Our Review of LATAM Pass

This LATAM Pass review looks at a programme that feels slightly misunderstood from a European perspective, yet quietly makes a lot of sense if South America sits anywhere near your travel map. LATAM Pass is the loyalty scheme of LATAM Airlines Group and it plays by its own rules. Earnings lean heavily towards spend rather than distance, status can be earned in some unexpected ways, and redemptions reward flexibility more than loyalty purism. Read on if you want to know whether it deserves a place alongside Avios or Flying Blue in your travel toolkit.

Points Earning Rates On Short, Mid, And Long-Haul Flights

LATAM Pass earns points primarily based on ticket price rather than miles flown. Economy Light fares earn very little, while flexible economy, premium economy, and business class ramp things up quickly. Long-haul flights naturally generate more points due to higher fares, but the structure remains consistent across short, mid, and long-haul. Partner flights can still earn based on distance, depending on airline and fare class, which can occasionally work in your favour if you book cleverly.

How Easy Is It To Redeem Points For Flights?

Redemptions are fully dynamic on LATAM-operated flights. There is no fixed award chart, and prices move with demand. The booking engine uses a miles plus cash slider, which is flexible but not always good value. Partner airline awards follow more traditional pricing, though availability can be patchy. Research for our LATAM Pass review found the strongest value on regional South American routes and quieter long-haul dates, rather than peak business class awards.

Do Points Expire?

Yes, but the rules are fairly forgiving. Points typically expire after 24 months of inactivity, though elite members receive longer validity or full protection. Any earning or redemption activity resets the clock, so occasional engagement keeps balances alive without much effort.

Introduction To The Status Tiers

LATAM Pass has four elite levels: Gold, Platinum, Black, and Black Signature. Status is earned through Qualifying Points rather than flight counts, and there is no minimum requirement to fly LATAM-operated flights. That alone makes it more flexible than most European programmes, particularly if you credit partner flights or earn points through non-flight activity.

Gold (12,000 Qualifying Points) is the entry tier and delivers the basics done properly. Members receive priority check-in and boarding, extra checked baggage on LATAM flights, and complimentary seat selection within standard seating zones. Lounge access is included when flying internationally with LATAM, which already makes Gold more useful than many first-tier statuses elsewhere.

Platinum (35,000 Qualifying Points) is where the programme starts to feel genuinely premium. Benefits include higher mileage bonuses, earlier seat selection including preferred seats, increased baggage allowances, and more consistent lounge access. Priority services become more reliable at busier airports, and customer service queues shorten noticeably. For regular travellers within South America, this is arguably the sweet spot.

Black (100,000 Qualifying Points) adds the kind of benefits frequent flyers actually notice. Upgrade vouchers enter the picture, baggage allowances increase again, and lounge access extends more broadly across itineraries. Priority handling becomes near-guaranteed rather than theoretical, and LATAM places far more emphasis on disruption support and rebooking when things go wrong.

Black Signature (200,000 Qualifying Points) sits at the top and is clearly aimed at high-spend, long-haul travellers. The mileage bonuses are the highest in the programme, upgrade priority improves further, and service recovery becomes proactive rather than reactive. Dedicated support channels and preferential treatment during irregular operations are the real differentiators here, rather than headline perks.

LATAM is no longer part of a global alliance, so lounge access tied to LATAM Pass status is primarily limited to LATAM-operated lounges when you are flying on LATAM-marketed and LATAM-operated flights.

Here’s how it breaks down in practice:

• Gold, Platinum, Black, and Black Signature members get lounge access at LATAM lounges when travelling internationally on LATAM.
• Access does not extend automatically to third-party lounges purely on the basis of LATAM Pass status.
• There is no alliance-wide lounge reciprocity, unlike oneworld Sapphire or Star Alliance Gold.

