100,000 Points: Across the Ocean – Argentina
About This Series
Booking your first long-haul award flight can feel intimidating.
A weekend getaway is one thing. Crossing an ocean with points is another.
This series explores realistic ways to reach destinations around the world using around 100,000 points or less. That may mean flying economy, premium economy, or—when award space and transfer partners align—even business class.
Because points and miles are constantly changing, I believe they’re meant to be used, not saved forever waiting for the perfect redemption.
The goal isn’t to chase unicorn awards.
It’s to help you book the trip you’ve been dreaming about.
Why Argentina?
Argentina is one of those destinations that can mean something completely different depending on the type of trip you want to take.
You could spend a week exploring the cafés, neighborhoods, and historic landmarks of Buenos Aires. Head south to Patagonia to hike among glaciers and snow-capped mountains. Sip Malbec in Mendoza’s vineyards, stand in awe of Iguazú Falls, or discover the lakes and alpine scenery around Bariloche.
Few countries offer this much diversity within a single itinerary.
The challenge, however, is getting there. Flights from the United States are often expensive, especially during Patagonia’s peak season. That’s where transferable points become incredibly valuable. With the right redemption, you can dramatically reduce the cost of airfare, sometimes covering your flights for around 100,000 points or less. Suddenly, a trip that might have cost thousands of dollars feels much more attainable.
Quick Trip Snapshot
| Topic | Quick Take |
|---|---|
| Best weather | Argentina’s size means the weather varies by region. October–November and March–April are excellent for combining Buenos Aires with much of the country, while December–February is peak season for Patagonia. |
| High season | December through February brings the highest demand, especially for Patagonia and summer travel. Buenos Aires is quieter during January as many locals head on vacation. |
| Shoulder season | October–November and March–April offer pleasant temperatures, fewer crowds, and are ideal for visiting multiple regions in one trip. |
| How long to stay | Ten to fourteen days is ideal for a first visit, giving you enough time to combine Buenos Aires with another destination like El Calafate, Mendoza, Iguazú Falls, or Bariloche. |
| Language | Spanish is the official language. English is common in hotels and tourist areas, but learning a few basic Spanish phrases goes a long way. |
| Getting around | Domestic flights make covering Argentina’s vast distances surprisingly easy. Within Buenos Aires, walking, the subway, and rideshare apps are convenient ways to explore. |
| Budget | Flights are often the biggest expense of an Argentina trip, while hotels, food, and transportation can be surprisingly affordable once you arrive. Using points for airfare can dramatically reduce the overall cost of your adventure. |
| Airport & Connections | Most international travelers arrive in Buenos Aires through Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), which offers nonstop flights from several U.S. cities and serves as the gateway to destinations throughout Argentina. |
| Currency (ARS) | Credit cards are widely accepted in major cities and tourist areas, though carrying some Argentine pesos is useful for small businesses, taxis, and tips. |
What Makes Long-Haul Awards Different
Long-haul award travel takes a little more planning than booking a domestic flight or weekend getaway. Before comparing airline programs, here are four concepts that will help you make better redemption decisions.
1. Set realistic expectations
My goal isn’t to showcase unicorn redemptions that require months of searching or incredible luck. Instead, I focus on awards that most travelers have a reasonable chance of booking.
Business class across the ocean for around 100,000 points is possible—but it usually requires flexibility. You may need to book close to a year in advance (or at the last minute), adjust your travel dates, depart from a different airport, or settle for premium economy or economy instead.
The more constraints you have, the fewer options you’ll find.
2. Don’t overlook positioning flights
Many of the best award flights depart from major gateway airports rather than your hometown.
If you need a separate ticket to reach your international departure airport, that’s called a positioning flight.
Whenever possible, arrive the morning of an evening departure—or the night before an early morning flight. Building in extra time is often much cheaper than missing an international award ticket.
When comparing options, don’t forget to include positioning flights, airport hotels, and your time in the overall cost of the trip.
3. Always compare the entire itinerary
The cheapest award isn’t always the best award.
A flight that costs a few thousand more points may save hundreds of dollars in taxes, eliminate an overnight hotel, reduce travel time, or avoid multiple connections.
Don’t evaluate flights by the mileage price alone.
Evaluate the entire journey.
4. Understand the rules before you transfer
Credit card points are flexible.
Once you transfer them to an airline, they usually can’t be transferred back.
Before transferring points:
- Confirm the award space is actually available.
- Understand the airline’s cancellation and redeposit fees.
- Check whether the airline’s miles expire.
- Don’t rely solely on award-alert tools—phantom award space is real, and availability can disappear quickly.
If you find an award that fits your plans, don’t assume it’ll still be there tomorrow.
Transfer only when you’re ready to book.
