Ignore Iberia’s email about an American Express to Avios points transfer bonus

Iberia Plus sent out an email last week offering a 20% bonus if you convert your American Express Membership Rewards points into Avios before 31st March.

This was a big mistake.

In teeny tiny small print at the bottom, it says:

Promotion valid for American Express Cardholders registered for the Membership Rewards® programme, with cards issued by American Express Card España S.A.U

This means that transfers from UK issued American Express cards will not count.  You will not receive a 20% bonus if you transfer Membership Rewards points to Iberia.

Iberia should have been substantially more careful in how it worded the English language version of this email, given that many will have gone to people living outside Spain.  I fear that the UK Amex call centre is going to be busy.

PS.  Of course, there is an outside chance that Iberia’s IT is not up to speed (hard to believe, I know), that it fails to spot that a transfer has come from the UK Membership Rewards scheme and awards the bonus anyway.  The problem is that the bonus will be added 14 days in arrears, not alongside the base points, and by the time we find out whether or not it works the offer will nearly be over.

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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.