Get 5,000 Avios as a sign-up bonus with the Aer Lingus credit card

Whilst we don’t write about it much, Aer Lingus has its own Avios-earning credit card.

Our full review of the Aer Lingus Aer Credit Card, issued by Bank of Ireland, is here. It’s not very attractive – a terrible earning rate of 1 Avios per €4 spent and a €125 annual fee when you include the Government Stamp Duty.

On the upside, there are some decent soft benefits:

• 2 free Aer Lingus tickets EVERY YEAR for spending €5,000 on the card (taxes apply)
• 2 Fast Track & Priority Boarding passes every year
• 2 lounge passes
• Worldwide multi-trip travel insurance including winter sports

I’m not going to analyse the value of these soft benefits in detail because our review does it well enough.

For only the second time ever, I think, Bank of Ireland is offering a sign-up bonus on this card.

Until 16th February 2023, new cardholders who spend €1,000 by 16th May 2023 will receive a bonus of 5,000 Avios.

When you factor in the lounge passes and the two free short-haul flights, I think the card now becomes reasonable value for the first year. Whilst UK residents may find the earning rate very weak, there isn’t a lot of competition in the Irish market. I’d be reconsidering my options after the first year, however.

You can find out more, and apply, on the Bank of Ireland website here.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – April 2023 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current 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:

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending.