Big 50% bonus when you buy Avios points via Iberia – 1.0p each

Let’s party like 2008.

With the IAG share price falling fast, the word has clearly gone out that cash needs to start coming through the door.  We have already seen British Airways offering a 35% bonus on point transfers from hotel loyalty programmes which means BA receives a large cheque from the hotel company.  I would even be willing to bet on seeing a Tesco conversion bonus soon.

I normally do not recommend buying Avios unless you need to ‘top up’ an account for an immediate redemption. With a few exceptions, buying a large proportion of the miles you need is rarely a good deal.

This is different.  Iberia Plus is currently offering a bonus of 50% on purchases of Avios points. This deal runs until Wednesday 6th July, see here for further details.

Note that you need to log-in to see details of the bonus offer. Without logging in, the page just shows the standard pricing.

There is no minimum purchase.  Even a 2,000 Avios purchase gets you 1,000 bonus Avios.

At the top end, you will be paying Euro 1,800 for 150,000 Avios (100,000 + 50%).  It is slightly foolish putting in an exchange rate as it will be hopelessly out of date by the time you read this, but assuming €1.20 this works out at exactly 1.0p per Avios.  You would need to add a 3% foreign exchange fee to this price if your credit card has one.

I would not usually be a buyer, even at this price.  1p per Avios is usually my target value when I redeem, not my target price to buy.  Your personal valuation may be different – if you only ever redeem using 2-4-1 vouchers, for example, you are likely to value a point more highly.  It may make sense for you if:

you have a specific redemption in mind where you know you will get over 1p per point of value

you value the ‘easy points’ aspect of this offer (no need to visit Tesco, apply for a new credit card etc etc)

You MUST have been an Iberia Plus member for 90 days before you can buy points. You must also have a balance greater than zero. This is easily fixed if you have previously earned an Avios via Iberia with a transfer in from British Airways. If you have never earned an Avios via Iberia Plus then you are stuck and cannot buy until a transaction has gone through your account.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (September 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards. Both have increased sign-up bonuses until 2nd November 2021:

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

The 30,000 points bonus on Amex Gold runs to 9th November 2021. The 60,000 points bonus on The Platinum Card runs to 2nd November 2021.

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:

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies. This card has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up:

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

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)