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Unless you've visited South America, you likely haven't heard of JetSMART — a low-cost carrier based in Santiago, Chile. JetSMART has been increasing its route map in South America and services many destinations — both large cities and hard-to-get-to remote locations.
Thanks to an expanded partnership, it is now possible to redeem American Airlines AAdvantage® miles for flights on JetSMART, but should you? Let's take a look.
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Where Does JetSMART Fly?
JetSMART services 51 airports throughout South America and into Central America. Here's the current route map:
As you can see, JetSMART mostly flies from Santiago (SCL), Chile but also has routes from Buenos Aires (EZE, AEP) and Lima (LIM) — among others.
Getting to some of these small airports to see popular tourist destinations can be complicated, so having JetSMART as another option is helpful. Whether Quito (UIO) for Easter Island, El Calafete (FTE) for Patagonia, or Cusco (CUZ) for Machu Picchu, travelers can find plenty of intrigue in various JetSMART destinations.
JetSMART and American Airlines Partnership
In late 2024, these airlines rolled out the ability to earn AAdvantage miles on JetSMART flights. Then, in June 2025, travelers could redeem AAdvantage miles — but only through the JetSMART website. Now, you can book JetSMART awards directly through American's website as well.
Through JetSMART, you can enter your flight details, check “Use AAdvantage miles,” and click Smart search. You will have to sign in to your AAdvantage account to proceed.
At AA.com, you can simply enter your flight details. You can book JetSMART itineraries only for now; connecting flights that include an AA leg are not yet bookable.
Related: Which Citi American Credit Card is right for You?
Is Using AAdvantage Miles on JetSMART Worth It?
Since JetSMART is a low-cost carrier, cash rates are — you guessed it — low. But it does add fees for seat selection and baggage, so it is worth comparing the cash rate to using American miles.
We will look at a couple of examples booking through both JetSMART and American directly to compare the costs.
The first route flies from Santiago (SCL) to Puerto Mott (PMC) — the gateway for rafting the famous Futaleufú River. It would cost 6,500 (3,000+3,500) AAdvantage miles for the PackSMART fare that includes a checked and carry-on bag.
Only that PackSMART fare is bookable through American Airlines' website, at the same 6,500-mile rate.
The Pack SMART fare for this flight is $75. After subtracting the $8 taxes and fees on the award flight, it comes out to 1.03 cents per mile through either JetSMART or American. That is not a great use of valuable American miles.
A second example has a different result. When flying Lima (LIM) to Buenos Aires (AEP), the PackSMART fare costs 17,500 AA miles plus $54.
Booking through American comes in at 22,500 miles and roughly $30.
The cash fare for this flight is $174, yielding 0.68 cents per mile worth of value through JetSMART and 0.64 through American. This is a flight where using cash is a no brainer.
Some notes to consider:
- AAdvantage members earn at least 5 AAdvantage miles per dollar — plus Loyalty Points — when booking the cash fares by listing your AA loyalty number on the reservation. This applies to bookings through JetSMART or direct.
- The Travel Light fare through JetSMART — similar to basic economy — can be a much better value if baggage isn't a concern. Flights booked through American come with seat selection and a free checked bag, so that is a factor to consider.
- Several redemptions I found hovered around a 1 cent/mile valuation when using AAdvantage miles — hardly enticing. That being said there is a lot of fluctuation on the value front.
- Not all flights are bookable through both avenues, so compare booking each way to find award options.
- The JetSMART website can be very finicky, be prepared for some IT issues and frustration when looking into those redemptions.
Top Up Your AAdvantage Account
Whether you’re planning a trip to South America to fly JetSMART or just want to build up your airline miles balance, it’s always a good time to earn more AAdvantage miles.
If you’re short on the miles you need, remember that American Airlines has a few transfer partners. In addition to earning miles through a Citi-issued American Airlines credit card, either through a welcome bonus or regular spending, you can also open a Citi ThankYou Rewards-earning card and transfer those points to AAdvantage.
Here are some of our favorite ThankYou Point-earning cards:
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- 5X – Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ via cititravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Select Transit purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 2X – Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Restaurants
- 1X – Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
Bottom Line
American Airlines AAdvantage members can now redeem miles for flights on JetSMART, a Chile-based ultra-low-cost carrier serving over 50 destinations in South America. Redemptions are available directly on JetSMART’s website as well as direct through American, and can unlock hard-to-reach routes across Chile, Argentina, Peru, and beyond.
However, in many cases, the cents-per-mile value isn’t great — typically around 1 cent per mile — and award searches can be glitchy. Plus, the miles required can fluctuate depending on where you are booking and the fare class chosen. Still, it’s another option to save cash on regional flights in South America when using miles.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
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