New Iberia Avios redemption options – Dominican Republic and Montevideo

Slowly but surely, Iberia is coming back to health.  The Willie Walsh-led restructuring, which has seen massive job costs, has reversed the €1m+ per day loss that the airline was making.

As new long-haul aircraft are delivered, Iberia is beginning to expand its long-haul network again.  As a reminder, this is what was on offer when I updated my Avios Redemption University article last year:

• Africa – Accra, Algiers, Casablanca, Dakar, Luanda, Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Mauritania, Oran
• North America – Chicago, Miami, New York, Boston, Los Angeles
• South America – Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Guatemala City, Guayaquil (Ecuador), Lagos, Lima, Mexico City, Panama City, Quito, Rio do Janeiro, San Jose (Costa Rica), San Salvador, Santiago, Sao Paulo
• Asia – none
• Middle East – Tel Aviv

Remember that taxes on Iberia business class flights should be around £150 if you book via iberia.com.  Do NOT book via ba.com as you will charged nearer £550 return.  This is explained in more detail in the Avios Redemption University article.

Two new routes

Iberia has recently announced that it is launching two new long-haul routes this Autumn.  These are both routes that were dropped when the airline hit financial trouble.

Of most interest as a holiday destination is Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. 

This route will be offered five days per week from September 1st.  Avios redemptions from Madrid (booked via iberia.com) are:

50,000 Avios + £152 in Economy class (at ‘Blue’ saver level)

75,000 Avios + £152 in Economy class (at the standard availability level)

100,000 Avios + £168 in Business class

If Iberia seats are not available, remember that airberlin also offers three different airports in the Dominican Republic.

The second new route is Montevideo in Uruguay.

This route will also start on September 1st and will be flown four time per week.

Avios redemptions in economy will cost 60,000 + £143 in ‘Blue’ class or, if that is not available, 90,000 + £143 in economy.  A business class return is 120,000 + £159.

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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.