Avios credit cards
$95
50,000 Avios
$3,000 initial spend
($470 net value, .16/$)
Signup Bonus Chart3x British Airways Purchases
2x Hotels
1x Everywhere Else
No Foreign Transaction Fee
Chase issues credit cards for all three of the Avios-based airlines: British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. For most people, the main reason to be interested in these cards are for their generous signup bonuses (not their ongoing benefits). For people who like frequent flyer miles, the three cards usually have the most lucrative signup bonuses of any of the Chase cards, except perhaps the Ink Preferred card, and the points from any of these cards can be moved into any of the three airline's frequent flyer programs.
Because it is hard to use credit card travel benefits during the pandemic, Chase has made some temporary changes to their cards.
- You'll earn 3x points on up to $1,500 of grocery spending in May and June. This bonus category rate is available on all three cards.
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Avios Credit Card Options
Chase issues separate credit cards for each of the Avios-based frequent flyer programs. You can easily transfer points earned from any of these cards to any of the three Avios programs, so they are mostly interchangeable.
If you spend $30,000 in a calendar year, each card gives you some type of companion certificate. While we normally would't recommend spending this much money on the card in order to get the certificates, they can be a good deal during the initial year, when you may already be planning on spending up to $20,000 in order to qualify for the full signup bonus. And for some people, they can be a good deal on an ongoing basis.
Since each card has a very different type of companion certificate, and each certificate can only be used on flights with the card's specific airline, the companion certificate may be the deciding factor for choosing which card to get. If you are likely to be able to take advantage of the companion award by flying on one of these airline's own routes, that is the card you should get.
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If you are only going to get one of these cards, it is likely to be the British Airways Card. British Airways has many more flights to the United States (and around the world) than Iberia and Aer Lingus, making their card's airline-specific benefits more valuable (for most people). It also is the only one of these cards that can save you up to $3-600 per year on award fees and surcharges. Official Webpage. |
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The Iberia Card is the next most likely alternative, as it avoids the small downsides of the Aer Lingus card. Chase Webpage. |
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For most people, the Aer Lingus Card is is the least interesting of the three cards, because the Aer Lingus program is a little less convenient. You can't transfer Membership and Ultimate Rewards directly into the Aer Lingus program, you'll need to transfer them to British Airways or Iberia first. And you can't use Aer Lingus points to directly book Oneworld tickets, you'll need to transfer them to British Airways or Iberia first. It also is the only card that doesn't give you a 10% flight discount. However, if you can make good use of the benefits that are tied to Aer Lingus, or you plan to use your points for Alaska flights, it can still be your best option. And, you may decide to get all three cards. Chase Webpage. Aer Lingus Webpage. |
Introduction to Avios
- Each airline operates their own frequent flyer program, but you can transfer your points between them. These are the only frequent flyer programs that work this way. With other programs, such as Flying Blue, multiple airlines share a single frequent flyer program. But with Avios, each airline still have their own award charts and rules, they just share a common "currency". Transfer Points Between British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus.
- You can use Avios to book tickets on British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, American Airlines, any other Oneworld airline, and with any of their other partners. Don't avoid signing up for these cards because you rarely fly British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus. You can use your miles to fly on a couple of dozen different airlines including American, Cathay Pacific, Japanese Airlines, and LATAM.
- All three programs use distance-based award charts, which often requires fewer points than other airlines. Rather than calculating the number of points you need based on the "zone" you are flying to, they charges based on the actual distance you are flying. As a result, using Avios for award tickets can often be cheaper than using other frequent flyer miles. This is especially true for shorter flights that cross regional boundaries. Fly Short Distances Using Fewer Miles by Taking Advantage of Distance-Based Frequent Flyer Programs.
- British Airways and Aer Lingus charge separately for each flight, while Iberia charges based on the total distance flown. That usually makes Iberia a better option when you need to make connections, and British Airways / Aer Lingus a better option when you want a one-way ticket. In general, Aer Lingus and British Airways require the same number of points for the same flights, with Iberia either being more or less expensive. Each program offers discounted off-peak award tickets for their own flights. The Best Distance-based Frequent Flyer Programs.
