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When Hiram Bingham stumbled upon Machu Picchu in a Peruvian jungle in 1911, he had no idea what he had just found — and you might feel the same way when you realize you can discover it for yourself with points and miles.
For centuries, the ancient Incan ruins had been buried under vegetation, with locals even farming parts of it. Fast forward a little over 100 years, and Machu Picchu is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and a bucket-list destination for over 1.5 million visitors each year.
If you're looking to explore this incredible place without spending a fortune, points and miles can help make it happen. Here’s how to get there and where to stay using your rewards.
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Best Ways to Book Flights to Machu Picchu
Your journey to Machu Picchu starts with a flight to Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), which is the main gateway to Peru. From there, a 1.5-hour flight to Cusco (CUZ) brings you to the doorstep of the Sacred Valley. And, fortunately, there are several ways to book these flights with points and miles.
LATAM Airlines
LATAM Airlines is not part of a major airline alliance but has partnerships that allow you to book flights to Lima using points. The airline offers direct flights to Lima from New York (JFK), Atlanta (ATL), Miami (MIA), and Los Angeles (LAX).
Book via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club uses a distance-based award chart for LATAM flights, charging the following plus modest taxes and fees:
- 25,000 points in economy and 50,000 points in business from most U.S. gateways.
- 37,500 points in economy and 95,000 points in business from LAX.
It may also be possible to book a one-stop itinerary directly to Cusco (CUZ) at the same price (with slightly higher taxes), though business class availability is much harder to find because of the lack of premium cabin space on the planes LATAM operates on these short-haul routes.
Virgin points are easy to accumulate since all major flexible currencies transfer to Virgin Atlantic. Occasional transfer bonuses can reduce the number of points required even further.
Book via Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Qatar Airways Privilege Club also uses a distance-based award chart for LATAM flights, and you can lock in a one-way ticket from somewhere like New York (JFK) to Lima (LIM) for 20,750 Avios in economy or 62,000 in business class.
This is a better option for economy than Virgin since you'll redeem fewer miles. But if you're trying to book business class, you should look to Virgin Atlantic or Alaska Airlines instead to save on the mileage cost.
If you need to stock up on Avios, you can transfer plenty of flexible rewards points to Qatar Privilege Club directly — or move Avios from other programs such as British Airways Club or Iberia Plus to Privilege Club freely and easily.
Book via Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
The best value for booking flights to Lima (on American Airlines or LATAM) comes with Alaska Mileage Plan, which posts distance-based award charts for partner flights. That means you can fly from places such as New York, Miami, and Atlanta starting at:
- 17,500 in economy
- 35,000 in business
Los Angeles falls in the next-highest distance band starting at:
- 25,000 in economy
- 50,000 in business
You may also be able to add the Lima–Cusco leg onto an itinerary with a free stopover in Lima. However, adding this leg may push you into a higher mileage tier, so booking each ticket separately may be the better option — depending on where you start your journey.
While these are lower mileage rates, Alaska miles are harder to earn. You can only transfer points from Bilt Rewards and, indirectly, from Amex Membership Rewards via Hawaiian Airlines. Or, you can apply for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card and earn a big welcome bonus.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-60,000 Bonus Miles + a 30% Flight Discount Code!
- Receive a 30% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account. Additionally, earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska's Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
American Airlines
American Airlines flies daily between Miami (MIA) and Lima. Award pricing is dynamic but starts at 12,000 miles in economy and 25,000 miles in business. Though the former is easier to find than the latter.
There are several ways to grow your stash of AAdvantage® miles, with the most obvious being applying for an American Airlines credit card and earning the sign-up bonus or using the AAdvantage eShopping portal.
In addition, you can book AA awards through several partner airlines, so it pays to compare the mileage rates and the out-of-pocket cash component before you book. Depending on when you try to visit South America, it might be possible to score a better deal through another program that has access to the award space.
Related: How To Find Airline Partner Award Flight Availability
Delta Air Lines
Delta flies its own planes between Atlanta (ATL) and Lima and also has award access to the same LATAM flights above. However, the award rates are less than stellar. More often than not, economy starts at 47,000 SkyMiles, and business starts at 180,000 miles. All to say, this program can get you to South America, but not for great value.
There are several Delta SkyMiles sweet spots worth taking advantage of, but if you'd rather use your miles to fly to Lima, then this is a reasonable redemption. If you need to top off your account, you can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio.
