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Chase has launched new welcome offers on its three Avios earning credit cards:
All three cards are offering the same bonus: 75,000 bonus Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Here's a look at these welcome offers and why now might be a good time to add one of these cards to your wallet.
Feature Benefits of the Aer Lingus Visa
Aer Lingus Visa cardholders get priority boarding on Aer Lingus flights between the U.S. and Ireland and enjoy several built-in protections when using the card for purchases. These include baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, lost luggage reimbursement, and extended warranty.
Plus, you can earn a companion ticket each year with the card. If you spend $30,000 or more on your card within a calendar year, you'll receive a companion ticket valid for economy-class flights with Aer Lingus. It's valid for 12 months from the date you earn it.
You'll also have access to Chase Offers, monthly Gopuff credits through the end of 2023, and DoorDash DashPass benefits if you enroll by December 31, 2024.
And using the Aer Lingus Visa is a great way to prevent your Aer Lingus Avios from expiring.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL.
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. Plus earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Every calendar year you make purchases of $30,000 on your Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card, you'll receive a Commercial Companion Ticket good for 12 months
- You and any authorized users on your account are eligible for Priority Boarding on Aer Lingus flights departing from and returning to the US from Ireland, subject to availability.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
- Simply tap to pay with your contactless Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
- Member FDIC
- 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
Feature Benefits of the British Airways Visa Card
British Airways Visa Card cardholders can get 10% off British Airways flights departing the U.S. when using a dedicated website for cardholders. Additionally, the card offers up to $600 in reward flight statement credits each year. This comes as a statement credit for award bookings when you pay the taxes and fees with this card. The credit is $100 for economy and premium economy bookings and $200 for business- and first-class awards. You can receive a maximum of three credits annually.
Cardholders also earn a Travel Together Ticket after making $30,000 or more in purchases in a calendar year. This ticket is valid for two years to bring a companion on a British Airways award flight or a 50% discount if traveling solo on your redemption booking.
Related: Our full review of the British Airways Visa Card
The British Airways Visa Card also offers baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, lost luggage reimbursement, and extended warranty protections and provides cardholders access to Chase Offers, monthly Gopuff credits, and DoorDash DashPass benefits if you enroll by December 31, 2024.
Regular purchases on the British Airways Visa Card also prevent your British Airways Avios from expiring.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. Plus earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
- 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.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
- Simply tap to pay with your contactless British Airways Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
- Member FDIC
- 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
Feature Benefits of the Iberia Visa
With the Iberia Visa, you can earn a $1,000 discount voucher after spending $30,000 on purchases within a calendar year. This voucher is valid toward two tickets on the same flight. Another key benefit provides a 10% discount on flights booked using your card when reserving through Iberia.com/Chase10.
As with the other cards, the Iberia Visa offers baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, lost luggage reimbursement, and extended warranty protections and gives cardholders access to Chase Offers, monthly Gopuff credits, and DoorDash DashPass benefits if you enroll by December 31, 2024.
Using the Iberia Visa also prevents your Iberia Avios from expiring.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL.
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. Plus earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Save 10% on Iberia flights purchased on iberia.com/Chase10
- Earn a discount voucher of $1,000 to use toward two tickets on the same flight for each year you make purchases of $30,000 on your card
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
- Simply tap to pay with your contactless Iberia Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
- Member FDIC
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Maximizing Your Avios
These three Avios programs — Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia — use distance-based charts with a few quirks that separate them from one another.
With British Airways, short-haul “off-peak” flights start at just 4,000 Avios one-way outside the U.S. Theoretically, you could get 18 one-way flights through the new offer. Within the U.S., awards start at 9,000 Avios. You also can redeem your Avios to fly transcontinental first class from New York (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX) for 51,500 Avios one-way.
Related: How to Search and Book British Airways Avios Award Flights
A favorite sweet spot in the Iberia award chart is flying from the U.S. East Coast to Madrid (MAD) for 34,000 Avios each way in business class. The cost increases from the western U.S.: 51,000 Avios one-way.
