Discount Avios redemptions to Madrid via Iberia Plus

Iberia runs regular redemption offers on flights to and from Spain and the UK, which can make it cheaper to move Avios points to Iberia Plus from BAEC or avios.com and redeem from there, rather than booking directly from BAEC or avios.com.

Iberia is currently offering a 25% discount on Avios redemptions between Madrid and London in July and August, so 5,625 each-way instead of the usual 7,500 in Economy.  It may also be possible to get this rate to other UK or Spanish destinations, given that regional connections in Spain and the UK are free on Avios redemptions.

There is a snag, though.  In order to avoid paying the full rate of taxes by getting a ‘Reward Flight Saver’ redemption, you need to have earned 1 Avios in Iberia Plus.  Transferring an Avios from BA does not count.  Until last week you could get this by opening an account with Spanish online supermarket alice.es for 100 Avios, but that offer has now been pulled.

If you have an Iberia Plus account which does not qualify for Reward Saver and you think you might be interested in future redemption ‘sales’ to Spain on IB, you should try to credit 1 flight segment, 1 hotel stay or 1 car hire to Iberia Plus so that you qualify next time such an offer comes around.

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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.