MileValue is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer be available. You can view current offers here.
Yesterday I wrote about the Four Easiest Places to Go with Miles.
Colombia was part of one of the regions that has plentiful award space, and it is on my radar at the moment as I book myself a two week trip there next month.
The problem is that award space is so good that I have way too many options. I haven’t been able to book the outbound yet because there are ways to book it for 15,000 to 17,500 miles one way with all three alliances. I can even throw in free one ways.
I’m suffering paralysis by analysis. Take a look at my options and thought process to improve your own award booking.
- What is the award space to Colombia?
- What miles can I use to book that space?
- What are my free one way options?
Trip Plan
I’ve got to be in Palm Springs, CA one weekend and Tucson, AZ three weekends later. I think I’ll spend 2.5 weeks in Colombia in the interim, one of the last South American countries I haven’t visited, and one that’s been at the top of my list for about three years.
I’ve picked Bogota for the whole trip, so I can get an apartment on airbnb and really get a feel for the city. (Yes, I’m bummed not to see Medellin, Cali, Cartagena, and other places, but there are always future trips.)
I am going to fly economy because the flights will be short, and there are no beds that fly from the United States to Colombia, just domestic First Class style seats.
I’ll fly out of LAX, which is two hours from Palm Springs, because I’ll have a ride there, and I’ll have a lot more options and award space out of LAX than out of Palm Springs (PSP) or Ontario (ONT.)
Options
Star Alliance
I searched united.com, which shows all the Star Alliance partners that fly to Colombia. There should be options on:
- United (via Houston)
- Copa (via Panama City)
- TACA (via San Salvador, El Salvador)
On my date, there’s an itinerary on TACA.
I like that the total travel time is 8hr25min. I like that I can sleep in before the flight.
I don’t like landing at 12:30 AM.
I’m ambivalent about the 30 minute connection. On the one hand, I like not wasting time, so I am usually very aggressive with connection times. On the other hand, if I miss it, I’ll have to spend the night in El Salvador because it is the last flight of the night.
On my date, there’s also an itinerary on United.
I do not like the redeye to Bogota. It is too short, and uncomfortable in economy, to sleep, and I don’t want to land before 5 AM.
oneworld
I searched aa.com. American Airlines has an itinerary on my day.
I don’t like that it’s 11hr25min, but I know that can use the three hours at DFW well in the American Airlines lounge. I have access with my Citi AAdvantage Executive card. I do like that it lands at a more reasonable hour than the Star Alliance itineraries, but I wish it landed a little earlier.
SkyTeam
I searched airfrance.us because it shows Delta and AeroMexico award space. I found two interesting itineraries on AeroMexico.
The first one is the shorter itinerary.
I don’t like the four hours in Mexico City’s airport, but at least I’d get to Bogota in the middle of the day and avoid a hotel night in Los Angeles the day before the trip.
The second itinerary would be to spend 13 hours in Mexico City, leaving the airport. I’ve never been to Mexico City, so that might be fun.
What If I Wait
I took a look at United’s flights this week because I know United opens a lot of award space near departure, so I want to know what I’d have available if I wait.
There are three other options if I wait that look pretty good. I would like United’s non-redeye to Bogota.
And I wouldn’t mind this TACA and LACSA itineraries that get in at a reasonable hour.
Which Miles to Use = Which Miles to Keep
It comes down to two questions for me.
- What time do I want to depart and arrive?
- What miles do I want to use? Or restated: which miles do I want to save for other trips?
I can book any Star Alliance itinerary with 20,000 United miles, 30,000 Lufthansa miles (thanks for the correction, Tom), or 30,000 Singapore miles.
I can book the American Airlines itinerary with 15,000 American Airlines miles or 22,500 Avios.
I can book the AeroMexico itinerary with 17,500 Flying Blue miles.
I’ve eliminated using United miles, Lufthansa miles, Singapore miles, and Avios. They’re too valuable when there are cheaper options.
That leaves using American miles or Flying Blue miles–and the American Airlines and Flying Blue itineraries.
Free One Ways
If I booked a roundtrip United or Singapore award, I could add a free one way.
Your Take
What itinerary would you choose? Too many options!
And what should I do in Colombia?
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.
Do the AA flight through Dallas and enjoy the layover in the Centurion lounge rather than the crappy Admirals Club;)
Yes, that’s probably the best bet. I loved the Centurion Lounge in Vegas.
I didn’t see Copa’s itinerary. That’s my recommendation if you have United status (even silver), as there’s a decent chance of an upgrade (better than on United, IME). They also accept a blind bid for the upgrade (which I would not do). Totally adequate airline and avoids TACA, which I’m biased against, and El Salvador, which my El Salvadorian friends warn me is particularly dangerous. IMO, this is also one of the better uses of United miles and unlocking the free one-way.
If I were buying this on revenue, and it was competitive, I’d go with AA (but you are not). FWIW, The Centurion lounge is in both DFW or Mexico City, which has two IIRC and are pretty good. Be warned, Mexico City has awful immigration lines (req’d even if you are transiting), so awful I skipped my 12 hour layover in Mexico city afterwards. That’s the only time I’ve done that, but it was early, and seemed like an omen of what was to come. If I knew that ahead of time, I’d probably have braced myself a little.
There wasn’t space on Copa on my day, and I don’t have status. That’s great info though about MEX. I think with this comment, and Tom’s reminding me that I goofed on the Lufthansa price, I will go with AA.
