Azul Itaucard vs LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum: Which Wins for Brazil Trips?

Follow us on Google

If you fly around Brazil a few times a year, the right co-branded airline card can easily pay for itself in free flights, bags and priority services. For most travelers this choice often comes down to Azul Itaucard, linked to TudoAzul, or LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum, tied to LATAM’s loyalty program. Both target the same middle tier of frequent flyers, but they reward very different travel patterns. Understanding how each one works in real life, from earning points to cutting airport stress, is what will decide which card actually saves you money.

How Azul Itaucard and LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum Work

Both Azul Itaucard and LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum are co-branded credit cards issued by Itaú for Brazilian residents who tend to fly domestically. Azul focuses on its dense network to smaller and medium cities, while LATAM concentrates on trunk routes like São Paulo to Rio, Brasília, Salvador and major international hubs. Each card converts your reais spent into airline points and then back into flights, upgrades or ancillary services such as seat selection and checked bags.

In practice, a typical Azul Itaucard Platinum customer might live in a city like Campinas, Cuiabá or Belo Horizonte and regularly use Azul to visit family or travel for work on regional routes. LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum holders more often fly between big capitals or on popular leisure routes like São Paulo to Fortaleza or Rio to Santiago. Because these networks differ, the real value of each card depends first on which airline you are most likely to fly over the next few years.

Both cards are international credit cards linked to Visa or Mastercard networks, so you can use them for everyday spending: groceries, fuel, streaming subscriptions or hotel stays on Booking-like platforms. What changes is how many airline points you receive per dollar-equivalent spent and what perks they unlock when you actually go to the airport. If you rarely board an Azul aircraft, for example, even a generous Azul Itaucard earn rate will not feel as useful as a modest LATAM earn rate that you redeem more often.

On the Itaú side, both products are embedded in the same digital ecosystem: you can request them online, control your limit and pay your bill in the Itaú app, and in many cases negotiate annuity discounts via chat. So the real comparison is about the airline side: TudoAzul versus LATAM Pass, and Azul’s onboard and airport experience versus LATAM’s.

Annual Fees, Promotions and When the Card Becomes “Free”

For many Brazilian travelers, the first question is simple: how much will this cost me per year, and can I reduce or waive the annual fee through spending? Both cards follow the common Itaú model of charging a standard annuity that can be heavily discounted or even reduced to zero if you reach certain monthly invoicing targets or seize promotional windows for new customers.

LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum has recently run campaigns that grant large mileage bonuses and full annuity waiver when the customer hits specific spending goals in the first months. One 2026 campaign targeted new Platinum holders with a bonus on the order of tens of thousands of points after reaching a multi‑thousand real aggregate spend across the first three invoices, while also promising annuity exemption for cardholders who maintain roughly that level of monthly spend going forward. In practice, someone who puts most household expenses on the card each month can turn what appears to be a paid product into a de facto free card, plus a big initial mileage injection.

Azul Itaucard has followed a similar strategy at different times, combining bonus TudoAzul points with escalated first‑year annuity discounts. However, Azul traditionally emphasizes ongoing relationships such as club subscriptions and frequent flying more than one‑off acquisition bursts. You might see campaigns where upgrading your Azul Itaucard tier or joining a TudoAzul club results in extra points that reduce the real cost of keeping the card.

Consider a couple living in São Paulo that spends around R$ 5,000 per month on the card: supermarket, fuel, school fees and streaming services. With a campaign that grants full annuity waiver from a monthly threshold near R$ 4,000, their LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum effectively becomes free after the first few months, and the initial mileage bonus might be enough to cover a round trip São Paulo to Salvador in economy on off‑peak dates. A lower‑spending traveler, say R$ 1,500 per month, would feel the annuity much more and should calculate how many flights and bags they will redeem per year before committing.

