250 free Avios still available if you pre-register for Aer Lingus AerClub

Aer Lingus is still offering 250 free Avios points if you pre-register for its new, much delayed, loyalty scheme AerClub.  If you didn’t jump in when I mentioned this back in April, you can still do it.

First a bit of history.  Following the acquisition of Aer Lingus by IAG, the existing Gold Circle loyalty programme was closed.  The plan was to relaunch it on 1st April 2016 as AerClub with Avios as its currency.

(If you have any Gold Circle points, they will convert to Avios at 1:2).

I wrote a long piece in November explaining what was known about AerClub.  The 1st April launch clearly did not happen and further dates have come and gone since then.  The website still talks about ‘2016’ but I wouldn’t put any money on that.

Earn 250 free Avios for pre-registering

According to this page of the avios.com website, you will earn 250 Avios in AerClub if you pre-register your interest before the launch.

The page to pre-register your details is here.  The 250 Avios are not mentioned here but it is mentioned clearly on the avios.com link above.

Pre-registering takes all of 10 seconds.  All they want is your first name and your email address.

Given that:

It is already certain that AerClub will be part of ‘Combine My Avios’ and that you will be able to move these 250 Avios to BA, and

AerClub is likely to have interesting promotions and partners which will make having an account a necessity for serious UK-based Avios collectors

….. I would pre-register your interest today if you haven’t already done so.

Once AerClub launches, I imagine that it will start getting substantial coverage on Head for Points as a lot of the promotions will be of interest to UK readers too.  We may, or may not, even launch a tailored version of HFP for the Irish market …… let’s see.

I also want to review the new Aer Lingus business class product before it is openly bookable online by British Airways Executive Club members.  At the moment you need to ring to book Aer Lingus redemptions and there is no way of checking availability in advance.  The upside of this method is that it does keep down demand for the seats to those of us ‘in the know’.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.