Avios is a rewards currency that’s used by 4 frequent flyer programs like: Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. With these 4 rewards programs to fiddle with, you get the ability to interchange Avios between them. Furthermore, there are plenty of ways to collect and spend Avios.
Read below for more information on what their rewards are.
Avios Quick Facts
| Frequent Flyer Programs | Aer Lingus AerClub British Airways Executive Club Iberia Plus Vueling Club |
| Credit Cards | Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card British Airways Visa Signature® Card Iberia Visa Signature® Card |
| Redemption Options | Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and partner award flights, upgrades, hotel stays, leisure and more (varies by program) |
| Average Avios Value | $0.015 |
 The British Airways Visa Signature® Card offers 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. You'll earn: • 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL. • 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. • 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases. This card comes with a $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. You'll be able to get 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials. In addition, every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you'll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years. |
Collecting Avios
To begin collecting Avios, you have to apply for a frequent flyer program that uses the award currency.
Additionally, registration is free, so it’s recommended to sign up for all four programs if you think earning Avios is worth it. When you sign up for all their programs, you’ll be able to freely transfer Avios between them. Furthermore, you’re granted access to more offers and availability for flights. This will give you several opportunities to earn and burn your Avios rewards.
Collect Avios when you book flights on Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling or with any of their airline partners. Simply enter your frequent flyer member number when you make the reservation.
Be sure to check their websites for updated partner airlines.
Aer Lingus Partners:
- Air Canada
- Alaska Airlines
- British Airways
- Etihad Airways
- Flybe
- JetBlue
- KLM
- United Airlines
British Airways Partners:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Italy
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- LATAM Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Vueling
Iberia Partners:
- Air Italy
- American Airlines
- Avianca
- British Airways
- Bulgaria Air
- Cathay Pacific
- COPA Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- El AL
- Evelop
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Interjet
- Japan Airlines
- LATAM Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- Ukranie International
- Vueling
Spending on your credit card is one of the easiest and fastest ways to build up Avios. Three Avios programs have co-branded rewards cards issued by Chase: Aer Lingus Visa Signature, British Airways Visa Signature, and Iberia Visa Signature.
These three credit cards all have similar features such as:
| Welcome Bonus | Get 50k Avios when you spend $3k in 3 months. Get another 50k Avios when you spend $20k in 1 year. |
| Total Bonus Value | $1,500 |
| Ongoing Rewards | 3x Avios on Avios purchases 2x Avios on hotel stays 1x Avios on everything else |
| Priority Boarding | Aer Lingus cardholders only |
| 10% Flight Discount | Iberia cardholders only |
| Foreign Transaction Fees | None |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
Furthermore, you’ll receive rewards for spending a minimum of $30,000 on your card in a calendar year. The spend bonus will vary, depending on which Avios credit card you own.
- Aer Lingus: 1 economy company ticket valid for 12 months.
- British Airways: 1 travel together ticket valid for 2 years.
- Iberia: $1,000 discount voucher towards 2 tickets on the same flight.
You can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio from American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards to your Avios account.
You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Avios at a rate of 60,000 points to 25,000 Avios.
Here are some recommendations for the following credit cards from Avios transfer partners:
Every Avios program will come with their own partners and ways of collecting Avios. For more information, visit the carrier’s rewards program website:
You can also purchase Avios from three of the four Avios programs. Each one has different purchasing rates. Each program also offers limited-time bonuses on Avios purchases. You’ll want to check to see if there are any offers before buying additional Avios.
Spending Avios
Most award flights for Avios partners are based off of distance. In other words, the longer the flight, the more Avios you will need. Remember, Avios will stay with you as long as you earn, burn, purchase, or share Avios every 36 months.
Since Aer Lingus and Vueling have less partner airlines, we’ll focus on British Airways and Iberia award flights.
- British Airways is best for short direct flights.
- Iberia is better for Oneworld partner roundtrip flights with connections.
British Airways and Iberia award charts are almost the same:
Iberia has a different award chart for every one of their partners. Here’s a chart for American Airlines listed below. Generally, flights operated by other partners like Cathay Pacific have a similar Avios pricing.
American Airlines award flights booked with Iberia Plus has to be for roundtrip travel So the prices you see here are for roundtrip award tickets. Check the Iberia flight calculator for updated costs for your flight.
Comparing both charts to one another, British Airways is the cheaper option to fly economy during off-peak times. However, if you want to fly business class, Iberia costs less for a long-haul flight.
Other than British Airways and Iberia award flights, you’ll be able to use the Avios for flights with their partner carriers. Check out a quick comparison for the airlines’ partner award charts listed. For more updated information, be sure to contact these airlines.
You can also use Avios for:
- Upgrades
- Hotel stays
- Leisure
British Airways other redemptions:
- Upgrades
- Inflight food
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
- Experiences
- Wine
- Avios eStore
- Upgrades
- Hotel stays
- Car rentals
- Merchandise
- Leisure
- Services
Vueling Avois can be redeemed for hotel stays, car rentals, and experiences at Avios.com.
Avios Tips & Tricks
Based on the information we have at the time of publishing, these are potential sweet spots for using your Avios points on partner airlines via Iberia or British Airways.
| Carrier | Flight Details | Class | Avios |
| American Airlines (via Iberia) |
Short roundtrip flights | Economy | 11,000 |
| American Airlines (via Iberia) |
Domestic roundtrip (includes Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean) | First | Less than 34,000 |
| American Airlines (via Iberia) |
Roundtrip to Western Europe or Northern South America | Business | Less than 100,000 |
| American Airlines or Alaska Airlines (via British Airways) |
One-way from the West Coast to Hawaii | Economy | 13,000 |
| Japan Airlines (via British Airways) |
One-way within Japan | Economy | 6,000 |
Taxes & fees. Iberia Plus does not charge as much in airport taxes and fuel surcharges as British Airways Executive Club. We recommend moving your Avios to Iberia and booking your award tickets from there.
| Sample Flight | Avios + Taxes & Fees |
| JFK – MAD in Economy | British Airways = 17,000 + $128 Iberia = 17,000 + $70 |
| JFK – MAD in Business | British Airways = 34,000 + $456 Iberia = 34,000 + $80 |
Off peak dates. Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling do not share the same peak and off-peak dates. You’ll want to refer back to these dates for each program when you book award flights.
To receive Avios to your Iberia Plus account, it must be 90 days old and must have accrued at least one Avios. The simplest way to fulfill this rule is to credit your next Oneworld or partner flight, hotel stay or car rental to your Iberia account.
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Conclusion
Even if you never fly internationally, you should still consider Avios. With the 4 programs they have, there are plenty of partners to choose from. Additionally, Avios is a valuable rewards currency that’s easy to use, collect, spend, and comes with great value.