Points Earning and Realistic Redemption Scenarios

The central promise of both cards is transforming daily spending into flights. On the LATAM side, the Platinum tier has historically offered a higher mileage earning rate than entry or Gold versions, especially on international spending. Updated regulation from Itaú shows a structure where Platinum cards earn more LATAM Pass points per US dollar-equivalent spent than lower tiers, with Black and Infinite above that. The exact multiplier can change by campaign and by local versus foreign spend, but the pattern is stable: spend abroad and airline purchases earn more.

Azul Itaucard follows the same logic. Platinum and higher versions convert your domestic and international purchases into TudoAzul points at differentiated rates, commonly with an extra bonus when you buy Azul tickets directly on the airline website or app. If you pay a R$ 2,000 São Paulo to Manaus round‑trip for your family using Azul Itaucard, you typically receive a larger block of TudoAzul points than if you had used a generic bank card, plus enjoy the co‑branded perks like priority check‑in or free seat selection depending on your tier.

To understand practical redemption, imagine two travelers. Ana is a marketing consultant from Belo Horizonte who flies Azul to São Paulo six times a year and São Paulo to Recife twice a year for leisure. She puts about R$ 4,000 per month on her Azul Itaucard Platinum. Over a year, this spending may accumulate a five‑figure balance of TudoAzul points, enough for at least one free domestic round trip if she chooses off‑peak weekday flights and books some months in advance. Because she is constantly redeeming on the same airline she flies most, she experiences a tangible cycle: everyday purchases lead to another visit to family without paying cash for the ticket.

Bruno, by contrast, is an engineer in Brasília who frequently uses LATAM to fly to São Paulo, Curitiba and occasionally Miami. With LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum, his points earning on domestic tickets, combined with occasional international spending and promotional campaigns, might be sufficient to book him one or two domestic segments per year or to reduce the cost of a peak‑season ticket, for instance in January when Brasilia to Recife can become very expensive. Since LATAM has a broad international network, he can also dream of using miles to partially pay a trip to the United States or Europe, topping up with cash when necessary.

Airport Experience: Bags, Priority and Lounge Access

Beyond miles, what many frequent flyers in Brazil now seek are the day‑to‑day comforts that remove friction from crowded airports: priority check‑in, boarding groups that guarantee overhead bin space, free or discounted checked luggage and access to lounges in hubs like São Paulo Guarulhos. Here, the details of each card’s airline‑specific benefits matter as much as the headline mileage rate.

LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum cardholders enjoy benefits that include dedicated check‑in counters and priority boarding when traveling on LATAM flights, provided their LATAM Pass number and card are linked to the reservation. With Brazil’s increasingly restrictive Basic fares, which may include only a personal item under the seat, holding a card that grants a checked bag allowance or at least streamlined check‑in can be a genuine money saver. A traveler flying São Paulo to Fortaleza in high season might face checked bag charges that approach a few hundred reais; shaving that off just two or three trips per year can offset a significant portion of the card’s annual fee.

Some LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum structures also tie in with the LATAM Pass “Global Experience” concept, where passengers with elite status or specific co‑branded cards enjoy priority in baggage delivery, early boarding zones and benefits in partner airlines abroad. In practice, that can mean your suitcase appearing on the carousel among the first group of bags after landing in Santiago or Lima, cutting 20 minutes off your airport exit at the end of a business day.

Azul Itaucard Platinum similarly sharpens the Azul experience. Azul is known for relatively comfortable onboard service on domestic flights, and the card often includes priority boarding on Azul flights and occasional free checked bag allowances depending on tier and route. On a packed evening rotation from São Paulo’s Viracopos hub to Belo Horizonte, boarding early can be the difference between keeping your carry‑on overhead or being forced to gate‑check it at the last minute. For travelers connecting through Azul’s Campinas hub, priority check‑in desks and shorter lines can also make tight connections less stressful.

