The Ultimate Guide To United Miles: Part 12 – All the Ways To Get To The Caribbean, Central & South America

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You can use your United miles to fly to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America on United Airlines and their partners airlines.

In general, the United.com website will display routes to and from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, but it won’t show every possible option.

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Your United Miles Can Get You To The Caribbean

The Ultimate Guide To United Miles Index

The Best Tip for Searching on United.com

Don’t forget to change your search results to show you 50 flights (instead of the default) when you search on United.com

Step 1 – Click On “Advanced Search”

Go to United.com and click on “Advanced Search” at the bottom of the award search page.

Step 2 – Change “Number of Flights to Display” To “50”

Click on the drop-down box by the “Number of Flights to Display” and change it from the “Default” to “50

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Step 2- Increase the Number of Flights to Display to 50

You will see MANY more flight options this way!

How To Use The Information In This Post

You could rely on United.com to find you awards seats to the Caribbean, Central & South America.  And United’s website is pretty good.  But it is unlikely to find every possible option on using United miles to the Caribbean, Central & South America.

If you’re really committed to finding award seats to the Caribbean and South America and don’t want to hire an award booking service, you could search for award seats on many of the routes below.

The information below will help you find the long-distance flight to the Caribbean and South America.  The best way to search is segment-by-segment.

Once you find the long-distance flight to the Caribbean and South America, you should start searching for flights to your final destination in the Caribbean and South America and then from your US departure city to the gateway (i.e. where the flight to the Caribbean & South America departs from the US).

CARIBBEAN, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICAN AWARD Routes

Today, we will go over finding award flights from North America to the Caribbean, Central & South America.

United splits the South Pacific into 3 regions:

  • Caribbean or Central America which includes these countries.
  • Northern South America which includes Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela.
  • Southern South America which includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Here is the chart for one-way awards between mainland North America and the Caribbean, Central & South America.

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
United’s One Way Award Chart From Mainland North America And The Caribbean, Central & South America

For one-way awards from the US, Alaska, or Canada to the Caribbean and Central America, you will pay:

  • 17,500 miles each way in economy (20,000 miles from Hawaii)
  • 30,000 miles each way in Business Class (37,500 miles from Hawaii)
  • 40,000 miles each way in First Class (47,500 miles from Hawaii)

For one-way awards from the US, Alaska, or Canada to Northern South America, you will pay:

  • 20,000 miles each way in economy (22,500 miles from Hawaii)
  • 35,000 miles each way in Business Class (45,000 miles from Hawaii)
  • 45,000 miles each way in First Class (60,000 miles from Hawaii)

For one-way awards from the US, Alaska, or Canada to Southern South America, you will pay:

  • 30,000 miles each way in economy (30,000 miles from Hawaii)
  • 50,000 miles each way in Business Class (50,000 miles from Hawaii)
  • 67,500 miles each way in First Class (67,500 miles from Hawaii)

United Miles to Caribbean, Central & South America

The following list includes which airlines fly between North America and the Caribbean, Central America, or South America.

1.  United Airlines

You can use United miles from Houston (IAH), Newark (EWR), and Washington, DC (IAD) to:

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
You Can Fly On United To These Caribbean Destinations
  • Aguadilla ( From Newark)
  • Antigua (From Newark)
  • Grand Cayman (From Houston, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)
  • Aruba (From Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)
  • Bermuda ( From Newark)
  • Bonaire (From Houston and Newark)
  • Curaçao (From Newark)
  • Montego Bay (From Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)
  • Nassau (From Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, and Newark)
  • Port of Spain (From Houston and Newark)
  • Providenciales (From Newark)
  • Puerto Plata (From Newark)
  • Punta Cana (From Chicago, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)
  • St. Thomas (From Chicago, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)
  • San Juan (From Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)
  • Santo Domingo (From Newark)
  • St. Lucia (From Newark)
  • St. Maarten (From Chicago, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)

B.  Central America & Mexico

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
United’s Mexico And Central American Destinations
  • Acapulco (From Houston)
  • Belize City (From Houston and Newark)
  • Cabo San Lucas (From Austin, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark,  and San Francisco)
  • Cancún (From Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles)
  • Cozumel (From Chicago, Houston, and Newark)
  • Guadalajara (From Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco)
  • Guatemala City (From Houston, Newark, and Washington Dulles)
  • Ixtapa (From Houston)
  • León (From Houston and Los Angeles)
  • Liberia, Costa Rica (From Chicago, Houston and Newark)
  • Managua (From Houston)
  • Mérida (From Houston)
  • Mexico City (From Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles)
  • Monterrey (From Houston and Chicago)
  • Panama City (From Houston and Newark)

