LATAM Pass and Partner Award Sweet Spots to South America

JAL Mileage Bank charges 60,000 miles plus $5.60 one way for a qualifying LATAM business-class itinerary from the eastern US to South America. Our verified example is New York or Miami to Santiago, based on JAL's partner chart dated May 1, 2024.

The price comes from JAL's distance-based partner chart. An itinerary covering 4,001 to 6,000 flown miles falls into the 60,000-mile business-class band. That makes nonstop routes such as New York to Santiago unusually useful, provided LATAM releases saver space to JAL.

The chart price does not mean a seat is available. Partner programs usually receive less inventory than an airline offers its own members, and LATAM space can be particularly scarce in business class. Search with JAL or an award-search tool, then confirm the itinerary and final taxes with JAL before moving any points.

LATAM Pass may show useful prices or seats that partners cannot access, but there is no fixed rate you can use to plan the trip. A 2020 report found business class from New York or Miami to Lima for 31,250 LATAM Pass points one way and New York to Santiago for 46,750 points. Those are historical search results, not current award prices.

The mechanism matters. LATAM uses variable pricing for its own flights, so the points required can change by route, date, demand, and flight. The same 2020 report found some departures pricing in the high 100,000s or low 200,000s one way in business class. It also could not confirm the final taxes without enough points in the account.

LATAM Pass can still be worth checking because an airline may give its own members access to more seats than it releases to partners. We cannot verify that inventory advantage as of August 2026. Treat the LATAM search result as the answer for your specific flight, and do not rely on a years-old screenshot or calculator.

Do not move points toward LATAM until you have confirmed both the transfer path and the bookable seat. The available evidence for several LATAM-related transfer routes is dated, and a cheap award is useless if you cannot fund it safely.

The old Chase route was never a normal direct transfer to LATAM Pass. It depended on transferring Chase points to Hyatt and then converting Hyatt points onward under airline-conversion rules. More steps create more failure points, including changed ratios, minimum transfer blocks, processing delays, and a seat disappearing before the final points arrive.

If you already hold JAL, Alaska, Avios, or LATAM Pass points, these options are easier to consider. If you must make a slow or indirect transfer, the risk may outweigh the mileage savings.

Check Alaska Mileage Plan and British Airways Avios when JAL or LATAM Pass does not produce a workable result. Both have historically provided access to LATAM awards, but they price trips differently.

Alaska historically charged 45,000 miles one way for LATAM business class from the US to South America and allowed a stopover on a one-way award. A 2023 example combined Los Angeles to Santiago with a later continuation to Buenos Aires. Alaska subsequently introduced a newer award structure, so 45,000 miles is an old result rather than a current promise. A March 2025 guide listed LATAM economy awards through Alaska from 12,500 to 25,000 miles, depending on distance.

British Airways prices primarily by distance and segment. That can work for a nonstop flight, but a connection may require separate mileage charges. A 2023 report priced Los Angeles to Santiago at 92,750 Avios in business class and Miami to Santiago at 77,250 Avios. Those figures are stale and should be used only to understand the pattern: Avios can provide access, but long LATAM flights are often expensive.

Alaska's old advantage came from favorable regional pricing and a stopover rule. British Airways' advantage is easier access to Avios for many travelers. Neither advantage matters unless the program can see the LATAM seat you want.

Use another airline when the available LATAM award is expensive or requires a risky transfer. Our graph includes two lower-cabin or specialized alternatives, although neither is as well verified as the JAL award.

The Avianca example is useful if your priority is simply reaching northern South America with few miles. The Emirates example is a short first-class experience with substantially higher cash charges. Neither should be presented as a price you will receive until the booking program reproduces it.

Compare the award against the cash fare before transferring. Paid economy tickets to South America can be reasonable, and a paid ticket earns miles while avoiding award-search and transfer risk.

Confirm the flight through the exact program you plan to use because LATAM Pass, JAL, Alaska, and British Airways may not see the same seats. Finding a flight on LATAM's website does not prove that JAL or Alaska can book it.

Start with the nonstop LATAM gateways that fit the pricing mechanism you want to use. For JAL's verified distance band, New York or Miami to Santiago are the relevant examples. For Alaska or British Airways, search their own sites and compare every available routing rather than assuming an old rate still applies.

Check the operating carrier, long-haul cabin, mileage price, taxes, and every segment before transferring. Mixed-cabin results can place only a short connection in business class while the long LATAM flight remains in economy. If the website errors or does not display the partner flight, call the issuing program and ask the agent to verify the space and total cost.

Transfers are generally irreversible. We verify the award math, not live seats, so use an award-search tool and confirm the final itinerary with the booking program before moving points.

Book through LATAM Pass only if it shows a clearly better price or inventory than the partner programs you can fund. Dynamic pricing means there is no general LATAM Pass rate that automatically beats JAL, Alaska, or Avios.

Use JAL when the itinerary falls within the verified 4,001 to 6,000-mile band, saver space is available, and you can fund the account safely. Check Alaska when a stopover or connecting itinerary adds real value, but price the complete trip under its current rules. Use Avios mainly for nonstop options when the distance-based total is acceptable.

If you have Chase points but no established route into LATAM Pass, do not build the trip around the old Hyatt conversion. Search direct transfer partners and easier booking programs instead. If no program can confirm a business-class seat, compare economy awards and cash fares rather than transferring speculatively.