Best ways to redeem Avios: Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia

Avios is one of the most flexible airline currencies you can earn, and it is currently one of the cheapest to top up. That’s because American Express is offering a 30% bonus when you transfer your Membership Rewards points to British Airways Club, Iberia Club or Aer Lingus AerClub, and the bonus runs through Sept. 27.

That covers three separate loyalty programs, each with its own award charts and quirks. If you can move Avios between all seven Avios programs at a 1:1 ratio at no cost, does it actually matter which one you transfer your points to and redeem with?

In short, yes, because some of the best Avios sweet spots can only be booked through one specific program. Plus, you can only book domestic flights on Oneworld partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines through two of these programs.

Here are the best redemption sweet spots in each loyalty program.

Redeem Avios through Aer Lingus AerClub

AerClub is the smallest and most restricted of the three programs, since it can only book flights operated by Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia. However, there are still some great sweet spots to know about, especially if you are traveling to Ireland.

• Fly to Ireland in economy from 13,000 Avios: Off-peak, one-way economy awards flying Aer Lingus to Dublin Airport (DUB) cost 13,000 Avios (or 10,000 Membership Rewards points with this transfer bonus, noting transfers must be in increments of 1,000 Amex points) from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Dulles International Airport (IAD), O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Bradley International Airport (BDL) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Longer nonstop flights from the Midwest, Florida and California are a reasonable 16,250 Avios (or 13,000 Amex points).
• Cross the Atlantic in lie-flat business class for 50,000 Avios: Off-peak business class costs 50,000 Avios each way, or 39,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, from the East Coast gateways above, and 62,500 Avios, or 49,000 Amex points, from the Western and Southern cities. The catch is availability, since Aer Lingus releases few business-class award seats, often just one per flight, so consider using the new free Find Reward Flights tool to track these down.
• Continue into Europe for 4,000 more Avios: AerClub prices awards per segment rather than per zone. Short flights from Ireland to the U.K. and Europe start at 4,000 Avios, or 3,100 Amex points, on their own, noting that Amex points must be transferred in increments of 1,000, so you would need 4,000 Amex points to book one flight, though if you are adding this to a transatlantic booking (perhaps with a few days stopover in Dublin) or booking multiple passengers, the Amex bonus will work in your favor.

Related: What it’s like flying Aer Lingus’ Airbus A321XLR to Ireland

Redeem Avios through British Airways Club

Of these three loyalty programs, British Airways Club is the largest and has the most advanced, user-friendly booking platform. Though the program has increased redemption rates over the past few years, there are still great redemptions to be had.

• Hop around Europe on short-haul flights: A one-way off-peak economy award from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) costs 10,000 Avios, or 8,000 Membership Rewards points with the transfer bonus, while the same flight in Club Europe business class is 16,500 Avios, or 13,000 Amex points. On these short flights, you’ll pay just about 1 British pound on taxes and fees (about $1.35) in economy and 15 British pounds (about $20) in Club Europe. British Airways also offers a sliding scale of Avios-and-cash combinations for these awards rather than a single fixed price, so if you are short on Avios, you can slide it back and pay a little more cash. The airline has a huge short-haul route network from three London airports across Europe and North Africa, so you have plenty of options.
• Find excellent availability and rates on Qatar Airways award-winning Qsuite business class: A one-way Qsuite business class redemption from anywhere in the United States to Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha costs 70,000 Avios, or just 54,000 Membership Rewards points with the current transfer bonus applied, plus reasonable taxes and fees. Qsuite is widely regarded as one of the best business-class products in the sky, with sliding doors and configurable seating for couples or families traveling together. While Qatar Airways generally does not release business-class award availability from North America to partners such as American Airlines AAdvantage and Qantas Frequent Flyer, it does offer plenty of seats to British Airways Club members, making this an outstanding way to redeem Avios.

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• Fly domestically on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines: Avios are not only for flights to Europe. Domestic flights on American or Alaska start at 13,500 Avios each way, or 11,000 Membership Rewards points with the transfer bonus. West Coast flights to Hawaii on either American or Alaska start at 22,000 Avios, or 17,000 Amex points, a sweet spot given the length of these flights. AerClub cannot book American or Alaska at all.
• Book LATAM flights around South America from 9,500 Avios: Flights of up to 650 miles cost 9,500 Avios each way, or 8,000 Amex points, covering routes such as El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogota, Colombia to Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) in Cartagena, Colombia, or Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru to Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) in Cusco, Peru. There is a Caribbean option too, with LATAM flying from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic for 15,000 Avios in economy, or 12,000 Amex points, and 27,500 Avios in lie-flat business class on a Boeing 787, or 22,000 Amex points with this transfer bonus.

Related: British Airways reveals revamped short-haul seats and new transatlantic first-class timeline

Redeem Avios through Iberia Club

Iberia Club has the best premium cabin sweet spot of the three loyalty programs and the lowest surcharges. Here’s why you need to know about this program if you want to travel to Spain.

• Fly to Spain in business class from 40,500 Avios: Off-peak, one-way business-class to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) flying Iberia costs 40,500 Avios or 32,000 Membership Rewards points from BOS, JFK, IAD and Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), possibly the best transatlantic sweet spot in existence. Peak dates cost 59,000 Avios, or 46,000 Amex points. From ORD, MIA, Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the off-peak rate is 50,500 Avios or 39,000 points, and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) it is 60,500 Avios or 47,000 points. Iberia flies lie-flat business class on its long-haul fleet, and taxes and fees typically run around $125 each way.
• Cross the Atlantic in economy for 16,000 Avios: When Iberia repriced its chart recently, Economy Basic awards from the East Coast to Spain came down to 16,000 Avios off-peak from 17,000, even as the premium cabins went up. That is only 13,000 Membership Rewards points each way with this transfer. From ORD, MIA, MCO and DFW, Economy Basic costs 20,000 Avios or 16,000 Amex points, and from LAX and SFO it is 24,000 Avios or 19,000 Amex points. Iberia also sells an Economy Comfort award from the East Coast at 25,000 Avios or 20,000 Amex points, which includes seat selection, checked baggage, priority boarding and generous change and cancellation policies.

While British Airways Club will usually show the same award rate for Iberia-operated flights, booking through Iberia Club usually offers lower taxes, fees and surcharges, so if you’re heading to Spain, start with this program.

Related: On board Iberia’s first Airbus A321XLR, the aircraft that could revolutionize transatlantic travel

How to earn American Express Membership Rewards points

The best way to earn Membership Rewards points is through welcome offers on Amex’s top cards. Here are some of our favorites:

• American Express Platinum Card®: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 300,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• American Express® Business Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 200,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Related: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards points for maximum value

Bottom line

A 30% bonus across three different Avios programs doesn’t come around often, and it’s one of the more generous transfer bonuses we’ve seen in a while. Whether the goal is a lie-flat seat to Ireland on Aer Lingus, a quick hop around Europe on British Airways, or a premium cabin to Spain on Iberia, this bonus stretches Membership Rewards points further across all three programs.

Each program brings something different to the table, so it’s worth taking a few minutes to match the trip to the program that suits it best before transferring. Remember that Amex transfers are irreversible, so confirm the seats are actually there first.

The bonus runs through Sept. 27, so anyone sitting on a stash of Membership Rewards points has a limited window to make the most of this 30% transfer bonus.