Award options for intra-Peru?
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA
Posts: 3,780
Award options for intra-Peru?
I have tried googling all morning and countless FT searches. Also tried looking at a few partner award charts and still can't figure this out... Are there low miles award options for intra-Peru? LIM-CUZ-LIM I noted someone used BA points, but that is the one thing I DON'T have.... I have SPG, UA, AA, DL, and a few US. Before I pay cash for the ticket (which is about $150-175 RT), I'd like to know if I can get the tickets for a 'few' miles. Thanks for any help or pointing me to the correct thread ^
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:21 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 749
Best bet would be BA miles, 9,000 r/t you can always try to trade someone for them. SPG for BA, I'm sure you could find someone who would trade you at a better than 1:1 ratio in your favor.
Are you bookin an award ticket to LIM? You can book all the way to CUZ? I was able to book LAX-MIA-LIM-CUZ for one chunk of AA miles. This has to be done on the phone with AA however.
Also be careful with the LIM-CUZ pricing, I've heard there is one price if you're a US citizen and another (lower) if you're from SA. Not sure if this is still true. The $150-175 sounds suspiciously low to me. I remember people saying it was $275+
Are you bookin an award ticket to LIM? You can book all the way to CUZ? I was able to book LAX-MIA-LIM-CUZ for one chunk of AA miles. This has to be done on the phone with AA however.
Also be careful with the LIM-CUZ pricing, I've heard there is one price if you're a US citizen and another (lower) if you're from SA. Not sure if this is still true. The $150-175 sounds suspiciously low to me. I remember people saying it was $275+
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:23 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA
Posts: 3,780
Best bet would be BA miles, 9,000 r/t you can always try to trade someone for them. SPG for BA, I'm sure you could find someone who would trade you at a better than 1:1 ratio in your favor.
Are you bookin an award ticket to LIM? You can book all the way to CUZ? I was able to book LAX-MIA-LIM-CUZ for one chunk of AA miles. This has to be done on the phone with AA however.
Also be careful with the LIM-CUZ pricing, I've heard there is one price if you're a US citizen and another (lower) if you're from SA. Not sure if this is still true. The $150-175 sounds suspiciously low to me. I remember people saying it was $275+
Are you bookin an award ticket to LIM? You can book all the way to CUZ? I was able to book LAX-MIA-LIM-CUZ for one chunk of AA miles. This has to be done on the phone with AA however.
Also be careful with the LIM-CUZ pricing, I've heard there is one price if you're a US citizen and another (lower) if you're from SA. Not sure if this is still true. The $150-175 sounds suspiciously low to me. I remember people saying it was $275+
I bought the LAX-LIM cheap fare that happened yesterday.
Yes, I've read about the 'gringo tax' and will be careful
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:24 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,906
The main player in Peru is LAN, which is a OneWorld partner.
SPG transfers to BA, and it's 4500 Avios + $6-7 taxes for a short-haul intra Peru (my LIM-CUZ-LIM flight was 9000 Avios + $13 roundtrip).
SPG transfers to LAN at a decent rate: 1 SPG = 2 LAN kilometros. If you transfer 20K SPG, you get 50K LAN.
This is the LAN table for intra-Peru.
However, I prefer to use SPG for hotels ...
You can also use AA miles, but it's 6K miles one-way + $25 booking fee over the phone.
$175 sounds like a steal, make sure you're buying it via the U.S. site (LAN shows different prices for Peruvians than for other countries). It was hovering around $500 rt when I went, so 9000 Avios was a great deal.
SPG transfers to BA, and it's 4500 Avios + $6-7 taxes for a short-haul intra Peru (my LIM-CUZ-LIM flight was 9000 Avios + $13 roundtrip).
SPG transfers to LAN at a decent rate: 1 SPG = 2 LAN kilometros. If you transfer 20K SPG, you get 50K LAN.
This is the LAN table for intra-Peru.
However, I prefer to use SPG for hotels ...
You can also use AA miles, but it's 6K miles one-way + $25 booking fee over the phone.
$175 sounds like a steal, make sure you're buying it via the U.S. site (LAN shows different prices for Peruvians than for other countries). It was hovering around $500 rt when I went, so 9000 Avios was a great deal.
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:24 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Posts: 665
You can use AA miles on LAN-Peru. It'll be 10,000 per flight. Add possibly AA phone ticketing charges? Can't book it on aa.com.
Considering that StarPeru is offering LIM-CUZ for a mere $35, it would be a waste of award miles unless you don't have any better use for them.
Considering that StarPeru is offering LIM-CUZ for a mere $35, it would be a waste of award miles unless you don't have any better use for them.
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:27 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Laguna Niguel, CA
Posts: 3,780
Is the 10K miles OW or RT?
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:28 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,591
Star peru and other local carriers do not charge a "Gringo" Tax. Sure when I was there, they seemed to be delayed more, they didn't have jetbridge, and they were at the far end of the airport, but I'm sure their 737 gets you there just fine.
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:29 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 749
Another option would be Chase UR points, which transfer to BA. Even if you have a UR card that doesn't allow transfers (Like a Freedom) you can find trades on CC for 1 UR to 1.5 BA miles. You can transfer UR points to someone who has a Sapphire Preferred/Ink Bold and ask them to then dump into your BA account as well.
I really would recommend using BA points for this. I agree SPG points would be wasteful... but a good trade might make me consider using my SPG points.
I really would recommend using BA points for this. I agree SPG points would be wasteful... but a good trade might make me consider using my SPG points.
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:29 pm
#10
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,906
If you have AMEX or Chase UR points, I highly suggest using BA Avios; this route is quite possibly the best redemption you can make with the new program.
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:32 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 35,047
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
As noted by amolkold in the post immediately above yours, LIM-CUZ on LAN Peru now costs only 6K AAdvantage miles each way. See the "Wholly Within" redemption rates in the upper right corner of the recently revised Partner award chart:
http://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/a...rtnerChart.jsp
Originally Posted by zbenye
You can use AA miles on LAN-Peru. It'll be 10,000 per flight. Add possibly AA phone ticketing charges? Can't book it on aa.com.
Considering that StarPeru is offering LIM-CUZ for a mere $35, it would be a waste of award miles unless you don't have any better use for them.
Considering that StarPeru is offering LIM-CUZ for a mere $35, it would be a waste of award miles unless you don't have any better use for them.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/a...rtnerChart.jsp
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:35 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Posts: 665
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:35 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAS
Programs: DL PM, UA PS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,906
OP, when are you flying? If it's not for a while, you have time to build Avios through a ton of means. BA is transfer partners with everyone and their mother. Get the 50K BA card, or a Chase card (even a Freedom, and transfer them to a Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold account to get to BA), or an AMEX MR card.
Or CC!
Last edited by amolkold; Jun 5, 2012 at 4:43 pm Reason: Speeling.
Jun 5, 2012 | 4:36 pm
#15
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 749
Also because SPG points can top up so many programs in case you're just a little shy of that great redemption and want to book it right now before it disappears.