How to Fly to South America with Points
This guide covers the best ways to fly to South America with points, the programs for each carrier, and the gateway and regional tactics that help. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed.
The lay of the land
South America is served by several home carriers plus the US airlines. Avianca and Copa are Star Alliance members, with Copa Panama hub offering excellent connectivity across the continent. LATAM, the largest South American carrier, left the Oneworld alliance and now partners closely with Delta, which changes how you book it. American and United also fly extensively to the region, and Aeromexico connects through Mexico.
The shifting alliances mean the booking program depends on the carrier: Star programs for Avianca and Copa, Delta and its partners for LATAM, and Oneworld programs for American. See our transfer partners guide.
Best business class to South America
Avianca offers solid business class and, through its own LifeMiles program, prices Star Alliance awards attractively with no fuel surcharges, making it a top choice for reaching South America in business. Copa provides extensive business-class connectivity through Panama City, also bookable through Star programs. LATAM operates good business class, now bookable primarily through Delta SkyMiles and its partners following the alliance change.
American Airlines flies business class to major South American cities from Miami and is bookable through Oneworld programs. Because the flights to the southern part of the continent are long, a lie-flat seat is worth seeking for cities like Buenos Aires and Santiago. See our business class guide.
The best programs to use
Avianca LifeMiles is the standout for Star Alliance flights to South America, with no fuel surcharges and competitive pricing, and it transfers from several banks. Aeroplan and United also book Star carriers like Avianca and Copa. For LATAM, Delta SkyMiles is now the main path, with Flying Blue and other SkyTeam programs also relevant given the Delta partnership.
For American Airlines flights, American AAdvantage and the Avios programs work. The recurring lesson is to match the program to the carrier and compare a couple of options. See our Capital One and Citi ecosystem guides for Avianca access.
Gateways and regional flights
Miami is the dominant US gateway to South America, with the most flights, the shortest routes to the northern part of the continent, and the best award availability, so positioning to Miami can improve your options. Houston and other southern gateways also serve the region well. The northern cities like Bogota and Lima are much closer than the southern ones like Buenos Aires, which affects both flight time and award pricing.
Within South America, the British Airways and Iberia Avios distance-based chart prices short regional flights cheaply, which is useful for hopping between countries once you arrive. Copa Panama hub also makes multi-city trips convenient. Consider an open-jaw to see more of the continent. See our booking tactics guide.
Economy and timing
Economy to South America can be a good value on the longer routes to the south, where cash fares are high, while the shorter northern routes often have cheap cash fares that make paying cash smarter. As always, compare the cash price against the points cost, and lean on Avios for cheap short regional segments.
Timing matters: the southern hemisphere summer, the US winter, is peak season for Patagonia and the southern cities, so award space is tighter then. Shoulder seasons offer better availability. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed. See our economy redemptions guide.
Frequently asked questions
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