houston (IAH)
• Washington (IAD)

Avianca flights to Lima, Peru (LIM):

United flights to Lima, Peru (LIM):

• Houston (IAH)
• Newark (EWR)

United Airlines flights to Santiago, Chile (SCL):

Earning Asiana Airlines Miles

Asiana Airlines partners with 1 transferable point program: Marriott Bonvoy. In addition, Asiana Airlines has 2 co-branded credit cards that come with a relatively good sign-up bonus.

If you’re looking to transfer Marriott points to Asiana, keep in mind the transfer times and transfer ratios. Marriott transfers take 10 days at a 3:1 ratio. Obviously this is a long transfer time so factor this in before booking an award flight.

ANA Mileage Club

Use ANA miles to fly United Airlines business class! Image Credit: United Airlines

All Nippon Airways (ANA), like Asiana, is another under-the-radar Star Alliance carrier that can provide value. You can use your ANA miles to fly ANA or its Star Alliance partners Avianca or United Airlines to South America.

Book Awards With ANA

The ANA Mileage Club program uses a zone-based award chart by cabin class for its Star Alliance partner flights. There are currently no routes with first class offered.

Search for Avianca and United Airlines award flights on the United website first. You’ll then search for the same flight on the ANA website and then book the flight. Another option is to call ANA at 800-235-9262 to confirm award availability and then book the flight. For more info, see our guide on searching for Star Alliance award availability.

After you’ve decided on a trip that you want to take, here are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for Avianca and United Airlines round-trip flights to South America:

Hot Tip: ANA requires you to book round-trip partner award flights. When you are searching for an award on ANA, the website requires you to search for round-trip flights. The United Airlines website allows you to search for one-way flights, which can make your award search easier.

Earning ANA Miles

ANA partners with 2 transferable point programs in American Express and Marriott Bonvoy. Unfortunately, the airline doesn’t currently offer a credit card to the U.S. market with a meaningful welcome offer.

For those looking to transfer American Express and/or Marriott points to ANA, it’s good to know the transfer times and transfer ratios for each program. Amex point transfers take 3 days at a 1:1 ratio and Marriott point transfers take 7 days at a 3:1 ratio. With that said, transfer your Amex points first for a redemption with ANA.

British Airways Executive Club

Use British Airways Avios to fly American Airlines to South America! Image Credit: Marianna Ianovska via shutterstock.com

British Airways is a carrier many U.S. travelers have likely used because of the ability to book domestic American Airlines flights with British Airways Avios. The airline is a member of the Oneworld alliance, so you can use your miles for flights on British Airways or its partner airlines to South America.

Book Awards With British Airways

British Airways uses a distance-based award chart by cabin class to determine the amount of Avios required.

Search for American Airlines and LATAM business class award availability on the British Airways website. After you find award availability, book the flight online. We recommend using the British Airways/Qantas websites to search for American Airlines and LATAM economy award availability, then book the flight on the British Airways website.

Here are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for both American Airlines and LATAM round-trip flights to South America:

Hot Tip: The British Airways website does not show all of the award availability for American Airlines. Before you transfer points to British Airways, call British Airways at 800-247-9297 to confirm award availability. See more in this step-by-step on searching for Oneworld award availability.

Earning British Airways Avios

British Airways partners with 3 transferable point programs in American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy. In addition, British Airways has a co-branded credit with Chase with a high welcome offer.

If you’re looking to transfer points from one of these programs to British Airways, keep the transfer ratios and transfer times in mind. Amex points, Capital One Miles, and Chase points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio and Marriott point transfers take 1 day at a 3:1 ratio.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

American Airlines AAdvantage

Use American miles to fly American Airlines to South America! Image Credit: Celso Diniz via shutterstock.com

American Airlines is a familiar program to U.S. travelers as one of the “big 3” U.S. airlines, along with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The airline is a member of the Oneworld alliance, so you can use your miles for American Airlines flights and its Oneworld partner flights to South America.

Book Awards With American Airlines

American Airlines uses zone-based award charts by cabin class and dates of travel for its own flights and partner airline flights.

