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How Do I Redeem Leftover Rewards from a Foreign Airline?

Sept. 13, 2015
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3 min read
LanChile 767-300 air to air
How Do I Redeem Leftover Rewards from a Foreign Airline?
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TPG Reader Kayla emailed with a question about how to book awards with LAN Airlines:

"I have 35,000 LANPASS kilometers that I’ve been trying to use for ages, but I'm having trouble finding awards from the US online, and calling LAN is frustrating. Is there a way to book these flights without too much hassle?"

LANPASS is the loyalty program of Chilean carrier LAN. You can get good value on awards within South America, as the airline offers a fairly reasonable region-based chart for flights on its own metal, and travel to more far-flung destinations on the continent can get pretty expensive. LAN is also part of the Oneworld alliance, so you have access to a network of international partners like American Airlines and Cathay Pacific; however, the partner award chart is distance-based, so the value proposition is totally different.

Unfortunately, LANPASS is one of the few remaining loyalty programs that uses kilometers instead of points or miles, and awards are correspondingly more expensive. That means Kayla's stash of LANPASS rewards won't go nearly as far as an equal number of AAdvantage miles (or even British Airways Avios). 35,000 kilometers can buy a round-trip partner economy flight that's under 2,000 km (about 1,240 miles) each way. Domestic routes that qualify include Miami-Chicago, New York-New Orleans and Dallas-Los Angeles.

You could transfer points from SPG and reach more far-flung destinations like Tokyo. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

You can't redeem for one-way awards, so you won't be able to book a a single longer flight. However LAN is a Starwood Preferred Guest transfer partner (with a favorable 1:1.5 transfer ratio), so if you want to stretch those kilometers into a more substantial award, transferring 20,000 Starpoints would give you 70,000 total to work with (including the 35,000 you already have). That's enough for an economy partner flight of up to 10,000 km (about 6,200 miles) in each direction, like Los Angeles-Tokyo or Miami-Berlin.

LAN's partner award search is pretty unwieldy. When it comes to US domestic awards, you'll find some availability online for flights out of American Airlines hubs, like this round-trip between Dallas and San Francisco in November:

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For other domestic American Airlines or Alaska Airlines awards, you're probably going to have to call. As Kayla has experienced, LAN's customer service is known for being difficult, but you can aid your cause a little bit by verifying availability ahead of time and knowing exactly which flights you want.

The most important lesson here is to think about where you credit your flights. While Kayla didn't specify how she earned those kilometers, presumably it was from flying on LAN Airlines. However, instead of earning rewards in LANPASS, you could bank those points or miles to Oneworld and other partner programs. Those AAdvantage or Mileage Plan miles (for example) not only are easier to use domestically, but also are often better for booking awards on LAN itself.

It's good to diversify your travel rewards, but only if you're going to use them! Focus your earning on the programs that are most valuable to you, and you can avoid leaving points and miles on the table.

If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.

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Featured image by Ed Turner

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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.