South American airline LATAM is getting a new US credit card — here's why you should care
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- LATAM is a major South American airline that serves Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Boston, and Orlando.
- LATAM has many useful partner airlines, such as Alaska Airlines, Delta, and Qatar Airways.
- You will soon be able to apply for a LATAM credit card issued by tech firm Cardless.
- Read Insider's post on the best airline credit cards.
If you're a casual traveler, you've probably never even heard of South American airline LATAM. Its major hubs are:
- Santiago, Chile
- Lima, Peru
- Bogota, Colombia
The news that this airline will now offer a US credit card — issued by tech company Cardless — may not sound exciting at first. After all, how many travelers frequent South America often enough to warrant a LATAM credit card in their wallets?
In fact, you can use LATAM miles to fly on 14 other airlines, including Delta, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, and Qantas. No matter where you'd like to go, the rewards you'll earn with the LATAM credit card can help you get there.
The LATAM credit card will be issued by Cardless
Cardless is a San Francisco-based financial technology firm that currently co-brands a handful of credit cards for sports teams such as the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Manchester United. The issuer is now making its debut on the travel rewards card scene by partnering with LATAM.
Cardless has not revealed the card's benefits yet — those details will come later this year. But if it's similar to other international airline credit cards (such as the
- An enticing sign-up bonus
- Bonus points when making purchases with LATAM
- Free first checked bag on LATAM flights
- Fast track to elite status
Read more: Guide to the best airline credit cards
Cardless can offer a valuable service to brands like LATAM that don't have a large US presence but would still like to compete in the credit cards market. The company's specialty is niche markets like this. US Bank once issued LATAM credit cards, but applications have been closed for some time.
If Cardless can effectively convey to would-be customers that LATAM miles can be used for things like domestic travel, Caribbean vacations, flights to Europe, and much more, this new card could be a wild success.
Bottom line
The fact that a new airline credit card will soon be available is great news — it's always positive to see the credit card market grow, which increases the ferocity of competition between banks.
What's even better is that the new LATAM card will be issued by Cardless, a newcomer to the world of travel credit cards. If you already have quite a few credit cards from other issuers, you may want to set your eyes on this card.