When flying American Airlines’ own product, its award program divides South America into South America Region 1 and South America Region 2:

• South America Region 1: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Manaus (Brazil), Peru
• South America Region 2: Argentina, Brazil (excluding Manaus), Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela

For American Airlines partner flights, the regions look slightly different:

• South America Region 1: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Manaus (Brazil), Peru
• South America Region 2: Argentina, Brazil (excluding Manaus), Chile (excluding Easter Island), Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela

They offer off-peak pricing when flying their own product to South America Region 1. The off-peak dates are January 16-June 14 and September 7-November 14.

Use the American Airlines website to search and book your award flight. Another option is to search for award flights on the British Airways website, confirm award availability on the American website, and then book the flight.

Here are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for both American Airlines and LATAM round-trip flights to South America:

Hot Tip: The American Airlines website does not show availability for all members of the Oneworld alliance. You will want to familiarize yourself with both the British Airways and Qantas websites to search for award availability.

If the award flight is in a lie-flat seat in the U.S., the business mileage will be 7,500 miles higher than the mileage shown.

Earning American Airlines Miles

American Airlines partners with 1 transferable point program in Marriott Bonvoy. In addition, American offers co-branded Barclays and Citi credit cards with large sign-up bonuses, partners with hotels and car rental companies, and has a shopping portal. All of these ways allow you to earn American Airlines miles.

If you’re looking to book a trip with Marriott points, it’s helpful to know that point transfers take 2 days at 3:1 ratio.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic, a carrier that many in the U.K. are familiar with, has a loyalty program that can be used in the right situation for solid value. The airline is not a member of an airline alliance, but instead, the Flying Club program has individual award charts for each of its airline partners.

Book Awards With Virgin Atlantic

The number of Virgin Points you’ll need is based on the zones of your travel and the cabin class of your flight. A key item to point out is that the pricing in the award charts below applies to nonstop flights only. If your itinerary requires a connection, you will need to pay additional Virgin Points.

Search for Delta Air Lines award availability on the Virgin Atlantic website and then book the flight online. Another option is to find award availability on the Air France/Delta/Air France websites and then call Virgin Atlantic at 800-862-8621 to confirm availability and book the flight.

Here are the redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for Delta Air Lines round-trip flights to South America:

Hot Tip: Need help securing an award flight? Here’s a step-by-step guide to booking Delta business class.

Delta flies nonstop from the U.S. to South America on a select number of routes. The nonstop Delta flights to South America that you can book with Virgin Points are:

Nonstop flights to Bogotá, Colombia (BOG):

Nonstop flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE):

Nonstop flights to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GIG):

Nonstop flights to São Paulo , Brazil (GRU):

• Atlanta (ATL)
• New York (JFK)

Nonstop flights to Lima, Peru (LIM):

Nonstop flights to Santiago, Chile (SCL):

Earning Virgin Points

Virgin Atlantic partners with 4 transferable point programs in Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy. The airline also offers Bank of America co-branded credit cards that earn miles with your credit card spend. By focusing your spend on credit cards that earn these miles and points, you will find it easy to earn enough Virgin Points for Delta award flights to South America.

If you have a trip in mind and want to transfer points to Virgin Atlantic, keep the transfer times and transfer ratios in mind. American Express point transfers take 1-2 days at a 1:1 ratio, Citi point transfers take 2 days at a 1:1 ratio, Chase points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott point transfers take 1-2 days at a 3:1 ratio. With that said, we recommend transferring Chase points first for your next award flight.

Final Thoughts

South America is a continent that offers a diverse set of experiences. From the beaches and mountains to the plains and rain forests, you will have more than enough ideas for a unique itinerary.

What is perhaps most interesting about traveling to South America is that you can use any number of programs, points, and miles to get there. Airlines across all of the major alliances offer flights, making it much easier to find an award redemption that works for you!

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, and Chase Freedom Unlimited® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.

Source https://www.southwest.com/flying-with-southwest/

Source https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/best-ways-to-fly-to-south-america-with-points/

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