Hi Scott! I’ve been following your blog in anonymity for over a year now but wanted to pay you back for your posts about Bariloche. I’m headed there and parts south of there (on miles, of course) and as a cyclist I’m excited to explore the lake district as you did.
I was in Bogota with my wife, who was born there, but had not been back since she was adopted at age 2. One of the best things we did while in Bogota was a bike tour through the city with Bogota Bike Tours. My food pick is a place called Tapas Macarena. You will also appreciate a trip up to Monserrate, which we climbed to the top of on Good Friday, along with 40,000 Colombians. I’ve done several posts on these and other adventures in Bogota for my website, IndependentTravelPlanning.com, which might help you with planning.
Have a great trip and keep those posts coming! -TT
Trevor, what bike tour did you pick? Was it during ciclovia (Sunday)? I really want to participate in ciclovia because cicLAvia in Los Angeles was my favorite day every six months.
Scott, sorry for the delayed response. I was bicycle touring across Oregon and without reception (my favorite part)!
Bogota Bike Tours is the name of the company. Don’t expect much in the way of bike quality, but that’s not the point. The guides do an awesome job of helping you navigate the city, which was definitely not designed with bicycle travel in mind. Here’s my review for Bogota Bike Tours.
We were in Bogota during Holy Week, so ciclovia was pretty subdued, but they definitely closed down some major streets. We noticed closures on the main street that leads through the garment district that skirts the edge of Zona Rosa (a combination of European high-end stores and quality American establishments such as Hard Rock and Hooters). I have heard great things about ciclovia in Bogota, though!
Thanks!
Glad people are starting to see that Colombia is a good and safe travel destination. Too bad you won’t be going to Medellin this time around. In my opinion the best place to visit in Colombia.
I was on leaning Medellin, but for very idiosyncratic reasons eventually chose Bogota. I’ll get to Medellin soon I think.
Just came back from Colombia last month! Great country – you’ll love it. Bogota has some scary (and some great) neighborhoods.
COPA is a good option with new planes, food and very friendly service. Try to get them through Panama City (which is worth seeing as well). Don’t fly COPA BOG-MEX which is on a super old aircraft.
I used LH miles as well – best option IMHO.
How to you get 17,000 Luftansa miles? Colombia is in South America and the chart says 30,000. Does miles and more have northern SA and southern SA awards now?
Weird brain fart by me. Thanks for catching that. There is only one South America region, making trips to Northern South America with Lufthansa miles over priced at 30k in economy.
Great destination! As a Colombian at heart, really wish you could visit Medellin. If you change your mind, there is a national airline known as VivaColombia which has low airfare. I’d pick arrival time as a priority for safety reasons. You don’t want to arrive too early or too late. I’ve only traveled to Colombia on Avianca (the best in my opinion), AA, and LAN.
Yes, I noticed intra-Colombia flights are cheap, which is great if I want to audible.
You could also use Avios for LAN Colombia flights from/back to Bogota.
I’d probably pick the one with the 13 hours in Mexico City. I’ve been there more than a dozen times and it will never grow old. You can get anywhere you want by Metro from the airport with excellent frequency of service.
How are the immigration queues?
The queues do vary. You can get lucky or unlucky on that for sure. I’ve gotten through very expeditiously and I’ve waited close to an hour.
Regardless of what miles you use cto book go on United. It will be your best chance to misconnect or reroute and earn miles on your award booking. You are going for 2.5 weeks so no hurry to get there 🙂
Hey Scott, I’d go with AA for the 15K , Centurion lounge in DFW & decent flight times. 11:15PM arrival in BOG isn’t too bad (I’ve done it a few times) depending on where you’re staying. My wife did that 30 min connection in El Salvador last yr and said: “Never again!” So, visit the museum of gold,
head up to Monserrate (10K ft) in the cable car on a clear day, take a 1/2 day trip to the subterranean salt cathedral (pretty cool), bike around town…plenty to do. 2.5 weeks is a lot of time just for Bogota so I’d suggest mixing it up with a non-stop to San Andres Island (ADZ) for a few days at least to bask in the sea of seven colors. After a week at 8900 ft you won’t regret it buddy! I can suggest a decent local place to stay if you do go. Be advised also that some Taxistas (yellow cab drivers) are dangerous criminals and their cabs are fake. Believe it and be wary.
Email me that local place to stay if you don’t want to post it here. Do you have a link about the taxistas, so I can get more info?
I like flying Copa to Colombia but it seems like some time ago United stopped displaying award space on Copa (of which there was usually lots of available). For Taxis there try Easy Taxi, they are registered and you get their photo and tag number ahead of time.
Great choice Scott, Bogota is awesome! If you visit the salt cathedral in Zipaquira, you can save about 70% by taking a public bus (the stop is in a safe area) to a public van that takes you right to the town where the salt cathedral is and you can take a 3 minute cab ride up the hill or walk versus an expensive hiring a private car. It’s safe and much cheaper and faster (buses travel in single lane outside of car traffic).
I’m going to Bogota for a week early in December, then to Medellin for 11 days, then to Cali for the Salsa & Bullfight fiesta before heading into Ecuador after the New Year, but everything’s up in the air really. Lots of talk about El Nino. In USD, budget hotels in Colombia appear to be about 20-25 percent more than they were last winter in Nicaragua. I’ve read of a regional airline that serves the Amazonian region from Bogota with DC-3 aircraft, and if it exists I’ll fly one just because I can can.
[…] I’ll book my trip with American Airlines miles because of what commenters said in this thread. […]