That said, LATAM has kept a small number of bilateral agreements alive:

• On certain Delta Air Lines-operated flights, higher-tier LATAM Pass members may access Delta Sky Clubs when travelling on eligible international itineraries.
• These arrangements are route- and fare-dependent, can change quietly, and should never be assumed without checking before travel.
• Crucially, this is not a blanket benefit and does not behave like alliance lounge access.

So if you’re comparing LATAM Pass to something like oneworld Sapphire, the key difference is predictability. Alliance status gets you into most lounges, LATAM Pass does not.

In classic LATAM style, it favours its own premium customers on its own network, rather than spreading benefits thinly across partners. If most of your flying is on LATAM Airlines, lounge access works well. If you hop between carriers, or travel regularly to an outstation without a LATAM lounge it quickly feels constrained.

Qualifying Point Accrual Rates On Short, Mid, And Long-Haul Flights

Qualifying Points broadly mirror points earning but with different multipliers by fare type. Premium cabins earn significantly more, while discounted economy barely moves the needle. Short-haul flights are rarely efficient for status unless booked in higher fare families. Mid and long-haul premium economy and business class remain the fastest routes to progress.

LATAM does not play the usual short-haul business class game. On regional routes, Premium Economy is the top cabin, and it earns accordingly. On long-haul, the jump from economy to Premium Business is where Qualifying Points accelerate hard.

Approximate Cost And Travel Required To Reach Equivalent Alliance Status

Since exiting Oneworld, there is no clean alliance mapping for LATAM anymore. But digging deeper for this review, we found LATAM Pass Gold roughly aligns with entry-level alliance benefits, while Platinum and above feel closer to Oneworld Sapphire or Star Alliance Gold in practical terms. Reaching Gold can be done with a handful of well-priced long-haul economy flights, while Platinum usually requires consistent premium travel or creative partner earning.

Gold is genuinely attainable without living on planes. A handful of sensibly priced long-haul economy flights, or a single Premium Economy-heavy itinerary, can get you there surprisingly quickly.

Platinum is where LATAM Pass starts to behave like a serious frequent flyer programme. You either need consistent premium travel or you need to be intentional about where you credit flights and partner activity.

Black and Black Signature are clearly aimed at high-spend travellers. This is not mileage running territory. LATAM expects meaningful revenue, but rewards it with tangible priority, upgrades, and disruption handling rather than gimmicks.

This also explains why LATAM Pass feels oddly generous at the lower tiers and brutally honest at the top. You can reach useful status without heroics, but elite recognition scales tightly with spend rather than blind loyalty.

Sweet-Spot For Earning Status

The real trick lies outside flying. Booking.com stays credited to LATAM Pass earn Qualifying Points at unusually generous rates. Combined with the absence of a minimum flight requirement, this creates one of the most efficient non-flying paths to airline status. Delta-marketed long-haul flights also contribute well, making transcontinental travel another strong option we discovered through our detailed research for this LATAM Pass review.

Overall Quality Of The Lounges And Cabin Products

LATAM’s flagship lounges in São Paulo and Santiago are genuinely solid, with plenty of space, decent food, and a calmer atmosphere than you might expect from such busy hubs. We enjoy visiting them, trying the nice food and wine for a couple of hours before a long flight. Outside LATAM hubs, lounge access becomes far less predictable, which is the trade-off of operating outside a global alliance. We fell foul of this in Montevideo.

Where LATAM really impresses is on long-haul aircraft fitted with its latest Premium Business cabin. The hard product uses the Thompson Vantage XL seat, arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access for every passenger. This is a proven design used by several well-regarded airlines and it delivers a wide seat, excellent legroom, and a fully flat bed that works equally well for sleeping or lounging.

BG1 Verdict

If you fly South America even semi-regularly, or can exploit hotel-based Qualifying Points, our research into LATAM Pass for this review concluded that it is far more powerful than it first appears. For Europe-only flyers, it remains niche but intriguing.

Where Can I Sign-Up?

You can join LATAM Pass for free via LATAM’s website in a couple of minutes. Add the number you’re issued to your upcoming LATAM and Delta bookings.