Flying to Argentina
Argentina is served by several U.S. airlines, giving travelers multiple nonstop and one-stop options depending on where they’re departing from.
Nonstop flights to Buenos Aires (EZE) are available from major gateways including Atlanta (ATL), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (IAH), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), and San Francisco (SFO). If you don’t live near one of these cities, you’ll likely need a positioning flight before beginning your international journey.
During my searches, I found the best value in Economy and Premium Economy, with multiple programs offering awards between 22,000 and 55,000 points one way. While Business Class awards certainly exist, they often require significantly more points or come with trade-offs that aren’t immediately obvious.
For example, Aeroplan occasionally prices Business Class awards to Argentina at around 60,000 points, which can look like an incredible deal. However, many of these itineraries route through Bogotá (BOG) on Avianca, where Business Class is often closer to a domestic first-class experience than the lie-flat seats you’ll find on many long-haul international flights. Think larger reclining seats at the front of the plane, not a bed. Before transferring your points, it’s worth checking exactly what product you’re booking.
In the sections below, I’ll walk through the programs that consistently offered the best value during my searches and explain when I’d consider booking each one.
Atmos Rewards
Transfer partners: Bilt
Why Book Through Atmos?
Atmos may not be the first program travelers think to check, but it offered some of the best value I found during my searches.
One of the biggest advantages is access to American Airlines flights at very competitive award rates. If you’re flying from an American hub like Miami, you can book nonstop flights to Buenos Aires for fewer points than many of the major transferable points programs.
Even if you don’t live near one of American’s gateway cities, it’s worth searching your home airport after you’ve found award space. You may be able to add a domestic connection for only a small increase in points.
Redeeming Points
The best redemption I found was Miami (MIA) to Buenos Aires (EZE) for just 25,000 Atmos points + about $26 on American Airlines’ nonstop flight.
These calendars illustrate why flexibility matters. Some dates offer excellent value, while others have little or no award availability. If I needed to travel on a specific date, I’d also search American Airlines directly to compare pricing before transferring my points.
After finding availability from Miami, I searched from Philadelphia and was able to book the entire itinerary for only 30,000 points, adding the domestic connection for just 5,000 additional points.
Atmos also offered Premium Economy on the same route for 32,500 points from Miami, while connecting itineraries from cities like Philadelphia priced around 40,000 points.
For travelers who don’t mind positioning—or who already live near an American hub—Atmos is one of the best values I found for getting to Argentina.
📅 Award Calendar: Atmos has a monthly award calendar, making it easy to search an entire month for the lowest-priced redemptions.
American Airlines AAdvantage
Transfer partners: Citi
Why Book Through American Airlines?
If you already have AAdvantage miles, American Airlines is one of the easiest ways to book award travel to Argentina.
American operates nonstop flights to Buenos Aires from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and New York (JFK), giving travelers multiple gateway options. Even if you don’t live near one of these cities, American’s extensive domestic network makes it easy to connect onto a single itinerary.
The biggest advantage is simplicity. Rather than connecting through another country, you can often fly nonstop to Argentina once you reach an American hub.
Redeeming Points
During my searches, I consistently found one-way Economy awards starting at just 22,000 AAdvantage miles on nonstop flights from Dallas, Miami, and New York.
Like most award programs, the lowest prices aren’t available every day. Being flexible with your travel dates can make a significant difference, especially if you’re hoping to score one of the nonstop flights.
If you already earn AAdvantage miles or transfer points from Citi, American remains one of the strongest and most straightforward options for getting to Argentina.
📅 Award Calendar: American AAdvantage has a monthly award calendar, making it easy to search an entire month for the lowest-priced redemptions.
United MileagePlus
Transfer partners: Bilt • Chase
Why Book Through United MileagePlus?
United isn’t the airline I’d turn to first for finding the cheapest award to Argentina, but it’s worth checking if you’re looking for a more comfortable way to get there.
Most of the best awards I found route through Houston (IAH), where United operates a nonstop flight to Buenos Aires. If you’re already near Houston—or don’t mind connecting there, it can be one of the better ways to cross South America in a premium cabin.
Redeeming Points
During my searches, I found United Premium Plus on the nonstop Houston (IAH)–Buenos Aires (EZE) route for 55,000 miles + $5.60 one way.
This was one of the more interesting finds from my research. There weren’t many Premium Plus awards at 55,000 miles throughout the month, but finding one over Thanksgiving was unexpected. Even better, Premium Plus actually cost fewer miles than Economy, making it an easy choice if you have United miles.
For me, this is where MileagePlus really stands out. Rather than spending significantly more points for business class, Premium Plus offers a much more comfortable overnight flight for a reasonable premium over economy.
If you’re traveling from another city, United also lets you book the entire itinerary on one ticket, making it easy to connect through Houston without having to piece together separate positioning flights.