Book Star Alliance award flights via United MileagePlus and Avianca LifeMiles
Using points and miles for itineraries from the United States to Peru could be possible with Star Alliance programs such as United MileagePlus and Avianca LifeMiles — but these may not be the lowest award rates. However, the ability to fly from a small, local airport may be more appealing than taking a positioning flight to a larger hub served by LATAM.
For example, this Grand Rapids (GRR) to Lima flight booked through United (with flights operated by Copa Airlines) costs 33,000 United miles in economy or 60,500 in business.
Meanwhile, this Avianca flight from Tampa (TPA) to Lima, with a stop in Bogota, can be booked with 30,000 LifeMiles.
Of the two currencies, LifeMiles are far easier to earn. This is due in large part to several transfer partners and even lucrative buy miles promotions where you can replenish your mileage balance on the cheap.
Flying to Cusco
The quick 1.5-hour flight from Lima to Cusco (CUZ) is serviced by LATAM, JetSMART, and Sky Airline. And these flights typically cost $50–$100 each way. The only points redemption worth considering is through Alaska Airlines, where you can book for 4,500 miles.
However, you're likely better off saving your miles and booking with cash, as the award taxes and fees can sometimes be pretty steep compared to the cash cost.
Hotels Near Machu Picchu
Marriott
Marriott offers several solid options near Cusco and the Sacred Valley — all of which are bookable with points.
- Palacio Del Inka, a Luxury Hotel Collection. This property is in the Cusco city center and boasts a colonial design; it has rooms from 50,000-65,000 points for mid-2025.
- JW Marriott El Convento Cusco. This downtown Cusco hotel is housed in a restored 16th-century convent. Rooms range from 50,000-70,000 points for mid-2025.
- Tambo Del Inka, another Luxury Hotel Collection, is located in Urubamba in the heart of the Sacred Valley. The property is about an hour from Cusco, but closer to Machu Picchu. In fact, there is a train station close to the property, allowing a shorter commute to the ruins. This property has a beautiful spa and rooms in the 50,000- 75,000 point range.
Fortunately, all of these properties have award nights under 50,000 and 65,000 points, the threshold for using free night certificates earned from various Marriott credit cards.
Hilton
There are two Hilton properties near downtown Cusco. Outside of Hilton Honors points being easy to earn, part of what makes Hilton redemptions special is that if you have any tier of elite status, you can get the fifth night free on award bookings. If you plan to stay in the Sacred Valley for a while, this benefit can help you save tens of thousands of points.
- Motto by Hilton Cusco — Award nights at this hotel run around 40,000 points, but check cash prices to see if using points is a good value.
- Hilton Garden Inn Cusco — Award nights start at 40,000 points here also.
Accor Live Limitless
If you're an Accor fan, the Novotel Cusco is a beautiful hotel located just three blocks from the city center, and it is another great option for using points.
Accor Live Limitless allows you to redeem 2,000 points for a €40 discount on the cash rate. For a €160 nightly rate, you’d need 8,000 ALL points. You can transfer points to ALL at a 2:1 ratio from Capital One and Citi, meaning you’d need 16,000 points from those programs. Alternatively, you can transfer Bilt Rewards at a 3:2 ratio, requiring just 12,000 Bilt Points for a one-night stay.
Other booking strategies
Because Cusco and Aguas Calientes — the small city at the base of the trail to Machu Picchu — are smaller locations with fewer award hotel options compared to Lima, this is a great opportunity to explore alternative booking methods.
- Chase Travel℠ Portal – You can redeem Chase points at 1.5 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or 1.25 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. This is a potentially valuable way to stretch your points further than by transferring them to Marriott, for example.
- American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection – If you have The Platinum Card® from American Express, you can take advantage of $200 in annual statement credits towards bookings made via Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection (2-night stay required) and enjoy additional perks like upgrades, late checkout, and more.
- Redeem Capital One Miles – With the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you can use miles to cover eligible travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per mile. Alternatively, you can use the card’s $300 annual travel credit when booking through Capital One Travel to offset hotel costs.
Related: How To Use Points and Miles at Hotels With No Rewards Program
Bottom Line
Machu Picchu is an unforgettable destination, and while getting there requires multiple flights, using points and miles can significantly cut the cost. With a stash of flexible rewards, you can book flights, hotels, and even side trips for a fraction of the price and easily make this once-in-a-lifetime trip more accessible.
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