Now and again, I like to feature real-life situations, where I get to help someone who dabbles in this hobby occasionally (or not at all). So, when a relative has recently reached out for assistance with covering flights to South America, I figured I might as well write a post. So, here is the situation. My husband’s uncle and his wife have just booked a cruise to Antarctica for next February. They wanted to know what credit card offers they should apply for in order to cover their airline tickets.
They normally focus on acquiring Chase Ultimate Rewards and currently have around 40k points. They also have a sizable stash of Southwest points, but those obviously won’t be of any use for this particular goal. They live near Tampa, but are willing to drive to Miami if the savings are substantial. Otherwise, they prefer to fly from their local airport. They are also fine with economy seats, which simplifies things considerably. Last but not least, they are sort of interested in stopping in Peru on the way to Argentina, with the idea of visiting Machu Picchu. But it’s not a must.
Determining nonstop options first
The cruise starts and ends in Buenos Aires, so the goal is to get there with minimal number of stops. I recommend Flightconnections.com website to quickly scan to see what’s available from your airport. For those looking for nonstop flights to/from Florida there are two options: American Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas. I know that the latter partners with Delta, so quickly scanned award availability via Delta.com There wasn’t any, though it’s possible that calling may do the trick.
Regardless, at the moment our relative doesn’t have access to Delta miles, so it’s moot point. My advice was to focus on American Airlines award flights whether it’s redeeming miles on AA.com or via partners. Of course, assuming the rate is favorable compared to paying cash. Once I got the dates, I looked at AA.com and the prices via miles weren’t looking so hot.
That’s one way
The rate from Miami wasn’t much cheaper either. Not surprisingly, neither flight was accessible via partner programs.
When I plugged in the dates on Kayak.com, the cash rate on roundtrip flights wasn’t too bad, all things considered:
Since they would need to pay around $100 per person in taxes, they would be getting a bit less than a penny per AA mile. It’s OK-ish, but not great. Things were looking much better if they wanted to redeem Alaska miles on LATAM from Miami and stop in Lima or Santiago:
Alaska doesn’t charge extra for stopovers, so it’s an attractive option if you want to kill two birds with one stone. I presented my findings to the relative, and he is leaning towards skipping a stopover in Peru and just focusing on the cruise. That meant that Alaska miles would not be ideal if he wanted to leave from Tampa and minimize stops.
Fortunately, they are not flying during holidays, so there is no rush to lock in flights right now. Of course, I can’t guarantee anything and told him that. But if it were me, I would focus on acquiring some points first in order to minimize out-of-pocket costs.
My advice on credit cards
1) Consider applying for 100k offer on Chase Sapphire Preferred via his wife’s referral link
Instead of me repeating the relevant info, you can read Nancy’s recent post on this offer The annual fee is only $95, which makes it palatable for regular folks.
Nancy’s referral link and My referral link
Why this card? They can combine their existing 40k UR points stash with a bonus and redeem them towards flights at 1.25 cents apiece. No, it’s not a spectacular return, but will save them a ton of cash. Plus, they can earn miles on the revenue flights.
2) Look for targeted offer of 175k MR points on the Amex Platinum
My personal referral link only offers 125k points, so I won’t include it here. If you have a link for 175k points, feel free to leave it in the comments. I’ve recently applied for 175k points offer and consider it a hot deal despite $695 annual fee. There are a few reasons to consider it. They can burn MR points at a penny each via Amex travel portal in order to save cash. Again, not ideal, but an option nonetheless.
Also, AA may reduce the points requirements for their dates and make the flights accessible via partners. They may be able to transfer MR points to British Airways Avios at a favorable rate. And who knows, perhaps they can call Delta and book Aerolienas Argentians tickets via miles. But regardless, flexible points are always a better investment than individual miles. That being said…
3) They should consider applying for Hawaiian credit cards while they still can
Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard (non-affiliate link). The bonus is 60,000 miles after spending $2000 in the first 90 days ($99 annual fee). The reason? This product will be discontinued soon, and this is a cheap way to acquire Alaska miles due to merger. Alternatively, I recommended Barclaycard Aviator since it will be discontinued as well by the end of this year. But they currently have this card, though used up all AA miles from the bonus.
Even though they are leaning towards skipping Peru, they may change their mind down the road. And really, even if they don’t use the miles towards South America, they can always utilize them at a later time.