On lounges, Platinum‑level airline cards in Brazil rarely provide unlimited free access on their own; typically, entry to flagship lounges such as the LATAM Lounge at Guarulhos is reserved for Black or Infinite tiers or for Platinum cardholders who also subscribe to specific mileage clubs. For example, LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum holders who combine the card with certain paid LATAM Pass club packages have eligibility for lounge access in defined circumstances. That can be valuable if you fly through Guarulhos or Santiago a few times per year and want a quiet space with Wi‑Fi and snacks during long connections.

Domestic vs International Travel: Which Card Fits Your Routes?

The best card for Brazil travel depends heavily on where you fly and which airline gives you better schedules and fares from your home airport. Azul has an extremely strong presence in cities like Campinas (VCP), Belo Horizonte (CNF) and several interior capitals. LATAM dominates important routes from São Paulo (GRU and CGH), Rio de Janeiro (GIG and SDU) and Brasília, plus maintains a broad set of international destinations across South America, the United States and Europe.

If nearly all your flights are domestic point‑to‑point inside Brazil and Azul already offers the most convenient nonstop options, Azul Itaucard Platinum aligns best. For example, someone in Cuiabá might use Azul to fly directly to Campinas and then connect to smaller cities without passing through Guarulhos. Earning TudoAzul points with a card that also grants priority services on the same airline amplifies the benefit of that network. Every business trip or family visit feeds back into the same pool of points and perks.

On the other hand, if you often cross the continent or head to the United States, LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum has an edge. LATAM operates important international routes like São Paulo to Orlando, Miami, New York, Madrid and Santiago. A traveler in Porto Alegre, for example, might fly LATAM to São Paulo and then connect to an overnight to Madrid. Accumulating LATAM Pass points with co‑branded spending and then redeeming partial mileage plus cash for international tickets becomes more appealing than holding an Azul card when you seldom use Azul internationally.

Another subtle factor is alliance and partners. LATAM is not part of one of the big three traditional alliances anymore, but it has deep partnerships, for instance with Delta, that allow earning and sometimes redeeming LATAM Pass points on international itineraries beyond South America. Azul has codeshares with select carriers too, yet is far more focused on the Brazilian and regional market. So, for a traveler who dreams of using miles for trips that start in Brazil and continue elsewhere, LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum arguably offers more flexibility.

Traveler Profiles: Which Card Wins for You in Real Life?

Rather than comparing boxes of benefits, it is more productive to picture specific traveler profiles that resemble your habits and see which card fits better. Imagine Mariana, a physician living in Recife. She visits family in Belo Horizonte twice a year and attends two medical congresses annually, typically in São Paulo or Rio. Looking at fares, she finds that Azul offers the most direct connections to Belo Horizonte, while LATAM provides competitive prices to São Paulo via Guarulhos. If she dislikes connections and values nonstops, Azul Itaucard Platinum will likely give her more satisfaction: TudoAzul redemptions for those Belo Horizonte trips, priority on Azul check‑in counters and boarding that keeps her carry‑on close on full flights.

Now consider Rodrigo, an IT manager in Curitiba who works with a multinational client in Atlanta. His typical year includes three or four work trips from Curitiba to Atlanta and a couple of leisure trips within Brazil, such as Florianópolis in summer and Fortaleza in July. He often flies LATAM to São Paulo and then onward to the United States on a Delta codeshare. For him, LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum’s mileage accumulation on both domestic and selected partner flights, combined with priority services and potential lounge access when bundled with a mileage club, makes his door‑to‑door journeys smoother and his long‑haul redemptions realistic.

A third archetype is the budget‑conscious family planner. Carla, a teacher in Salvador, travels with her partner and two children to visit relatives in São Paulo each December. She watches airfare prices closely and usually buys the cheapest economy fares available, which are increasingly the Basic tier without checked bag or free seat selection. In this case, a co‑branded card that consistently confers at least one free checked bag to the main cardholder and some boarding or check‑in preference can prevent surprise costs and boarding chaos. Checking the specific baggage benefit tables from Azul Itaucard versus LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum on domestic routes from Salvador will show which airline’s card saves more in her scenario.

