Why flying LEVEL is decent value for long-haul Premium Economy Avios redemptions

Two years ago, IAG, the parent of British Airways, launched a new low-cost airline – LEVEL.

Whilst we ran an article at the time we have barely mentioned it since, except for the day it decided to sell all of its tickets to Vienna for 2p return!  This is partly because it is a low cost airline and doesn’t fit into our premium travel focus and partly because it doesn’t have any bases in the UK.

However, LEVEL is still a viable option for earning and spending Avios so we thought it was worth another look.  In particular, there are some decent value Premium Economy Avios redemptions available from Barcelona.

Where does LEVEL fly?

A lot has changed since LEVEL was launched with just four short-haul destinations from Barcelona.

Most significantly, the airline has grown outside its initial hub.  LEVEL now also flies from Vienna, Amsterdam and Paris.  It’s clear that IAG is trying to turn the screw on its key rivals Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group.

Here’s where you can fly:

From Barcelona

• Amsterdam
• Boston
• Buenos Aires
• New York
• San Francisco
• Santiago de Chile
• Vienna

From Paris

• Boston (ends 31st March)
• Fort de France
• Las Vegas (ends 1st March)
• Montreal
• New York
• Pointe-a-Pitre
• Vienna

From Vienna

• Alicante
• Amsterdam
• Barcelona
• Bilbao
• Calvi
• Copenhagen
• Dubrovnik
• Florence
• Genoa
• Hamburg
• Larnarca
• London
• Majorca
• Malaga
• Olbia
• Paris
• Porto
• Rome
• Rostock

From Amsterdam

• Alicante
• Barcelona
• Bilbao
• Florence
• Fuerteventura
• Ibiza
• Lisbon
• London
• Majorca
• Malaga
• Milan
• Rome
• Santiago
• Valencia
• Vienna

How are LEVEL’s long-haul aircraft configured?

LEVEL long-haul flights are operated as two-class aircraft but those classes are Economy (293 seats) and Premium Economy (21 seats) – there is no Business Class.

LEVEL’s seating is 2-4-2, which is standard for the A330.  Premium Economy is 2-3-2.

LEVEL claims to offer a “modern approach to flying”.  How modern?  Try, in Economy:

you pay for all food and drink

you pay for all checked luggage

you pay for seat selection (€15 for a middle seat at the back up to €70 each way for a window or aisle exit row seat)

you pay for a blanket, pillow and / or amenity kit

you pay for internet (fair enough on that one)

you pay for IFE

Premium Economy passengers do not pay for food and drink, seat selection, IFE or checked baggage.

There are no status benefits.  If you have British Airways status, for example, you still cannot use fast track or a lounge.

Can you earn Avios on LEVEL?

In general, no.

There is one exception:

if you are flying to/from Barcelona and

you booked via Iberia and your flight has an IB flight number

…… then you can earn some Avios in Iberia Plus.  LEVEL is not a British Airways Executive Club partner.

This means that you need to open an Iberia Plus account and then use ‘Combine My Avios’ to move them across to British Airways Executive Club.  Note that your Iberia Plus account must be 90 days old before you can transfer in or out of it.

This page of the Iberia website shows what you will earn.

For clarity, LEVEL is not part of oneworld and is not a British Airways partner.  You will not receive any benefits at all when flying with LEVEL irrespective of your British Airways or oneworld status.

How do I redeem Avios on LEVEL?

The key thing to know is that you can only redeem Avios on LEVEL flights to or from Barcelona.

For long haul, this means that you are restricted to:

• Boston
• Buenos Aires
• New York
• San Francisco
• Santiago de Chile

LEVEL is pricing off the standard Iberia Plus redemption chart.  However, there are two ways of booking LEVEL – via iberia.com and via avios.com.

Here is an example booking LEVEL from Barcelona to New York in Premium Economy:

Via iberia.com (11th March to 19th March, off-peak dates):

Economy (Blue Class) – 34,000 Avios + £135.10 return

Premium Economy – 51,000 Avios + £135.10 return (see below)

Via avios.com, where they show as Iberia services:

Economy – 34,000 Avios + £162.90 return

Premium Economy – 51,000 Avios + £162.90 return

As you can see, it is cheaper to book on the Iberia website.  The only reason to book on avios.com would be if your Iberia Plus account was not 90 days old and you were not allowed to transfer Avios across to it.

This article shows you how to transfer Avios from British Airways to avios.com or Iberia.

These Avios flights can only be booked via Iberia Plus (iberia.com) or avios.com.  They cannot be booked with Avios on the BA website.

Is this a better deal than booking World Traveller Plus on British Airways?

Now …. is it worth booking Premium Economy on LEVEL from Barcelona to New York for 51,000 Avios + £135 when you could book World Traveller Plus on British Airways from London to New York for £462?

You are saving £327 per person in taxes

You need to pay for a positioning flight to and from Barcelona

It adds a lot of hours to your trip to go via Barcelona

Some people might consider it a bit of fun – and there are worse places than Barcelona to transit.  If you don’t live near Heathrow and would need to transit in Heathrow from Edinburgh etc then it is also a different story.  It is up to you.

You can learn more on the LEVEL website here.

PS.  If you missed it, take a look at our recent article on 10 good reasons to consider the FREE British Airways American Express credit card.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (January 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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 21st February 2023, the sign-up bonus on the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card is increased to 35,000 Avios from 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

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

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: Capital On Tap has increased its sign-up bonus to points worth 30,000 Avios if you apply by 4th February. This is exclusive to Head for Points readers. 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.