  • Puerto Vallarta (From Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, and Newark)
  • Roatán (From Houston and Newark)
  • San José, Costa Rica (From Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Washington Dulles)
  • San Pedro Sula (From Houston and Newark)
  • San Salvador (From Houston, Newark, and Washington Dulles)
  • Tegucigalpa (From Houston)

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
You Can Fly To 7 different South American Cities Using United Miles
  • Bogotá (From Houston and Newark)
  • Buenos Aires (From Houston and Newark)
  • Caracas (From Houston and Newark)
  • Lima (From Houston and Newark)
  • Quito (From Houston)
  • Rio de Janeiro (From Houston and Washington, Dulles)
  • Sao Paulo (From Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Washington, Dulles)

2.  COPA Airlines

You can use United miles on COPA Airlines.  While COPA is a separate airline, they use the same frequent flyer program as United.  COPA’s hub is Panama City (PTY) which allows great connections from North America to the rest of Central America and South America.

Just check out the following map!

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Using COPA To Fly From North America To South America Through Panamá City

A.  Panama City (PTY)

You can use your United miles on United to fly to Panama City from:

  • Houston
  • Newark

Or  you can use your United miles on COPA and fly to Panama City from:

  • Boston
  • Chicago, O’Hare
  • Las Vegas
  • Los Angeles
  • Miami
  • New York, JFK
  • Orlando
  • Washington, Dulles

B.  South America

Then from Panama City, you’d use United miles on COPA to fly to:

  • Aruba
  • Asunción
  • Barranquilla
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Bogotá
  • Brasilia
  • Buenos Aires (Ezeiza)
  • Cali
  • Caracas
  • Cartagena
  • Córdoba
  • Guayaquil
  • Iquitos
  • Lima
  • Manaus
  • Maracaibo
  • Medellín
  • Montevideo
  • Porto Alegre
  • Quito
  • Recife
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Santa Cruz de la Sierra
  • Santiago de Chile
  • São Paulo
  • Valencia

3.  US Airways

US Airways will be leaving Star Alliance on March 1, 2014.  While you can book US Airways awards before March 1 for travel past that date, you won’t be able to change the date of a US Airways flight after March 1 because they won’t be available with United miles.

You can use your United miles to fly to these Caribbean destinations:

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
US Airways Flies to These Caribbean Destinations
  • Antigua (From Charlotte)
  • Grand Cayman (From Boston – seasonal, Charlotte, and Philadelphia – seasonal)
  • Aruba (From Charlotte and Philadelphia)
  • Bermuda (From Charlotte – seasonal, Philadelphia, and Washington National – seasonal)
  • Montego Bay (From Boston – seasonal, Charlotte, and Philadelphia)
  • Nassau (From Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Washington National)
  • Providenciales (From Boston – seasonal, Charlotte, and Philadelphia – seasonal)
  • Punta Cana (From Boston – seasonal, Charlotte, and Philadelphia)
  • St. Thomas (From Charlotte and Philadelphia – seasonal)
  • San Juan (From Charlotte and Philadelphia)
  • Santo Domingo (From Philadelphia)
  • St. Lucia (From Charlotte and Philadelphia)
  • St. Maarten (From Charlotte and Philadelphia)

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Your United Miles Can Take You to Central America
  • Belize City (From Charlotte)
  • Cabo San Lucas (From Charlotte and Phoenix)
  • Cancún (From Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix)
  • Cozumel (From Charlotte)
  • Guadalajara (From Phoenix)
  • Ixtapa (From Phoenix)
  • Liberia, Cosa Rica (From Charlotte)
  • Mexico City (From Charlotte and Phoenix)
  • Puerto Vallerta (From Phoenix)
  • San José, Costa Rica (From Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Phoenix)

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
US Airways Flies To Brazil
  • Rio de Janeiro (From Charlotte)
  • Sao Paulo (From Charlotte)

4.  Avianca (includes TACA)

Avianca is a fairly new member of Star Alliance, based in Colombia.  They fly all over South and Central American.