These examples highlight that neither card is objectively better for everyone. What matters is how often you fly, which airline serves your main routes best, and whether you are willing to consolidate your spending on one card to unlock annuity waivers and promotional mileage bonuses. If your flying is split evenly between Azul and LATAM and you only take two or three trips per year in total, you might even decide that a generic high‑cashback or bank points card converted to miles on demand suits you better than committing to one airline brand.

The Takeaway

Azul Itaucard Platinum tends to shine for travelers whose lives are rooted in Azul’s domestic network: residents of cities strongly served by Azul, people who value nonstops through Campinas or Belo Horizonte, and those who fly enough domestically to regularly redeem TudoAzul points for family visits. The card’s core strength is reinforcing a cycle of frequent regional travel with comfort benefits at check‑in, boarding and baggage that you actually feel every month.

LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum stands out for flyers who use LATAM as their main bridge between Brazilian capitals and major international gateways. It becomes especially compelling for professionals who combine domestic business trips with occasional routes to the United States, Europe or neighboring South American capitals, and who are ready to channel a significant share of household spending through the card to unlock mileage campaigns and annuity waivers.

If most of your trips are Azul routes and your dream redemptions are weekend visits and domestic holidays, Azul Itaucard is usually the more natural choice. If you picture yourself upgrading the airport experience on crowded LATAM flights out of Guarulhos and eventually redeeming a long‑haul ticket, LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum likely delivers more visible value. Either way, the most important step is to map your last 12 to 24 months of travel, estimate your next two years based on life plans, and run a simple calculation: how many tickets, bags and airport comforts will each card realistically fund for you. The right answer will then be less about the brochure and more about your real‑world boarding passes.

FAQ

Q1. Is Azul Itaucard or LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum better for mostly domestic trips inside Brazil?
For primarily domestic trips, Azul Itaucard often wins if Azul offers the most convenient routes from your home airport, while LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum is stronger when most of your flights are on LATAM trunk routes between major capitals.

Q2. Which card usually helps more with international travel from Brazil?
LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum generally helps more with international trips because LATAM has a broader long‑haul network from Brazil and partnerships that make redeeming points on foreign routes more practical.

Q3. Can these cards really eliminate the annual fee?
Yes, in many campaigns the annual fee can be heavily discounted or waived if you hit specific monthly or initial spending thresholds, so heavy users may effectively keep the card without paying annuity.

Q4. Do I get free checked baggage automatically with either card?
You may receive free or discounted checked baggage depending on the card variant, the fare you purchase and the route, but it is not universal, so checking the current baggage benefit tables for each card is essential.

Q5. Which card earns more miles on everyday spending?
Both offer enhanced earning compared with entry‑level versions, with multipliers that can change over time, but in practice the better card is the one whose miles you actually redeem frequently on the airline you fly most.

Q6. Is lounge access included with Azul Itaucard or LATAM Pass Itaú Platinum?
Standard Platinum versions usually do not include unlimited complimentary lounge access, though specific combinations with paid mileage clubs or higher tiers may grant access to selected airline lounges a few times per year.

Q7. What if I split my flights evenly between Azul and LATAM?
If your flying is balanced and relatively low, a neutral bank points or cashback card that lets you transfer to different airline programs might be more flexible than committing to a single co‑branded Azul or LATAM card.

Q8. Do I have to pay for tickets with the co‑branded card to use the flight perks?
Generally, the perks such as priority check‑in or boarding are tied to having an active card and your frequent flyer number on the reservation, not necessarily to paying the ticket with that specific card, though rules may vary by benefit.

Q9. Which card is better for families traveling with children?
Families should compare which airline offers cheaper fares and more direct routes for their usual school‑holiday trips, and then choose the co‑branded card, Azul or LATAM, that reduces baggage fees and boarding stress on those specific routes.

Q10. How often should I review whether my current card is still the best option?
It is sensible to review your main card choice at least once a year, or whenever your travel pattern changes significantly, such as moving cities, changing jobs or starting to take more international trips.