Good long-haul Avios bargains with the new Iberia spend chart – save £380 tax and Avios

I wrote yesterday about how, for three weeks or so until British Airways brings in its new Avios pricing, some British Airways redemptions will be cheaper if booked via Iberia Plus.

There are also some excellent deals to be had if you are willing to fly on Iberia from Madrid rather than British Airways from London for your long-haul redemptions.

Here is the Avios redemption table for Iberia when redeemed via Iberia Plus which came into effect from April 1st:

And here is the current British Airways Executive Club redemption chart, which applies to both BA and Iberia until April 28th:

Let’s take a look at New York as a typical Iberia long-haul route which is also served by British Airways.  New York is Zone 5.

This is what a return business class redemption costs today:

British Airways flight from London: 80,000 Avios + £515 (this pricing jumps after April 28th)

Iberia flight from Madrid: 68,000 Avios + £134 (€183) at off-peak; 100,000 Avios + £134 (€183) at peak

On an off-peak data, you can save 12,000 Avios and £381 in charges by getting yourself to Madrid (for cash or Avios) to connect.

Taking Los Angeles as another example, a business class Iberia reward will be 85,000 or 125,000 Avios depending on season.  Today, British Airways asks 100,000 Avios so you save 15,000 Avios on off-peak Iberia dates – and the taxes will be £381 less. Would you buy a ticket to Madrid in order to save £381 and 15,000 Avios per person?

Remember that – after April 28th – the differences in pricing will get even wider.  New York using BAEC will cost 120,000 Avios on a peak date and 100,000 off peak.

Iberia will be 100,000 or 68,000.  BA and Iberia also have DIFFERENT peak dates.  October and February half-terms in the UK are peak for BA but off-peak for Iberia, meaning you save (120,000 – 68,000) 52,000 Avios per person.

Remember that Iberia is starting flights from Manchester (in September) and Edinburgh (already launched) to Madrid this year which will give those in the regions an easy option for connecting.  Remember that your flight to Madrid from the UK must be on a separate ticket from your long-haul flight if you are to avoid long-haul business class Air Passenger Duty.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2025)

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Up to 60,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

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