US Bank LANPASS Visa 30,000 Miles (48,000 KM) Offer

US Bank LANPASS Visa 30,000 Miles Offer

US Bank LANPASS Visa credit card is offering 30,000 as a sign up bonus again. 30,000 miles is 48,000 kilometers, which is enough for a roundtrip award between New York and North South America, like Peru, Colombia, or Equador.

Here is the skinny:

• Bonus: 30,000 miles (regular bonus is 20,000 miles)
• $0 Introductory Annual Fee for the First Year, thereafter $75 
• Spending Requirement: $2,500 in the first 4 months
• Three Upgrade Coupons that Work on an Award Flight in the first year
• Apply by June 30, 2015

And other terms:

• 4,000 Bonus Miles (6,437 kms) with annual renewal
• 20% off (up to $1,000) your first LAN or TAM purchase one time per year
• Double miles on LAN and TAM purchases
• 25% flight bonus when flying on LAN

US Bank LANPASS Visa 30,000 Miles Offer

Base kilometers needed for roundtrip reward travel from LAN gateways in USA to the following LAN destinations (actual amounts may vary depending on travel dates). Starting from 48,000:

• Miami, FL to cities in Colombia
• Miami, FL or New York, NY (JFK) to cities/islands in Ecuador
• Miami, FL or Orlando, FL or New York, NY (JFK) or Los Angeles, CA to cities in Peru
• Miami, FL (USA) to Punta Cana (Dominican Republic)

From what I remember there was a better 40,000-mile bonus on this card with a $5,000 spending requirement, but only once, about 2 years ago. While this bonus is relatively small, ZERO annual fee for the first year helps a bit, and three upgrade coupons — that are (supposedly) valid even on redeemed flights — are a very nice touch and might be worth $$$$ if you  make them work.

Upgrade Coupons

US Bank LANPASS Visa Upgrade Coupons

The only place where I found information on upgrade coupons was this LANPASS page and it immediately got me confused

Upgrade with coupons on LAN flights

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As a LANPASS Elite member (!!!), you can request a Cabin Upgrade on your LAN-operated international commercial flights using courtesy coupons. To do this, you must have bought an Economy-class ticket on a Base Plus, Flexible, or Full Flexible fare or have redeemed LANPASS KMS. You can request the upgrade:

• When you Check-in for your flight on LAN.com, up to 48 hours before departure of your flight; click on the link shown on the page to request a Cabin Upgrade using coupons.
• If you did not do this at the time, select the Upgrade Request option from the LANPASS menu.
• If you have any problems, get in touch with our Contact Center.

Once you have completed your request, you can review your position in the Upgrade List using your booking details (available only on flights operated by LAN). Be aware that your priority will be determined by:

1. Your Elite membership category.
2. The time at which you checked in at LAN.com.

3. It will be confirmed to you directly at the departure gate on the day of your flight and will be subject to cabin availability. Remember that your position in the list may change up to 45 minutes before departure of your flight.

Since the US Bank card does not bestow us with an Elite status, I can only hope that the coupons work in the same way. If anyone knows the definitive answer to this question, please let me know. In any case, according to the Flyertalk LAN forum, LAN is terrible with upgrades. Manage your expectations.

Conclusion:

My thinking about applying for a credit card is whether or not I’m getting at least $400 for it. This is a completely capricious number, and you might have other standards — higher or lower. As to me, this credit card will get me more than $400, since a roundtrip flight to Peru, Equador, or Colombia usually goes for $500-700, and LAN service is usually quite decent even in Economy. I just might grab a couple for me and the wife in my upcoming app-o-Rama.

Remember that US Bank is finicky. You might want to consider freezing your IDA and ARS reports. If you have no idea what they are, your not alone, read this thread: What does ARS & IDA mean? is it good if freeze ARS & IDA before apply credit card?  

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