LATAM abandons its planned joint venture with IAG

Regular readers will know that LATAM, the Chilean airline, has announced that it is leaving the oneworld alliance next year as we explain here.  This follows a $1.9bn equity investment from SkyTeam member Delta Air Lines and the signing of a major joint venture agreement.

There was some hope that LATAM may retain a full ‘earn and burn’ frequent flyer agreement with Iberia and British Airways.  The three airlines had been planning a joint venture – co-ordinating fares and schedules – between Europe and South America for a couple of years, although nothing had been signed.

This will no longer happen.  LATAM has reportedly stated that IAG and LATAM have jointly decided to terminate the negotiations.

Existing codeshare agreements will continue.  Even when LATAM leaves oneworld, you should be able to continue earning Avios on their flights if they carry a British Airways or Iberia flight number.  There is no certainty that redemptions will be possible, however – British Airways has numerous codeshare partners with whom you cannot spend Avios.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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.

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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.