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Unless you have visited South America, you likely haven't heard of JetSMART, the 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 increased partnership, it is now possible to redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles for flights on JetSMART, but should you? Let's take a look.
JetSMART Route Map
JetSMART services 51 airports throughout South America and into Central America. Here is the 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, but now the chance to redeem miles is live — but only on the JetSMART website.
In order to redeem miles, you can enter your flight details, check “Use Aadvantage miles” and click Smart search. You will have to sign into your AAdvantage account to proceed.
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Is Using AAdvantage Miles on JetSMART Worth It?
Since JetSMART is a low-cost carrier, cash rates are — you guessed it — low. But they do add fees for seat selection and baggage, so it is worth comparing the cash rate to using American miles.
In this example, flying from Santiago (SCL) to Puerto Mott (PMT) — the gateway for rafting the famous Futaleufú River — would cost 6,000 (2,800+3,200) AAdvantage miles for the Pack SMART fare that includes a checked and carry-on bag.
The same flight with cash costs $67. After subtracting the $8 taxes and fees on the award flight, it comes out to just under 1 cent per point. That is not a good use of valuable American miles.
Plus, AAdvantage members earn 5 AAdvantage miles per dollar when booking the cash fare by listing your AA loyalty number to the reservation. Several redemptions I found hovered around this 1 cent/point valuation when using AAdvantage miles — hardly enticing.
Another gripe: After having success looking up several flights, the website seemed to break, not allowing me to enter the dates I wanted despite my best efforts. So be prepared for some IT issues and frustration when looking into these redemptions.
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 and can unlock hard-to-reach routes across Chile, Argentina, Peru, and beyond.
However, in many cases, the cents-per-point value isn’t great — typically around 1 cent per mile — and award searches can be glitchy. Still, it’s another option to save cash on regional flights in South America when using miles.
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