What are the 2025 and 2026 peak and off-peak Avios flight dates?

What are the peak and off-peak dates for redeeming Avios points?  This article looks at the British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus peak and off-peak Avios calendars for 2025 and, for BA, 2026.

Remember that these calendars apply to the operating airline and not to where you book your flight.  An Iberia flight uses the Iberia calendar even if you book it via ba.com instead of iberia.com.

(You shouldn’t do this, by the way, because taxes can be higher if you book Iberia long-haul flights on ba.com instead of iberia.com.)

What if I am booking a partner such as Cathay Pacific?

You should remember that partner airlines are charged at peak rates at all times when booked via British Airways. This applies to American Airlines, Cathay Pacific etc.

The exceptions are Qatar Airways and Finnair, both of which use Avios as their reward currency. These airlines set their own reward pricing which is identical whether you book on the BA, Iberia, Qatar Airways or Finnair websites. (Taxes, note, are not identical so it can be worth shopping around.)

Importantly, you may find reward flights on oneworld airline partners (except for Qatar and Finnair) are cheaper in Avios if booked via the Qatar Airways or Finnair websites. The problem is that online booking is not available for all partner airlines via Qatar Airways or Finnair which makes comparisons difficult.

Where do the Avios peak and off-peak calendars differ?

I have published the calendars below.  You will note that there are substantial differences between them. Especially when travelling during school holidays on a route served by both by BA and Iberia or Aer Lingus, it may well be cheaper to book away from British Airways.

Aer Lingus is always peak over Christmas, New Year, Easter and the Summer. It is always off-peak at other dates.

British Airways is far more granular with most months seeing a mix of peak and off-peak dates.

There are different peak periods around school holidays. UK bank holidays and half terms tend not to be peak on the Iberia and Aer Lingus calendars.

Of course …. you can only benefit from this if Iberia or Aer Lingus flies to your chosen destination, and you are happy transiting via Madrid or Dublin. Aer Lingus has direct flights from Manchester to New York, Orlando and Barbados and these provide some opportunities to save Avios on flights to the US and Caribbean. Our review flying Aer Lingus from Manchester to Barbados is here.

It is now possible to use a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 companion voucher if you fly with Iberia or Aer Lingus.

The 2025-2026 British Airways peak and off-peak Avios calendar

Here is the British Airways peak calendar for 2025:

And here it is for 2026 – this is obviously subject to change as flights are only bookable, as of today, up to mid February 2026:

You can see British Airways Avios redemption pricing, and a full list of destinations, here.

The 2025 Iberia peak and off-peak Avios calendar

Here are the Iberia dates for 2025:

The article looks at where you can fly long-haul on Iberia.

The 2025 Aer Lingus peak and off-peak Avios calendar

Here are the Aer Lingus dates for 2025:

The article looks at where you can fly long-haul on Aer Lingus.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2025)

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 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.