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You may not be familiar with Aer Lingus. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, this airline is part of the same group as British Airways and Iberia. It makes sense, then, that Aer Lingus uses the same currency program as these two — Avios — giving members the ability to earn the same rewards currency for Aer Lingus flights as they would with British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, and even Finnair.
Like British Airways and Iberia, Aer Lingus also maintains its own co-branded credit card. Issued by Chase, the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card provides decent benefits, a large sign-up bonus, and the ability to earn Avios on all your purchases. Let's check out how it stacks up in this detailed review.
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Page Contents
Aer Lingus Visa Pros
- Earn 3x on flight purchases with Aer Lingus, Iberia, British Airways, and LEVEL.
- Priority boarding.
- Modest annual fee of $95
- No foreign transaction fees.
Aer Lingus Visa Cons
- Earning the companion ticket requires $30,000 in spending.
- Only earns 1x on non-bonus spending categories.
- APR of up to 27.99 is high.
Aer Lingus Visa Welcome Offer
New card members can earn 75,000 bonus Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. This matches the offers on the British Airways Visa Signature® Card and Iberia Visa Signature® Card. The highest offer we've seen on these cards offered the same 100,000 bonus Avios to new applicants.
Related: The Best Rewards Credit Card Offers Available This Month
Aer Lingus Visa Benefits
The Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card is a mid-tier credit card, which means you won't see tons of benefits for its $95 annual fee. However, it does have a few standout perks.
Airline companion ticket
All three Avios-earning co-branded credit cards from Chase have some sort of companion ticket offer. For the Aer Lingus Visa, you'll be able to earn a free economy class companion ticket after spending $30,000 in a calendar year. This is valid on paid flights.
In contrast, the Iberia Visa will give you a $1,000 discount voucher toward two tickets on the same flight after spending $30,000 on purchases. The British Airways Visa Card, meanwhile, provides a companion ticket toward award flights.
Additionally, among these three cards, only the British Airways Visa Card maintains a benefit for solo travelers. If you're flying alone, you can redeem the ticket for a 50% discount on your single ticket.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Companion Fares, Companion Passes & Companion Tickets
Priority boarding
The Aer Lingus Visa provides priority boarding to both primary and additional cardholders, which can be a valuable asset if you're planning on bringing a carry-on bag. To do so, you or your authorized users must show your valid Aer Lingus Visa number at the gate before boarding.
This benefit is valid only on flights to or from the U.S., flying to the U.K. or Ireland.
Trip insurance
Trip insurance can be a good idea when you've got a lot of moving parts to your vacation. Types of insurance can include trip delay, lost luggage, rental car insurance, and more. Many different travel travel credit cards offer complimentary travel insurance as part of their benefits. This includes the Aer Lingus Visa. Although it's not a comprehensive suite like you'll find on other cards, these will still protect you if something goes awry.
- Baggage delay insurance: Receive reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred as a result of delayed luggage. Valid for delays over six hours, up to $100 per day for three days.
- Lost luggage reimbursement: Charge the fare to your ticket and be reimbursed up to $3,000 if your carry-on or checked luggage is lost or damaged by the carrier.
To be eligible for this trip insurance, you'll need to charge your fare to your Aer Lingus Visa. Coverage will then kick in automatically.
Purchase and shopping protections
Ever bought something and immediately dropped it? You can't return something that you've broken, but if you paid for it with your Aer Lingus Visa, you'll have purchase protection that can reimburse you for the damage.
- Purchase protection: Covers purchases for 120 days; receive up to $500 for damage or theft with an account maximum of $50,000.
- Extended warranty: Extends the U.S. manufacturer's warranty by an additional year on warranties of three years or less.
DoorDash membership
Chase has gone big on partnerships over the last few years, and the Aer Lingus Visa is one of the beneficiaries. Cardholders receive a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for one year. You'll need to activate your account by December 31, 2027. A DoorDash DashPass membership entitles you to $0 delivery fees and lower service fees.
No checked luggage benefit
Aer Lingus offers a complimentary checked bag on all tickets but “saver” fares, which is the airline's basic economy ticket. However, those on saver tickets must pay to check a bag, and there's no complimentary checked luggage benefit from the Aer Lingus Visa to overcome this. That's in stark contrast to most other airline credit cards in the U.S.
Aer Lingus Visa Earning Rates
The Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card has a simple earning structure:
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
It's great that the Aer Lingus Visa earns 3x with multiple airlines. This matches what you'll see on the Iberia Visa and British Airways Visa Card.
