Can I use Avios for Aer Lingus flights?

Can you spend your Avios points on flights on Aer Lingus?  

In this article I want to look at how you can use your Avios to fly with partner airlines like Aer Lingus.

The good news is that you are not restricted to spending Avios points on British Airways.  BA is part of a global airline alliance called oneworld, and this allows you to redeem Avios for flights with all of the member airlines.

This means that you can book Avios flights on the following oneworld members:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines

British Airways also has additional partnerships with LATAM and China Southern.

How do you book Aer Lingus flights with Avios?.

There are now TWO ways of booking a redemption on Aer Lingus – either via aerlingus.com or ba.com.

The process for using aerlingus.com is complex. You need to open an Aer Lingus AerClub account and then use the ‘Combine My Avios’ link on the Aer Lingus website to transfer your Avios (instant, free, reversible) from British Airways Executive Club.

The other is via ba.com, using the same page that you would use for booking an Avios flight on British Airways.

Flying long haul?

There is no value in booking on the Aer Lingus website. You have the same flight availability, for the same number of Avios and the same taxes, at ba.com.

Flying short haul?

This is trickier. ba.com charges around £40 more in taxes and surcharges for short haul Aer Lingus flights. You either need to swallow this or go through the process I outlined above for opening an Aer Lingus AerClub account and transferring your Avios across.

A quick word about Air Passenger Duty

If you flying from the UK and changing aircraft in Dublin for a flight to the United States, remember that if you book UK – Dublin – North America on the same ticket then you will also need to pay long-haul premium cabin UK Air Passenger Duty.  Booking two separate tickets dramatically reduces the APD charge although you must build in enough flexibility to ensure you don’t miss your connection.

What are the cancellation rules on Aer Lingus flights booked with Avios?

The cancellation and change fee rules are the same as if you had booked a BA flight.  You can cancel your flight up to 24 hours before departure, either online or by calling BA.

100% of your Avios will be refunded.

Your taxes and charges payment will also be refunded, less a £35 cancellation fee per person.  If the taxes and charges were less than £35 per person, you do not need to pay any extra. Bookings made on the Aer Lingus website have a cancellation fee of €42.50.

How many Avios will I need to book on Aer Lingus?

This PDF file from the Aer Lingus website shows you how many Avios will be needed.

You can choose to use fewer Avios but pay a higher cash element if you wish, but this isn’t the best value for money.

As you can see, it is very easy to book Aer Lingus flights with Avios points and it opens up a large number of new travel destinations for you.  This includes the new direct routes to New York, Orlando and Barbados from Manchester.

(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Executive Club works.  You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )

(Head for Points is the UK’s biggest frequent flyer website with 2.6 million monthly page views.  Want to learn more about earning and spending Avios?  Click here to read our latest news stories and click here to join the mailing list for our weekly or daily email newsletters.)

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.

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 9th December 2024, there are EXCLUSIVE sign-up offers for our readers on the two Capital on Tap small business Visa cards. You can earn 20,000 points on the Business Rewards card and 30,000 points on the new Pro card. Click here to apply.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

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.