Aer Lingus relaxes its Avios redemption block – but still not ideal

Two weeks ago, we told you that the 60 day block on booking Aer Lingus redemptions with Avios was back.

It originally tried doing this in November 2023. Within two days of HfP writing about it, Aer Lingus had a change of heart and the cut-off was moved to six days.

The same thing has now happened again – but this time the mea culpa isn’t quite as strong.

During April, Aer Lingus put a 60 day block in place for Avios redemptions.

No seats, at all, were being made available for booking within 60 days of departure.

Given that a lot of Aer Lingus routes are short hops between the UK and Ireland, on trips which don’t require eight weeks advance notice, this was a blow.

Aer Lingus has now backtracked (a bit)

Aer Lingus has now loosened up.

Some Avios seats are now bookable from 15 days before departure.

I am typing this on Tuesday 13th May and the first date I can see with flights is Wednesday 28th May.

However, note the use of the word ‘some’. There is still a definite increase in availability at the 60 day mark but there is at least ‘something’ bookable now between 15 and 60 days before departure.

15 days is obviously a major improvement on 60 days. However, it is still unnecessary.

Are all Aer Lingus flights going out with virtually 100% load factors? No. Is Aer Lingus forced to keep Avios seats open until the last minute on very busy flights? No.

There is no reason why Aer Lingus can’t close down Avios availability on flights which may sell out, and leave seats open on those badly timed services or non-peak day services which never fill. A blanket ban is unnecessary.

However …. if there is to be a total ban, closing out 14 days of flights is better than 60 days, even if availability between days 15 and 60 still seems to be curtailed.

For clarity …. you can still redeem Avios for Aer Lingus flights using ‘Part Pay With Avios’ at any time. This is where you can get roughly 0.5p per Avios to reduce the cost of a cash flight booked on aerlingus.com. These redemptions are poor value for your Avios though, especially in premium cabins.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 70,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (June 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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

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