- Using your points for flights to Europe can include hefty fuel surcharges. British Airways charges some of the highest fees and surcharges on their award tickets, and even includes these charges when flying on partners, like American. So, your best uses for your British Airline points are for trips within the Americas, or to other parts of the world, where fuel surcharges are not charged on award tickets. Iberia and Aer Lingus often have lower surcharges.
- You can easily combine your Avios with points from your other credit cards, in order to book awards. You can transfer Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Points to at least one of the Avios-based programs to combine with any points you get from the Avios credit cards themselves.
For example, you can use as few as 15,000 British Airways points to fly round trip on American Airlines between the East Coast and the Caribbean, and as few as 25,000 points to fly round trip from the West Coast to Hawaii. Short flights on Oneworld carriers throughout the world cost as little as 4,500 points each way.
Collecting the Signup Bonus
- It is worth signing up for this card, just to collect the signup bonus. After subtracting the annual fee and the opportunity cost of using the card for $point of spending, the calculated net value for the initial year is $50000 (Expression error: Unrecognized word "point". cents per dollar spent).
- The 4 Avios per dollar signup offer isn't as good. The signup bonus is really an extra # Avios per dollar. If you spend $3,000, you'd earn a signup bonus of 9,000 points compared to the normal 50,000 points. If you spend $10,000, you'd earn 30,000 bonus points, rather than 75,000. If you spend $20,000, you'd earn 60,000 extra points rather than 100,000. And if you spend $30,000, you'd earn 90,000 extra points, rather than 100,000.
- You can earn the signup bonuses from all three of these cards. And because points can be transferred between accounts, you can use the points together. If you earned the full bonuses on all three cards, you would wind up with at least 360,000 Avios!
- It is difficult to collect a signup bonus a 2nd time, because of the Chase 5/24 rule. Normally, you are eligible for a Chase signup bonus, if you haven't already earned the bonus from the same card during the last two years. However, due to the Chase 5/24 rule, if you've been signing up for other cards, you won't be able to get approved when you reapply. You'll need get under the 5/24 limit before you can earn one of the bonuses again. Dealing with the Chase 5/24 Rule.
After subtracting the annual fee, and the opportunity cost of using the card for $3,000 of spending, the calculated net value of the sign-up is $470 (16 cents per dollar spent). Your value may be higher or lower, depending on how much you value the points. How Much are Points Worth?
Companion Certificates
With each of the cards, if you spend $30,000 during a calendar year, you'll get some sort of companion ticket.
Even if you can generate this amount of extra spending, you'd miss out on at least $300 in rewards by spending $30,000 on one of these cards, rather than on a good general-purpose reward card. In addition, each of the cards has a $95 annual fee, and not much else in the way of ongoing benefits. You need to evaluate whether it is worth "paying" $400 for one of these certificates.
However, the certificates can "cost" much less in your initial year. You've already paid the annual fee to earn the signup bonus. If you decided to spend the $20,000 to earn the full signup bonus, you only have to spend an extra $10,000 to earn the certificate as well. That lowers the effective cost to only $100. If you are going to try to earn a certificate, you need to make sure you do all of the spending during the same "calendar year". You don't have the entire first year you have the card to qualify, so it may be difficult to leverage your initial spending requirement.
Remember that each of these certificates can only be used on each of the airline's own flights and can expire. Before deciding to earn one of these certificates, make sure you'll have an opportunity to use it.