Honorable mention:
The Capital One Venture Rewards Card (affiliate link) that currently has a bonus of 75,000 miles +$250 travel credit. Read Nancy’s post here This isn’t as hot of a deal as my other two flexible points card picks, but it’s definitely a good option if you don’t mind three credit pulls.
What they ended up choosing
The Amex Platinum card! While it is a super hot deal, this choice did surprise me, as I figured the huge annual fee would scare them off. Plus, they have to spend $8k instead of $5k on CSP. But these folks are very smart and plan to get the full value out of that $700 fee. I plan to do the same.
I’ve said before that when it comes to award flights, flexibility is everything. A route that has a ton of availability now may not look that way a few months or even days from now. In general, I always recommend making peace with the fact that you may end up paying cash for your flights, especially if your dates are set in stone. Fortunately, it’s usually the way to go for economy seats anyway, more so on roundtrip tickets.
Plus, you can often utilize your flexible points, even if the return is only a penny each. Who cares if others consider it travesty?!
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@Aleks I would also pick Alaska program personally. No way would I miss a chance to visit Peru, even for a few days, rain or no rain. In fact, that’s what we are doing next month by combining a visit there with Easter island. All of it in only a week and a half. But I’m a little crazy like that! I do wish we had a chance to explore an area around Santiago, but hopefully next time.
As far as 100k offer on Amex Gold, I think it’s a 100% worth it. Although 175k offer on Amex Platinum is superior, without a doubt. But both deals are worth pursuing. I actually think Amex Gold fee is relatively easy to justify. See my post https://milesforfamily.com/2024/09/24/using-my-50-resy-credit-from-amex-gold-for-an-anniversary-dinner/
it’s Platinum I have a hard time with, though welcome offer more than makes up for it.
Good case study. I’d recommend LATAM from MIA via Santiago for being more reliable vs Argentinian counterpart. Plus it’s a good miles rates on Alaska and possibly on Delta. They can also add CUZ from SCL on the way back – on LATAM as well (no backtracking this way, but they’ll likely need to fly CUZ-LIM-MIA). That’s a lot of connections just for visiting Cuzco and MP – may not be suited for this trip. But they can spend few nice days in Santiago and surrounding area, with bus ride to the Pacific ocean and nearby vineyards. That will fit perfectly after the cold cruise.
I’m on the fence personally for applying for Gold 100K/6K offer as $325 fee is steep and I won’t use most of the (useless) “perks” that come with the card. But you’re right about flexible points – they are versatile in most situations. Although I have few disappointments of trying to book hotels via Chase Travel on points in Northern Africa. It either the lack of properties or inability of the portal to book 6+ months in advance. Either way not the good experience with “legendary” Chase.))
Happy travels!!
@Christian I searched and can’t find any Hawaiian card links with $1 minimum spend. If you can spot one, please leave it in the comments, I’ll be much obliged.
As far as using Alaska miles for Latam flight with a free stopover in Peru, that’s what I would do. I strongly advised our relative to pursue this option, even mentioned BoA Alaska cards. But he said that February weather in Peru tends to be rainy, so not ideal for Macchu Picchu. I personally would take my chances, as it’s an ideal opportunity to knock it off the bucket list. And they even have four extra days to play with! But ultimately, it’s not my decision to make. I do hope they change their minds.
@Sara Hmm, you are right, it did change to 60k miles. I’ll update the post.
I still think there is a compelling reason to consider it over Aviator card. The latter should be around until the end of this year, while Hawaiian card will likely be gone by the end of June. But it’s a matter of priorities and which program will benefit you most. Plus, Barclays is a fickle bank, and can be tough on approvals. So by getting one card you are potentially risking giving up the other.
I haven’t checked in the last few weeks but the Hawaiian card required only $1 spend to get the signup bonus. If that’s still the case, I’d suggest you reconsider. You can transfer Hawaiian miles to Alaska miles instantly and Hawaiian miles will be discontinued soon.
Dumb question but I’ll ask anyway: Why not get Hawaiian cards where – IIRC – they wouldn’t have to spend much at all (about a dollar), transfer those to Alaska then have their free stopover in Peru, all at a very reasonable price? If need be, they could also apply for actual Alaska cards as well to bolster their miles. The CSP just offers too much value through Hyatt to spend on airfare in my opinion. Then again, I’m cheap, or at least highly value oriented.
Interesting,…i actually loved what you pointed out about the Hawaiian air card since i travel AlaskaAir almost always. So i went to that link to try to apply…unfortunately, they are only offering 60K bonus points which is the same as getting AA card directly so i think i’ll hold off for now.