With Aer Lingus, your best use of Avios is on flights between the U.S. East Coast and Ireland. You'll pay as little as 13,000 Avios one-way in economy or as little as 50,000 Avios one-way in business class. Prices can be almost 50% higher on peak dates, however. Flying from further points in the U.S. will increase one-way redemption prices to 16,250 Avios in economy and 62,500 Avios in business.
Related: The Best Ways to Redeem Avios in the Americas
Getting More Avios
If you need more Avios for an upcoming redemption, you can transfer the following:
- To Air Lingus: American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy
- To British Airways: American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy
- To Iberia: American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy
For more details, consult our resource on point and mile transfer times.
Combine Avios between accounts
It's also possible to move Avios between your accounts freely and instantly. You can transfer Avios between your Aer Lingus, Iberia, British Airways, and Qatar Airways accounts online for free.
Household accounts
British Airways allows users to share Avios. You can combine your points and redeem your points with up to six other members.
Application Restrictions
All three cards have the same restriction listed in the offer terms:
“This product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this credit card within the last 24 months.”
Thus, if you currently have one of these cards or received a bonus on it within the past 24 months, you aren't eligible for the sign-up bonus on that particular card. However, this restriction doesn't apply across the cards. For example, if you received a bonus on the Aer Lingus Visa last year, that wouldn't affect your eligibility for the British Airways Visa Card.
However, Chase does have other application rules you need to consider. The most famous is the 5/24 rule: You likely won't be approved for any of these cards if you've opened five or more new credit cards (across all issuers) in the past 24 months. Moreover, Chase won't approve you for more than two cards in a 30-day period.
Related: Understanding Rewards Credit Card Application Rules and Restrictions
Bottom Line
Any time a rewards card offers a new welcome bonus, it's worth understanding the details. Previously, these cards offered up to 100,000 bonus Avios, but those offers required significant spending. With these new offers, you can earn 75,000 bonus Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. This same offer is available on the Aer Lingus Visa, British Airways Visa Card, and Iberia Visa.
This simpler welcome bonus could make now a great time to add one of these cards to your wallet. Each features a moderate $95 annual fee and comes with ongoing perks that can justify holding them in your wallet year after year.
Will you be taking advantage of the latest offers on these cards?
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Be aware savvy travellers Avios is being discontinued in January 2024.
Unless you’re breaking some news, the Avios rewards program is not being discontinued in January 2024. Did you mean something else?
I’m going to try to use one of those. Cool
This year I need to make sure I meet the 30K spend on my existing BA card before I get a new EI or IB card. Hope these offers are still available towards the end of the year!
this applies to british, iberia & aer lingus only?
Or the whole Star alliance?
Avios can be used to book flights on any Oneworld airline through British Executive Club or Iberia Plus – or some Star Alliance partners through Aer Lingus.
American Advantage program dont participate?
You can use Avios for American Airlines award flights. But no, you can’t transfer points between Avios and AAdvantage.
In my experience, the Travel Together Ticket is not very valuable because you have to pay taxes and fees on the companion ticket, which are very high for transatlantic travel on BA. You’re certainly better off buying a revenue ticket in coach and it’s at best a wash in business class given the opportunity cost of using the miles elsewhere (eg, short haul AA flights).
I’m happy Chase now offers no annual fee Visas for both United and Marriott, although I think the United credit card is a better value.
Great program for single segment flights with partners such as just about any domestic flight on AA or BKK-HND or NRT on Japan Airlines. Having a stash of Avios handy when these needs arise is essential for any robust miles/points strategy. Just be sure and avoid the ridiculous fuel surcharge tickets to/from Europe on BA – the surcharges often cost about as much as a cash ticket – totally illogical BA!
I feel like CSP/CSR are going to be the best all-around options. They’re not the best in any of these situation but they’re by far the most flexible, best all-around cards.
Avios is a funny name for a rewards program. Good article though.
I will use Avios for my trips to and from MADRID.
it is then possible to use Avios flexibly in British Ariways.
Just watch out for those fuel surcharges.
