Best ways to use Alaska Airlines miles on LATAM in South America
When I first visited South America in 2013, I took a nonstop 27-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Florianopolis, Brazil. I had no choice, as my backpacker budget couldn’t afford the last-minute $600 flight. Needless to say, it was a horrendous experience that I vowed never to repeat.
Over a decade later, points and miles have completely transformed the way I travel.
Earlier this year, I spent three months traveling around South America and found my stash of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles very useful. For instance, 50,000 miles got me two economy-class flights within the continent, as well as a business-class ticket back to the U.S. This savings allowed me to splash out on Carnival tickets and skydiving instead.
So, I’ve put together this guide to share how Alaska Airlines miles can help save you money when flying to and within South America on LATAM.
Book business-class flights on LATAM from 35,000 miles
Scoring lie-flat business-class seats for under 40,000 miles may sound too good to be true, but it’s very much possible when booking a LATAM flight through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. I flew from Lima, Peru, to Miami for just 35,000 miles and $62 in taxes, and you can, too.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan still operates using an award chart, even for partner redemptions. If you look at Alaska’s website, you will see the “starting at” award redemption prices for nonstop itineraries. Business-class redemptions for flight routes between 2,001 and 4,000 miles start at 35,000 Alaska miles.
My top recommendation
The cheapest way to fly LATAM in lie-flat business class from the U.S. to South America is to fly to Lima from:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
This deal is a steal — you can find award prices starting at 35,000 miles plus $34 in taxes one-way (taxes are about double that on the way home, which is still a very reasonable amount).
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If you don’t live in one of these cities, you can:
- Look for award availability on a connecting flight on Alaska (most useful for those on the West Coast) and book both flights on one itinerary; however, this award space can be hard to find sometimes, and the connecting flight is likely to increase the price.
- Book a positioning flight, but make your layover at least a few hours (if not overnight) to protect yourself against delays and missed connections.
Other (more expensive) options
Flight routes between 4,001 to 6,000 miles will cost you at least an additional 15,000 Alaska miles, with business-class flights starting at 50,000 miles.
Itineraries starting at 50,000 Alaska miles include the following cities:
- Boston, Miami, New York and Orlando to Sao Paulo
- Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Orlando to Santiago, Chile
- Los Angeles to Lima
And the award chart tops out at 60,000 miles from:
A 2-in-1 trip
If you want to visit a tropical destination on the way to or from South America, you can take advantage of another sweet spot.
You can fly between Santiago and Cancun, Mexico, or Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, for just 35,000 miles and less than $100 in taxes one-way. (Note that these flights only operate a couple of days a week, usually around the weekends.)
Many travelers, especially those in the eastern half of the U.S., will be able to fly nonstop between Cancun or Punta Cana and their home airport thanks to frequent connections.
The different business-class products
Though you may book a lie-flat business-class seat, the exact style of seat differs based on the plane and route you fly.
On the least desirable end of the spectrum are some LATAM Boeing 787-8 planes (the ones with 30 business-class seats in five rows of 2-2-2) and Boeing 787-9s (with 30 seats in five rows of 2-2-2). With these planes, you’ll experience older-style seats that are basically chairs that recline to lie-flat beds. You will be sitting next to another seat, and window seats do not have direct aisle access.
If you’re on a Boeing 787-9 (with eight rows of business class), 767 or 777, you’ll fly in the VantageXL seat, which is set up in a 1-2-1 configuration.
And if you’re on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft with 20 business-class seats (instead of 30), you’ll be in a brand-new Recaro R7 seat with a sliding privacy door. You can experience this luxury business-class suite on select flights between MIA and Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) in Santiago. The airline will also use this plane on nonstop routes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and JFK to SCL.
You can see if your aircraft has a 1-2-1 or 2-2-2 seat configuration and how many seats are in the cabin by looking at the seat map on ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures), AeroLOPA or the LATAM website or app.
Lounge access in the US
In Boston, Los Angeles and New York, LATAM business-class passengers get access to the excellent Delta One lounges.
At LAX, LATAM flights depart from the Tom Bradley International Terminal, so you’d need to factor in walking time from the Delta One Lounge in Terminal 3 to your gate.
In Atlanta and Orlando, you can access the standard Delta Sky Clubs. (Atlanta’s Delta One Lounge is still a few years away.) If you’re traveling from Miami, you’ll access the above-average LATAM lounge, operated by the airline itself.
As for scoring lounge access in South America, Sao Paulo has the best lounge in LATAM’s network, in my opinion, followed by the one in Santiago. Plus, Lima just opened its new airport in June, with a LATAM lounge expected to open in 2026.
Book economy flights within South America from 4,500 miles
For short domestic hops within South America, paying cash is often the smarter move, especially when fares are low. In contrast, miles are best used when cash fares are high and for travel between countries.
