revv

I have a few LATAM kms that are going to expire.

What are my options for moving them out of LATAM that don't require travel with LATAM? Can I move them to another OneWorld airline?

If I can't, does anyone know of a way to keep the miles without flying with LATAM?

jlarroulet

You can't move them out of LATAM. AFAIR there's no chance of point/mile transfer between airlines.

The only way to "renew" the kms validity is to fly at least one LATAM segment that earns you kms (no matter how many), after which all the kms in your account will be renewed.

You could redeem kms for an award ticket for a much later date (beyond the date in which the kms are set to expire) and use it at that date. You cannot redeem and then request a refund (actually you can, but the refunded kms will keep the original validity, so there's not much gain in doing this unless you really intend to fly)

revv

Thanks! I suspected as much =(

36902BRF

While almost entirely true you can transfer miles (known as Avios for these programs) between Iberia and British Airways (in either direction). They are both owned by the same parent company but the mileage programs are separate (for the moment anyway).

neuromancer

LATAM Fidelidade? You can transfer to Accor points in multiples of 3000 and to a number of airlines after that (best rate to Iberia Avios). If LATAM Pass I do not know.
Also, no way to renew, you must use them or they expire.

Ooops, just reread that they are kms, so LATAM Pass.

jlarroulet

what you *could* do, if you have enough miles to do it anyway, is something which is frowned upon but that many people have done and do to this day.
Be advised it kinda conflicts with LATAM Pass terms of service, so be discreet

Since you can redeem an award ticket for someone other than yourself, you could find someone who needs to fly LATAM and "sell" him the ticket. Issue his/her ticket with your kms and privately arrange for payment with that person. I've seen a lot of people do that and charge the traveler an amount of many which is similar to what a regular ticket would have cost (sometimes a little less, to encourage the other person to get the ticket from you instead of directly from the airline).
That way, you don't "lose" your kms and you get something out of it.

I say again, this goes against LATAM Pass' terms of service. It's frowned upon, even though the airline rarely enforces it. Keep in mind that IF they enforced it, it can lead to account termination and the issued ticket being voided

Gio Salinas

Another option is to transfer *cofcofsellcofcof* those miles to another LATAM Pass client.

jlarroulet

Which is usually done in a similar fashion to what I was describing on my previous post, since the "officially supported" method of transfering kms to another LATAM Pass customer is not particularly cheap (USD 7 for every 1,000 kms IIRC) which kinda defeats the purpose.
Also, the official transfer method has one big caveat in this case: kms validity is retained, so if the kms are about to expire, whoever receives them will be receiving kms with a very short lifespan available too.

viyer00

I also have some kms that are expiring at the end of this year. Some questions:

Can I book a flight for myself in 2018 (that is, after expiration), and then continue to move the dates further into the future if I can't travel on the scheduled day?

Is there any maximum limit on the number of times that I can change flying dates for an award ticket? Any other important limitations?

Can I change dates online? If not, is there a fee to change award tickets by phone?

neuromancer

I'd be extremely surprised if changing the dates is free, even online.

jlarroulet

Yes, you may issue an award ticket with a flight date after the expiration of the kms you redeem.
Yes, you may change dates (no maximum number of times), provided that you remain within the validity of the ticket (trip must be complete 1 year counted from ticket issuance)

Can't remember if there's a fee for changes. There is no penalty, but a small service fee may be charged.

Keep in mind that if the change you request costs more kms than the original ticket, you'll need to "pay" for the difference using kms (which may mean you'll need to purchase some more)

viyer00

Thanks! It's remarkably difficult to piece that information together from searching online.

Maykita

Will transferring new kms in from Hyatt (or similar) work to stave off km expiration? I had thought it would, but this thread is making me think maybe not. I can't find any answers on their site.

Update: more searching makes realize the answer to this is no.

Does anyone have any quick tips on how to use the kms on American (or other one world airlines)? It appears to be possible, but only by calling them?

jlarroulet

Correct. Only kms earned by flying on LATAM metal will extend the expiration of the kms in your account.

You can use your kms on oneworld partners but the last time I checked the online redemption for partner airlines was working terribly. I fyou can't redeem online, you can get LATAM on the phone or -depending on where you live- make the redemption on a city ticketing office or an airport ticketing office.
Keep in mind that if you want to redeem your LATAM kms, redemption must be done with LATAM. partners have no way to issue a ticket with your LA kms as form of payment

Maykita

Thanks so much. This is very helpful!