How to book low tax Avios redemptions on TAM
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When an Avios collector in the UK looks for a long-haul redemption, British Airways is the obvious choice of airline. However, the taxes and charges can often be very high – up to £500 per Club World seat.
Previous articles in this series have focussed on Aer Lingus, Iberia and airberlin, all of whom charge very low taxes. If you are heading to South American or Latin America, you have another low-tax option – TAM.
Introducing TAM
Latin American carrier TAM, based in Brazil, joined the oneworld alliance on March 31st 2014. This is a welcome addition to Iberia’s existing capacity to the region.
This move has been on the cards since TAM merged with fellow Latin American carrier LAN in 2012. LAN has been a long-term member of oneworld,
As a member of oneworld – alongside British Airways – you are now able to redeem your Avios points for TAM flights.
The combined group, known as LATAM, is based in Chile and listed on the stock exchange there. It flies to 150 destinations in 22 countries. As well as Chile, there are subsidiaries based in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay.
Rather like International Airlines Group, which owns BA and Iberia, LATAM is actually a holding company. LAN and TAM are continuing to fly under their own brands.
TAM is headquartered in Brazil. It serves 61 destinations in 16 countries in Latin America, the USA and Europe, with a fleet of 172 aircraft operating 800 departures daily. It flew 37 million passengers in 2013.
Whilst most are domestic Brazilian routes (it adds 45 new Brazilian airports to the oneworld network), there are also long-haul flights to Sao Paulo from London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan and Paris.
Big tax savings to be had
Long-haul redemptions to Sao Paulo are already loaded in ba.com for redemption.
Because TAM does not appear to have fuel surcharges, and because you can avoid Air Passenger Duty by starting outside the UK, there are some great deals to be had.
Heathrow to Sao Paulo – 120,000 Avios + £234
Frankfurt to Sao Paulo – 120,000 Avios + £88
Madrid to Sao Paulo – 100,000 Avios + £43 !!
Milan to Sao Paulo – 120,000 Avios + £44
Paris to Sao Paulo – 120,000 Avios + £99
These are for return flights. The figure for Madrid is lower because the flight is the shortest of the lot and just falls into a lower pricing band.
For comparison, a British Airways redemption in Club World to Sao Paulo would cost 120,000 Avios + £593.
It is also worth remembering that Iberia flies to Sao Paulo. If – and only if – you book an Iberia redemption via iberia.com and not via ba.com – you will be paying 100,000 Avios + £142. That is for Madrid to Sao Paulo in business class. You can learn more about redeeming on Iberia in this article from the ‘Avios Redemption University’ series.
TAM has a good reputation for its business class, although I do not claim to know much about it and I would recommend researching what you get on any particular aircraft model. It also has an amazing First Class product on some of its new 777-300 aircraft, as you can see above. In general, you only see this seat flying to the US although apparently it is also available from Frankfurt at times.
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Up to 60,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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