Earning 3x on airfare is superior to many other airline credit cards. For example, the The New United℠ Explorer Card — also offered by Chase — earns just 2x on United flights.
Redeeming Avios With the Aer Lingus Visa
The Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card earns Avios, which are generally used for flights, though other redemption options exist.
Flights
The Avios loyalty program is the currency of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, plus Finnair quite soon. Although it may seem confusing that multiple airlines share the same program, this is enormously beneficial for customers.
This is especially true for those who'd like to apply for the Aer Lingus Visa. Because you're earning Avios and all these programs use Avios for flights, you're able to transfer your Avios between programs for free.
Why is this helpful? Although each airline charges Avios for flights, the amount they'll charge is unique to each program. For example, here's a business-class flight operated by Iberia from Boston (BOS) to Madrid (MAD).
You'll pay 34,000 Avios and nearly $900 for this ticket. That's ridiculous! At this rate, you may as well pay cash.
However, here's a look at that same flight when booked via Iberia's website, also using Avios:
As you can see, booking this flight via Iberia's site will still cost you 34,000 miles one-way, but you'll owe just $116.80 in taxes and fees.
When using Avios in your Aer Lingus account, you'll typically find the best value with Aer Lingus flights on shorter distances. Beyond this, the value may come from the ability to move your Avios to other programs.
Related: The Best Ways to Redeem Avios in the Americas
Upgrades
It's also possible to use your Avios to upgrade flights. If you're booked in a Y, B, or H fare class you can choose to upgrade to either premium economy or business class. There must be space available in the cabin. Here's how much it'll cost:
| To or from Ireland / Manchester and North America | Off-peak | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Boston / Chicago / Cleveland / Hartford / Newark New York / Philadelphia / Toronto / Washington Minneapolis / Montreal | 37,000 | 44,750 |
| Barbados/ Los Angeles / Miami / Orlando / San Francisco / Seattle | 46,250 | 55,000 |
Other redemptions
Finally, Avios can be redeemed for hotels, rental cars, and tours, though this isn't something we recommend. You'll generally receive poor value when redeeming Avios in this way.
Application Restrictions and Strategy
The Aer Lingus Visa is issued by Chase, which tends to be one of the most restrictive card issuers. This is thanks to its 5/24 policy, which states that if you've opened five or more credit cards in the last 24 months, you'll receive an automatic denial for any new Chase cards.
Unfortunately, Chase's policy tends to be broad. 5/24 applies to any credit cards showing on your credit report — not just those issued by Chase. It also takes into consideration accounts on which you're an authorized user, though a call to the reconsideration line can have those wiped away.
Be aware that most business credit cards don't show up on your credit report. Since Chase is using your credit reports to determine your 5/24 rating, this means that these cards aren't going to count toward that limit.
You're eligible for the welcome offer if you don't currently have the Aer Lingus Visa and haven't received the bonus on this card within the last 24 months. This means that if you've opened the card in the past, it must have been at least 24 months since you received the bonus. You must also have closed the card to be eligible for the bonus again.
Happily, you're able to get this card even if you hold any other Avios-earning credit cards. This includes the British Airways Visa Card and Iberia Visa. Because these cards earn interchangeable Avios, getting more than one of these cards can very quickly help you build your stash.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Cards That Compete With the Aer Lingus Visa
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- If you prefer to earn flexible points that you can use with more than Aer Lingus, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is an excellent travel card that charges a $95 annual fee. Its Ultimate Rewards can be converted to 14 different hotel and airline partners, including the Avios programs but also United Airlines and World of Hyatt hotels. Check out our full review of the Sapphire Preferred to learn more.
- If you still want to earn Avios but want more perks, the British Airways Visa Signature® Card offers similar benefits but also provides up to $600 per year in statement credits toward taxes and fees on flight bookings, as well as earning Avios on your spending and earning a companion ticket after $30,000 of spending within a year. You can see further details in our full British Airways Visa Card review.
- If you spend a lot on airfare, the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card offers unlimited 3x ThankYou® Points on airfare from all airlines. Its points can also be converted to 21 airline and hotel programs, including Avios through the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program. More details are in our complete Citi Strata Premier review.
Related: Best Rewards Cards for Travel Purchases
Final Thoughts
Even if you're unfamiliar with the Aer Lingus Visa, it's a card worth considering. You may not fly Aer Lingus often, but the ability to earn 3x Avios on all airfare purchases with multiple airlines makes this card worth considering. You won't get a ton of flashy perks here, but for a card that costs less than $100 per year, you could do a lot worse.
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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