A.  From Miami (MIA)

You can use United miles to fly from Miami (MIA) to:

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Avianca Offers Lots Of Flights From Miami To Central America
  • Barranquilla
  • Bogotá
  • Cali
  • Cartagena
  • Guatemala City
  • Lima
  • Managua
  • Medellín
  • Roatán – seasonal
  • San Jose (Costa Rica)
  • San Pedro Sula
  • San Salvador
United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Avianca Flies To Other US Cities From Central And South America

B.  Central And South America From The US

You can use your United miles to fly:

  • Orlando (MCO) to Bogotá, San Salvador, Guatemala City – seasonal
  • Chicago (ORD) to Guatemala City, San Salvador
  • Los Angeles (LAX) to Guatemala City, San Salvador
  • New York (JFK) to Bogotá, Medellín
  • Washington, DC (IAD) to Bogotá, San Salvador
  • Houston (IAH) to San Salvador, Roatán – seasonal
  • Dallas (DFW) to San Salvador
  • Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Bogotá
  • San Francisco (SFO) to San Salvador

You will notice that most US airports have flights to either Bogotá (BOG) and/or San Salvador (SAL).

C.  South America From Bogota (BOG)

You can use your United miles to fly from Bogotá (BOG) to:

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Use Your United Miles On Avianca To Fly to South America
  • Aruba
  • Brasilia
  • Buenos Aires-Ezeiza
  • Caracas
  • Curaçao
  • La Paz
  • Lima
  • Quito
  • Rio de Janeiro – Galeão
  • San José de Costa Rica
  • Santiago de Chile
  • São Paulo – Guarulhos
  • Valencia (Venezuela)

D.  South America From San Salvador (SAL)

You can use United miles to fly from San Salvador (SAL) to:

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Avianca Flies From San Salvador To Many Central American Cities
  • Belize City
  • Bogotá
  • Calí
  • Cancún
  • Guatemala City
  • Guayaquil
  • Liberia (Costa Rica)
  • Lima
  • Managua
  • Medellín
  • Mexico City
  • Panama City
  • Quito
  • Roatán
  • San José (Costa Rica)
  • San Pedro Sula
  • Tegucigalpa

5.  Air Canada

While it may seem odd to use Air Canada to fly to South America, they are a useful airline if you are trying to fly from Canada or the northern parts of the United States.

You can use United miles to fly from Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL) to:

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
You Can Use United Miles On Air Canada To Fly To The Caribbean
  • Antigua (From Montreal and Toronto)
  • Grand Cayman (From Toronto)
  • Aruba (From Toronto)
  • Bermuda (From Toronto)
  • Montego Bay (From Montreal and Toronto)
  • Nassau (From Montreal – seasonal and Toronto)
  • Providenciales (From Toronto)
  • Puerto Plata (From Montreal and Toronto)
  • Punta Cana (From Montreal and Toronto)
  • San Juan (From Toronto – seasonal)
  • St. Lucia (From Toronto)
  • St. Maarten (From Toronto)
  • Port-au-Prince (From Montreal)

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
You Can Fly On Air Canada To Central America
  • Cabo San Lucas (From Toronto – seasonal)
  • Cancún (From Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto)
  • Cozumel (From Montreal – seasonal and Toronto)
  • Liberia, Costa Rica (From Montreal and Toronto)
  • Mexico City (From Toronto and Vancouver)
  • Puerto Vallerta (From Toronto)
  • San José, Costa Rica (From Toronto)

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Air Canada Flies To South America
  • Bogotá (From Toronto)
  • Buenos Aires (From Toronto and  Santiago)
  • Caracas (From Toronto)
  • Lima (From Toronto)
  • Santiago (From Buenos Aires and Toronto)

If you are in South America and need a flight between Buenos Aires and Santiago, you can use your United miles to book Air Canada between Buenos Aires and Santiago!

Travel Codex has more examples of these interesting “Fifth Freedom” routes.

6.  Aeromar

Aeromar is not a member of Star Alliance, but they are partners with United.  Aeromar is based in Mexico City and is great for connections within Mexico.  Matthew at upgrd explains how you can book mileage tickets on Aeromar using the United.com website!

Aeromar flies to many Mexican destinations, according to the route map on their website.

You can fly into Mexico City with United or with a partner, then connect to Aeromar to:

United Miles To Caribbean, Central And South America
Aeromar Flies To All These Cities
  • Acapulco (From Mexico City)
  • Ixtapa (FromMexico City)

Bottom Line

You can fly to the Caribbean, Central, and South American using your United miles.  You can fly on United, COPA, US Airways, Avianca, Air Canada, or Aeromar.

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