📅 Award Calendar: United MileagePlus has a monthly award calendar, making it easy to search an entire month for the lowest-priced redemptions.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Transfer partners: American Express • Bilt • Capital One • Chase • Citi
Why Book Through Flying Blue?
Flying Blue is one of the easiest airline loyalty programs to earn miles with thanks to its extensive list of transfer partners. It’s also a great program to search if you’re hoping to fly Delta to Argentina.
During my searches, I found Delta-operated award availability from multiple U.S. gateways, including Atlanta (ATL) and San Francisco (SFO). For travelers who live near a Delta hub, Flying Blue can often provide better value than booking the same flight through Delta SkyMiles.
Redeeming Points
One of the best redemptions I found was a Delta-operated itinerary from Atlanta (ATL) to Buenos Aires (EZE) for 33,000 Flying Blue miles + about $33 in taxes one way.
I also found flights from San Francisco (SFO) starting at 35,000 Flying Blue miles, though the itinerary included a lengthy layover in Panama City (PTY).
Before transferring your points, take a few extra minutes to compare the routing—not just the mileage price. A slightly more expensive award can sometimes save several hours of travel time or eliminate a long layover, making it well worth the additional points.
📅 Award Calendar: Flying Blue has a monthly award calendar, making it easy to search an entire month for the lowest-priced redemptions.
💰 Award Changes: International airline programs often charge award cancellation or change fees. Be sure to check the policy before transferring your points or booking.
Before You Transfer Your Points
- Transfers are one-way. Once you transfer points from your credit card rewards account to an airline or hotel loyalty program, they can’t be transferred back. Double-check award availability before clicking “Transfer.”
- Review the cancellation policy before booking. Many international airline programs charge a fee to cancel an award ticket and redeposit your miles, and those fees are typically charged per traveler, not per reservation. For example, Flying Blue charges approximately €70 per ticket, while Aeroplan’s cancellation fees vary depending on the fare option selected.
Is Booking with Points Worth It?
The premise of this series is simple: Can you visit incredible destinations for around 100,000 points?
For Argentina, I’d argue the answer is even better.
The best part is that you don’t have to bend over backwards to find these prices. With a little flexibility, whether that’s shifting your travel dates by a day or two or departing from a nearby gateway airport, you can realistically book a round-trip Economy ticket for around 50,000–70,000 points while still enjoying nonstop or reasonably direct flights. If you’d prefer a little extra comfort, you can often upgrade to Premium Economy and still stay close to your 100,000-point budget.
For comparison, when I researched these awards, Google Flights was showing round-trip Economy fares from Philadelphia at roughly $1,400 for similar November travel dates. These award redemptions help eliminate what is often the biggest hurdle to planning a dream trip: paying for the flights.
The examples in this article are just snapshots. Award prices and availability change constantly, so your results will vary. But the programs I covered consistently offered strong value, making Argentina one of the more attainable long-haul destinations to book with points.
Booking with points isn’t always the easiest option. You may need to position to another airport, be flexible with your travel dates, or compare several airline programs before finding the right itinerary. Sometimes, after weighing all of those factors, paying cash is simply the better choice, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to use points on every trip. The goal is simply to travel more.
Which Flight Would I Book?
After comparing all of these programs, which one would I actually book?
For me, the answer is pretty straightforward. If I could find it, I’d book Premium Economy through Atmos for around 40,000 points from Philadelphia. At that price, I’d gladly spend a few extra points for a more comfortable overnight flight without having to position to another airport.
On the way home, I’d happily fly Economy if I could find an award for around 30,000 points. By then, I’d already have enjoyed the premium experience on the overnight journey to Argentina, and I’d rather save those extra points for my next trip.
That’s one of my favorite things about points and miles: your outbound and return flights don’t have to match. You can fly different cabins, different airlines, and even use different loyalty programs in each direction. Instead of trying to maximize luxury, I try to maximize value.
Best of all, I’d still have roughly 30,000 points left over from my 100,000-point budget. Whether I put those toward my next adventure or used them for a few hotel nights in Buenos Aires, that’s what makes this redemption so appealing. It’s not just about getting to Argentina, it’s about stretching your points far enough to make the entire trip more affordable.
Ready to Start Planning?
Maybe this article convinced you that Argentina is within reach.
Now comes the fun part: figuring out what to do once you get there.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my Argentina series, covering everything from my first visit to Buenos Aires to the incredible landscapes of Patagonia. I’ll also share the day trips I considered, the destinations I skipped (and why), and the places already on my list for my next visit.
Whether you’re planning your first trip or simply looking for ideas, I hope these guides help you build an itinerary that fits your own travel style.
Upcoming in the Argentina series: