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When talking about sweet spots to Europe, Iberia’s off-peak business class award flights from the Central and East Coast to Madrid for 34,000 miles have long been at the top of the list. But those days have come to an end.
Iberia has officially rolled out new award charts, removing its longstanding redemption tables and increasing prices on several routes. If you use Iberia Avios to fly between the U.S. and Spain in business class, you’ll now need to spend more. On the flip side, economy awards have become slightly more affordable.
Here’s what to know about the updated Iberia award charts.
What to Know About the New Iberia Award Chart Increases
The Iberia devaluation is now official. The airline has rolled out a new award chart. As expected, prices have gone up — particularly for business class. While Iberia has long offered some of the best sweet spots to Europe, those deals are still pretty good, but just a bit more expensive than before.
For example, the popular off-peak sweet spot from the East Coast and Chicago to Spain now costs 40,500 Avios, up from 34,000 Avios. That’s a 19% increase in the number of Avios required.
If you’re wondering if you can score a cheaper rate through British Airways Club for this flight, the answer is no. The award rates are identical through British Airways as well.
Peak business class flights between the same parts of the U.S. and Spain cost a good bit more, too. You’ll now redeem 59,000 Avios for a peak flight. That’s still pretty good considering so many other programs use dynamic pricing (read: tons more miles).
This year alone, we’ve seen devaluations from Japan Airlines, Avianca LifeMiles, Air France-KLM, and Air Canada, among others. It stands to reason Iberia’s rather cheap business class awards were due for an increase.
Related: The Best Business Class Sweet Spots for Award Flights to Europe
New Iberia award charts
The new Iberia award charts show higher pricing in most distance bands and cabins, including flights from the United States to Spain. For distance bands 5 (3,001 to 4,000 miles) and 6 (4,001 to 5,500 miles), here are the updated award rates:
| Economy Old | Economy New | Premium Economy Old | Premium Economy New | Business Old | Business New | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 5 (3,001-4,000 miles) Peak | 20,000 | 19,500 | 35,000 | 40,250 | 50,000 | 59,000 |
| Band 5 (3,001-4,000 miles) Off-Peak | 17,000 | 16,000 | 25,500 | 29,500 | 34,000 | 40,500 |
| Band 6 (4,001-5,500 miles) Peak | 25,000 | 24,250 | 43,750 | 50,500 | 62,500 | 74,000 |
| Band 6 (4,001-5,500 miles) Off-Peak | 21,250 | 20,000 | 31,750 | 36,750 | 42,500 | 50,500 |
Here are some key takeaways:
- Economy prices decreased and are as low as 16,000 miles on off-peak dates
- Premium economy awards increased by 15% across the board
- Business class pricing increased by up to 19%
Bottom Line
It’s official — new Iberia award charts have landed. Overall, the changes are a bit of a mixed bag. Premium cabin awards (premium economy and business class) have gone up by as much as 19%, but the airline’s cheapest economy awards now start at a lower rate. The good news is that even at 40,500 Avios for off-peak business class to Europe, Iberia still offers a fantastic deal compared to what other airlines are charging — and there’s still no shortage of ways to earn Avios to book one of these awards.
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