New ‘no tax’ US and Cuba Avios redemptions in big airberlin expansion
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I have had a soft spot for airberlin since they joined oneworld three years ago, and I have probably done more than anyone else in the UK to promote them. This is ironic as the airline does not even fly to the UK!
The reasons you should care about airberlin are:
You can use Avios to fly them long-haul to the US, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Middle East
You do not pay any fuel surcharges so there is very little cash to pay when you book an Avios seat. A one-way redemption from the US to Germany has just £3 of taxes and charges added.
They offer a fully flat bed product in business class.
My ‘Avios Redemption University’ article on airberlin has all the details. My review of flying the new flat seats in airberlin business class is here.
There are some downsides, of course:
You need to get to Berlin or Dusseldorf to start your trip
The food is not great (I remember getting brussel sprout salad once)
They only release two business class seats per flight
You cannot use a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher on airberlin (or any other partner airline)
All airberlin redemptions are priced at ‘peak’ pricing, irrespective of whether British Airways flights are ‘peak’ or ‘off-peak’ on that day
Here are the new routes announced this week:
Dusseldorf to Dallas (four flights per week from 6th May)
Dusseldorf to San Francisco (three flights per week from 6th May, increasing to five flights from June)
Dusseldorf to Boston (three flights per week from 7th May, increasing to four flights from June)
Dusseldorf to Havana (two flights per week from 28th May)
All four destinations are new to the airberlin route network.
Avios redemptions are already loaded to ba.com. Here is sample pricing to San Francisco:
Economy – 60,000 Avios + £61 return
Business – 180,000 Avios + £61 return
Compare that to £537 of taxes and charges for a British Airways Club World redemption and £344 for a World Traveller redemption. The maths is not that simple, of course, because you need to factor in the cost of getting to Germany. If you are travelling on an off-peak date, you also need to factor in the additional Avios required to fly airberlin over BA.
Overall, this is an excellent new use of your Avios points. It will be especially welcomed by those who are Avios rich but cash poor as, even after factoring in getting to Germany, a couple should be saving £400 in taxes and charges in Economy and £800 in Business compared with flying BA.
airberlin availability is currently excellent on these new routes. Unless your are BA Gold, there are no BA World Traveller seats to San Francisco available in July 2015 for example – but airberlin has space on almost every flight.
Similarly, there are no Club World seats outbound between 20th June and 19th September whereas the airberlin cup runneth over – at least for the next week or so until they are snapped up.
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:
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
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
25,000 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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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, 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.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review
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.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
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.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 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.
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