I am not a huge fan of this program so I’ll stick to earning flexible points. I dislike BAs high fees so much that I was used up the last of my Avios for hotels. It actually was a decent use of the points.
Lots of good information here! The worst thing about using BA Avios are the taxes and fees when going through London! If you can avoid London then the odds of usage are so much better. We’ve enjoyed using them for American Airlines flights down through the Caribbean.
Would there be Avios without London and British Airways? 🙂
How it will affect the take over of Air Europa by Iberia to the Avios program? Any clue ?
I haven’t come across any good information yet. Often loyalty program details are sorted out well after the merger goes through. My best guess is that Iberia Avios won’t be impacted at all in the short term. In the medium/long term, we’ll likely see Avios redemption and earning on Air Europa (maybe other Avios currencies too)
Hi – I like the idea of getting more Avios points. I already have a lot. I have had trouble finding the best way to utilize them though. Any suggestions?
You’ll find some specific examples of value in this article: https://awardwallet.com/blog/current-buy-iberia-avios-promotion/ And, then throwing “avios” in the search box at the top of the page will further get you up to speed on all aspects of the program.
I would like to fly on BA some day but I would focus more on my transferable points and maybe use another card to pay the taxes that I could use points to cover. Or just use some other airline to fly on them. I like that suggestion you give. Otherwise I would usually look maybe only intra Europe to fly them.
Iberia Visa? Oh, no, the Iberia avios is hard to use as that’s website will be have some errors. I will be not use Iberia Visa card to get that’s avios, the British Airways would be better than Iberia , there have one way can be connect Avios British Airways with Iberia ,but trust me you are not want to use that as many error and requirement for you.
I’m surprised to hear you had problems. Can you be more specific? I have the credit card and took advantage of their great bonus offer from a couple years to earn 90,000 more Avios, which allowed me to book a biz class ticket to North Africa and I had no issues with them or their website. I’m hoping to do the same when travel returns to normal.
The Avios just only good use at short distance, if the long distance will be bad. And another question is it’s need you pay many oil fee. The AA will not be pay that.
The bonus the credit card offers are very good but trying to get a “close-to-free trip” in Iberia is completely impossible, a lot of restrictions and very few discounts, I will try with B.A. to see if things are any better.
Why no mention of the Sapphire Reserve in this article??
Sapphire Reserve is a good option too. We picked CSP because the other card mentioned by name (Amex Plat) also has a high annual fee. You can find a lot more card options in the links to building a MR/UR credit card combo.
Good cards from Chase but their very restrictive policies defeat the purpose.
I guess that you’d better think hard BEFORE getting married to Avios program LOL!
Their very restrictive policies are in place to keep the moneypit churners away.
I’ve only used a BA card to earn avios… everything else seems hard to get at this time.
What is a better avenue to go down the Iberia or the Aer Lingus ? I’m considering one of those options and trying to decide. Pro vs. Cons.
100,000 points??! Heck yeah, that is a great bonus. Most i have ever gotten was 50,000. This is a eye catching deal. Will pass this on to my family and friends
Still don’t know how to combine my avios points from BA with my avios points from Aerlingus- don’t know if that’s possible but if anyone knows that would be helpful
I was recently turned down for the Aer Lingus card for the 2nd time, it said because I have insufficient balance in deposit and investment accounts with Chase (it said I had an 815 score on the day of application and I currently hold 2 Chase SW cards, BA card, Sapphire Reserve, IHG, Marriott. I’m willing to give up the Marriott bc I have other Marriott cards with Amex and wondering if I should try to find the reconsideration line phone number? It seemed like a strange reason to be turned down.
That sure is a unique reason! I’d recommend calling the reconsideration line. In fact, I just did so myself to get my new Marriott Boundless application approved (I needed to shift some credit lines). So, they might have a workaround for you too.
You may have too many cards and/or the total line of credit may exceed a threshold of your income. Call and find out if you can do anything.
Another reason might be that the bank flags the person who opens the account just to get the bonus and closes the account when annual fees are about to come.