Exploring the limits of Reward Flight Saver via Iberia

I am a huge fan of the Avios ‘Reward Flight Saver’ redemptions, which cap your taxes and charges at £27 for a return Economy ticket and £37 for a return Business ticket.  I wrote more about it here.

I decided to spend some time last week exploring what is actually possible with Reward Flight Saver tickets issued by Iberia. 

(Remember that you can transfer your BAEC or avios.com points over to Iberia Plus using the ‘Combine My Avios’ feature.)

Why did I do this?  Well, Reward Flight Saver redemptions are available on direct BA or Iberia redemptions where the main flight is under 2,000 miles. 

Flying from London on BA, this covers everything down to Marrakech and Istanbul.  You also fly to Moscow using Reward Flight Saver.  Now that this route has gone to 747’s with long-haul seating, this is your only chance to experience First Class or Club World whilst paying the heavily reduced level of Reward Flight Saver taxes.

However …. were there any interesting Iberia redemptions under 2,000 miles from their hubs in Madrid or Barcelona?  After all, Madrid is a lot further south than London, so in theory it should open up a number of different Reward Flight Saver destinations within a 2,000 mile radius.

I was, therefore, disappointed by what I found.  Most of Iberia’s routes are to Latin and South America.  There are only two routes, both ex-Madrid, which offer a Reward Flight Saver opportunity not offered by BA.  These are Dakar in Senegal and Nouakchott in Mauritania.  Neither of these are likely to be top of any tourist itinerary, although obviously the routes will be of interest to those in the UK with family in the region.

Madrid to Dakar prices out (return) at 30,000 Avios plus Euro 27 in Economy or 60,000 Avios plus Euro 37 in Business, with the flight stopping at Gran Canaria on the way.

Madrid to Nouakchott is the same, with an identical stop.

A Reward Flight Saver flight from the UK to Madrid to connect with these services would cost 15,000 Avios plus £27 in Economy.

Reward Flight Saver flights are also available on Comair from South Africa – I will take a look at these in a future article.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (January 2023)

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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 21st February 2023, the sign-up bonus on the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card is increased to 35,000 Avios from 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points.

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: Capital On Tap has increased its sign-up bonus to points worth 30,000 Avios if you apply by 4th February. This is exclusive to Head for Points readers. 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.