Originally Posted by
sseron
black signature here since 2021 and not happy with the changes of LATAM.
usually fly between Chile for work around 150 segments per year, 120 with latam and 30 with others airlines, I rarely use upgrades on domestic flights but I do take advantage of using them on flights to Europe or USA. I chose to fly with Latam to maintain Black Signature because is good for those of us who are in a hurry all the time and is great the job of the SS team in SCL, LIM, MIA, JFK and MAD. but now in order to maintain the category i need to spend almost 5000 dollars more of my pocket, at leat for me is not worth it. I know nowadays there is a lot of elite passengers in Chile and Brazil, specially Black but i dont know this will help to reduce them.
If you’re flying 120 segments, and even conservatively estimating an average full fare of $120 per roundtrip, that totals $14,400. Under the new 2025 rules, with each dollar earning 15 qualifying points, that’s 216,000 QP, which easily gets you to the Black Signature category. So, honestly, it’s not a bad deal at all, right?
Originally Posted by
jvalscl
Black Signature here, and I am not happy with the new changes either. My traveling pattern is 90% domestic in Chile, with another 10% international. All domestic flights are in Premium Economy, and I've been qualifying on segments (thus I don't use upgrades on domestic flights). After some quick calculations I realize that under the new rules in 2025 I'll be qualifying somewhere between Platinum and Black. I don't quite understand what LATAM is trying to achieve here regarding its elites. Those of us who fly a lot (and not on the cheapest fares, at least here in Chile), we barely have time to take advantage of the international upgrades (if it's one of their concerns). If they are trying to force us to spend more, then I am a bit skeptical about their strategy. Dropping from Black Signature to Platinum would certain make the program less interesting for me. Strictly speaking the changes are not catastrophic in my particular case (mostly domestic travel), but it would be a pity to lose upgrade opportunity on the international flights. I believe we passed the time long time ago when the airlines loyalty programs were about loyalty. Airlines are happy to make a quick buck right here right now, there's no long terms strategic vision, I suppose. But who am I to judge
My take on this is:
1. It seems that LATAM wants to phase out their highest-tier flyers who qualify primarily through reaching segment thresholds. I think (no offense) these flyers may be less profitable for the company, as LATAM likely prefers to reward those who bring in quicker, higher revenue. This appears to be applied across all countries where LATAM operates. Believe it or not, in Brazil, there are hundreds of frequent flyers doing “status runs,” spending time and money just to achieve the Black Signature tier just for the sake of it. (how do I know? because of the website passageirodeprimeira.com)
2. LATAM seems to aim for a simpler, unified rewards program across all countries. The same new rules for 2025 have already been published on the Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, and U.S. websites, with the exception of Colombia. (I have no idea why Colombia will retain the old rules for 2025.)
3. The new 2025 rules are likely intended to appeal to international frequent flyers. It will now be fairly easy to qualify for the Platinum category... just one long-haul business class ticket, such as SCL-MIA or SCL-MAD, will suffice.
Moreover, if you hold a World Member limited credit card, you’ll only need to spend under $10,000 on airfares to reach the Black Category, as this card can earn you up to 15,000 qualifying points. That's not bad at all.