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The British Airways certificate lets you bring along a companion for "free", when you book award tickets. In other words, you can get two frequent flyer tickets for the normal points cost of just one. You can only use the companion certificate for flights which originate and end in the United States, and are operated by British Airways. And, both passengers still need to pay any taxes and surcharges. The certificate expires in two years. Certificate details. Especially with economy class tickets, the extra charges on these routes can be almost as expensive as just paying for regular tickets. So, it can be hard to get good value from the certificate. With business and first class tickets, you'll wind up spending close to $3,000 in total fees for the two tickets (on top of the mileage requirement), but that can still save money compared to buying two cash tickets. On the other hand, it can be an even better option to take advantage of award tickets through other programs that avoid fuel surcharges, even if you don't get to spend half the miles. |
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The Iberia certificate gives you a $1,000 discount voucher on the price of two paid tickets. The certificate expires in a single year, and only works for flights that depart and return to the United States and are operated by Iberia. Certificate details. If you'll be paying for tickets with Iberia, this certificate is easily worth its acquisition costs. But, if you don't have an opportunity to fly on Iberia, or their pricing is significantly higher than other options, you'll get little or no value. |
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The Aer Lingus certificate gives you a companion certificate for a paid economy ticket. It can only be used for flights that depart and return to the United States and are operated by Aer Lingus. Because the companion doesn't have to pay for taxes and fees, it really is a true 2-for-1 ticket. Certificate details. |
Other Notable Benefits
- Award flight tax and fee credits (British Airways). Up to 3 times per year you can get a statement credit for taxes and fees paid as part of a British Airways award ticket. Each credit maxes out at $100 for economy or premium economy awards, and $200 for business and first class awards. This takes some of the sting out of British Airways notoriously high award surcharges.
- Priority boarding (Aer Lingus).
- 10% discount on tickets (British Airways and Iberia). Cardholders receive a 10% discount on airline tickets (on the corresponding airline), when they book through the right site, and pay with their card. British Airways cardholders need to purchase their tickets at www.ba.com/chase10. (Technically, this isn't a feature of the card, but a long-standing promotion that is only available to cardholder, and is not discussed on the official credit card webpage. We learned about on the View from the Wing blog.) Iberia cardholders need to book at [//www.iberia.com/Chase10 (and according to Doctor of Credit, unlike the British Airways card, you won't receive the discount on the tax and fee portion of the ticket price). There is no corresponding discount with the Aer Lingus card.
- Access to the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection. As with all Visa Signature cards, you'll get access to Visa's luxury hotel program. Whenever you book one of the 900+ participating hotels, you'll receive a set of valuable benefits, including free breakfast, late check-out, and a $25 food and beverage credit. The Visa program has slightly weaker benefits than the other luxury hotel programs, but includes a larger number of more affordable hotel options and a best price guarantee. Take Advantage of Luxury Hotel Programs for Valuable Extra Perks.
- Access to Visa Signature Offers. Your card entitles you to a set of special offers available from Visa.
Bonus Categories
- Each card earns 3x points on purchases from any of the "Open Skies" airlines. That includes British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, as well as Level.
- You are slightly better off making your British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus purchases with a card that offers one of the highest reward rates on all your airfare spending, rather than with one of these cards. You are better off earning 3x Ultimate Rewards points with the Sapphire Reserve card, or 3-5x Membership Rewards points with one of the Amex cards. Ultimate and Membership Rewards points can be turned into British Airways or Iberia miles, and also have the flexibility to be used for other types of award redemptions. Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.
- You don't want to use these cards for your everyday spending. You'll earn higher rewards from a good general-purpose reward card. Get a Great General Purpose Reward Card and Use It for All of Your Spending.
Getting Rid of the Card
If you are collecting signup bonuses, make sure you really want to cancel your Avios card. You will likely be blocked from getting it again by the Chase 5/24 rule. Unfortunately, there are no no-annual-fee Avios options to convert to.
If you are blocked by 5/24 (or don't want to use one of your remaining slots), but you'd prefer the companion airfare offer on a different card, you might be able to convert between Chase's three different Avios-based cards. We haven't tried and can't find any information on the web. If you are interested, there is no harm in calling and asking.
If you are under 5/24 and it has been two years since you've earned the signup bonus, you might consider cancelling your card, reapplying, and earning the signup bonus again. If you are under 5/24 and have a lot of Chase cards, you might consider cancelling just to lower your total number of Chase cards and decrease the risk of going for new signup bonuses.
You can cancel without worrying about losing your Avios points. Once you earn them, they are treated like any other points in your account.