No more Avios or tier points from LATAM as it resigns from oneworld

The oneworld airline alliance, of which British Airways is a key member, took a major blow last night.  LATAM, the airline which dominates flights in Latin America, announced its resignation.

The reason is that Delta Air Lines is spending $1.9 billion to acquire a 20% stake in LATAM.  It has also agreed to take 14 A350 aircraft, ten of which are yet to be delivered, off LATAM, and to pay $350m towards covering the exit costs from oneworld.

The roots of the resignation lie in the refusal by the Chilean Government to allow American Airlines, currently the US airline with the biggest operation in Latin America, and LATAM to form a revenue sharing joint venture.

As well acquiring 20% of the airline, Delta will form a revenue-sharing joint venture with LATAM to operate flights between North America and Latin America.  This will require full regulatory approval, which is expected to take 1-2 years, although the airlines are expected to agree a codeshare deal in the short term.  Delta will sell its minority stake in Brazil’s GOL as part of the deal.

Delta / LATAM will become the largest airline on five of the six largest routes between North and Latin America.

Interestingly, there is no word on LATAM joining the SkyTeam alliance.  Delta Air Lines has publicly stated that it sees little benefit in SkyTeam these days, although this does not fit with the strong rumours that Virgin Atlantic (49% shareholder Delta Air Lines) will soon announce that it is joining.

Another interesting question is whether Virgin’s new Heathrow to Sao Paulo route will last long, given that LATAM flies the same route.  The two airlines could also codeshare, effectively making it a ‘two daily’ service.  The new Virgin Atlantic codeshare with GOL for connections inside Brazil, which we covered here, could be at risk, replaced with a LATAM deal.

oneworld has not made an announcement yet (EDIT – it has now, see here, it seems they didn’t get any advance notice) but this will clearly be a substantial blow.  We may now see Iberia extending its already impressive coverage in Latin America.

LATAM cannot leave oneworld overnight, however, so you can continue to spend Avios, and earn Avios and British Airways tier points, for some time yet.

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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.