Great Card If
- You’re a LATAM frequent flyer and want a card that will help you earn more miles.
- You want a fast track toward LATAM elite status.
- You want a card with no annual fee.
Don’t Get If
- You fly with LATAM so often that you’d prefer the premium version of the card.
- You’d prefer a card that earns transferable rewards.
LATAM Airlines Card: Is It Worth It?
The LATAM Airlines card might be worth it for U.S.-based flyers who frequently travel with LATAM and want to add a card to their wallet that will help them earn more LATAM miles on their daily purchases and provide a faster path to LATAM elite status, all without an annual fee.
Furthermore, none of the major transfer partner programs offer LATAM as a transfer partner, aside from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 rate. Given that, adding the LATAM Airlines card to your wallet is arguably one of the best ways to earn more LATAM miles on your daily purchases.
LATAM Airlines Card Top Benefits and Perks
The LATAM Airlines card doesn’t come with as many benefits as the premium version of the card, but the couple that it offers are still helpful, including:
- Fast track to LATAM elite status: With your LATAM Airlines card, 30% of the miles you earn from eligible purchases with your card are awarded as Qualifying Points under the LATAM Pass elite categories program up to the limits set in each elite category.
- No annual fee: Give your card a permanent place in your wallet without needing to pay an annual fee each year.
- No foreign transaction fees: During your international travels, you can continue to use your card to earn more miles without paying foreign transaction fees.
Best Ways To Earn and Redeem LATAM Miles
Since the LATAM program isn’t a transfer partner of any of the major transferable rewards programs, with the exception of Marriott at a less-than-stellar rate, using your LATAM Airlines card is easily one of the best ways to earn more LATAM miles, thanks to its 3x miles on LATAM purchases, 2x miles on restaurants, ride-sharing, taxis, and public transit, and 1x miles on all other purchases.
Since LATAM is Latin America’s largest carrier, there are plenty of good uses of LATAM miles. One such redemption is booking Delta One business class between the U.S. and South America for just 72,000 LATAM miles.
Alternative Cards to the LATAM Airlines Card
LATAM Airlines World Elite Mastercard
Depending on how often you travel with LATAM, the LATAM Airlines Elite card may be a better option for you instead.
With it, you earn 4x miles on LATAM purchases, 3x miles on restaurant, ride-sharing, taxis, and public transit purchases, and 1x miles on all other purchases.
Plus, the card still offers a fast track to LATAM elite status, no foreign transaction fees, courtesy segments, and LATAM Airlines lounge passes.
If you want a card that earns transferable points and offers LATAM as a transfer partner, your only option is a Marriott credit card. In that case, the Marriott Boundless card is a good one to consider.
It earns 6x points on Marriott stays, 3x points on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining, and 2x points on all other purchases. It also offers perks like automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver elite status, 15 elite night credits annually, and a free night certificate each year.
If you frequently fly with LATAM and stay at Marriott hotels, this could be a great 2-in-1 option. Remember that all of your Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to LATAM at a 3:1 rate, plus a 5,000 LATAM miles bonus when you transfer at least 60,000 points — leaving you with 25,000 LATAM miles instead of 20,000.