Use cash for most domestic flights
You might be tempted to use just 4,500 Alaska miles to fly LATAM throughout:
- All of Colombia (except to and from the island of San Andres, off the coast of Nicaragua)
- All of Peru
- Most of Chile (except the northern and southernmost extremities of the country)
- Brazil’s south and southeastern regions (includes Florianopolis and Rio de Janeiro)
However, cash prices are often around the $50 mark for these flights.
So, once you factor in the taxes and Alaska’s $12.50 partner booking fee, it often doesn’t make sense to use your miles for these flights. The exception is when the prices are high because you’re traveling at the last minute or during a busy travel period (like Carnival, Easter or the holidays).
Use miles for other flights
While cash can take care of most of your domestic flights, miles can come in handy for:
- Flights between South American countries
- Longer domestic flights
- Last-minute travel
- Travel during busy travel periods
For example, I used just 7,500 miles plus $38 in taxes and fees to book a one-way flight from Santiago to La Paz, Bolivia, one week before departure. With cash prices on this date around the $300 mark, I got a redemption value of 3.5 cents per mile, more than double our June 2025 valuation of Alaska miles.
Taxes were much higher ($124) on another 7,500-mile award I booked for travel from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to Lima. With cash prices again around the $300 mark, I got a lower (but still very respectable) redemption value of 2.3 cents per mile.
On both flights, I received a free checked bag, as well as free emergency exit row seating, which was a nice surprise. I also found the cabin crew to be more helpful and friendly than the average carrier.
Sweet spots
Flying between LATAM’s hubs and the following destinations can often see high cash prices and, therefore, provide good redemption value:
- Argentina: San Carlos de Bariloche
- Bolivia: La Paz and Santa Cruz
- Brazil: Iguazu Falls and Manaus (gateway to the Brazilian Amazon)
- Colombia: Leticia (gateway to the Colombian Amazon) and San Andres
- Peru: Cusco
- Paraguay: Asuncion
- Uruguay: Montevideo
Galapagos Islands
Most travelers to Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands pass through the country’s largest airport in Guayaquil.
Flights to and from the two airports on the islands tend to be reasonably priced with cash, but Alaska can offer good value for 7,500 miles one-way.
Easter Island
LATAM has a monopoly as the only air route serving Chile’s Easter Island, which is an up to 5 1/2-hour flight to and from Santiago. In the high season (which is during summer in the Southern Hemisphere, or between December and February), cash prices are $550 to $900.
So, a round-trip economy or business-class flight can start at 35,000 or 70,000 miles, respectively, plus $41 in taxes and fees. This is a good value, especially as the business-class cabin features lie-flat seats on this route.
Booking tips
- Online booking: LATAM awards are bookable on the Alaska website.
- Taxes and fees: These tend to be low for redemptions on LATAM.
- Stopovers: You can book free stopovers on a connecting itinerary.
- Cancellations: These effectively cost $12.50. You can change or cancel your award anytime up to the scheduled departure time and receive a full refund of the miles and taxes (minus the $12.50 partner booking fee).
- Award space alerts: I strongly suggest signing up for Thrifty Traveler to receive alerts on when bulk LATAM award space becomes available.
- Award searches: Use award search tools like Point.me, Seats.aero and PointsYeah.
- Alternative programs: You can also redeem Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points or use an Avios program to book LATAM award tickets. Alaska redemptions are usually priced cheaper, but award availability may differ between programs.
Related: These 12 apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find
How to earn Alaska miles
The quickest and easiest way to earn Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles is to get an Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines cobranded credit card.
Alaska Airlines cards
Bank of America issues one personal and one business Alaska cobranded card:
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card: Earn 50,000 bonus miles plus buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after spending $3,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening.
- Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Companion Fare ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $4,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening an account.
Hawaiian Airlines cards
Alaska and Hawaiian have merged, meaning you can transfer HawaiianMiles earned from the following cards to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan at a 1:1 rate:
The information for the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard and the Hawaiian Airlines Business Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Transfer from Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy
You can convert Bilt Rewards Points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio, with transfers usually occurring within a few minutes.
Marriott Bonvoy points can also be converted into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles at a poorer 3:1 ratio (with a 5,000-mile bonus when converting at least 60,000 Bonvoy points), with transfers usually occurring within 24 hours.
Related: When does it make sense to transfer Marriott points to airlines?
Transfer from American Express (for a limited time)
Until June 30, you can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles. Then, you can convert your Hawaiian miles into Alaska miles.
Related: TPG’s favorite hotels in Latin America
Bottom line
Alaska miles can unlock incredible value when flying to, from and within South America, especially during peak travel periods or on longer routes where cash prices run high.
Whether you’re hiking in Patagonia, exploring the Amazon or watching the sun rise over Machu Picchu, savvy redemptions on LATAM can turn your dream trip into a reality — without blowing your budget.
