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  It is slightly foolish putting in an exchange rate as it will be hopelessly out of date by the time you read this, but assuming €1.20 this works out at exactly 1.0p per Avios.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 (June 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:

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

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 13th June, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card is doubled to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – and you get £200 to spend at Amex Travel too! Apply here.

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.

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.

EDIT: Applications for this card are temporarily suspended due to IT issues with the British Airways On Business SME loyalty scheme.

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.