Aer Lingus Airlines, the flagship airline of Ireland, is owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns British Airways and Iberia. Aer Lingus is based in Dublin, Ireland, and is not a member of an airline alliance. This is similar to airlines like Etihad Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Dublin (DUB) is the main hub for Aer Lingus flights where you can fly nonstop across Europe and to several US cities. Its frequent flyer program is called AerClub and its airline miles are called Avios. In fact, you can pool your Aer Lingus Avios with your British Airways and Iberia Avios to book an award flight. With that said, let’s see what the AerClub program has to offer.
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Credit Cards to Earn Avios
Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy partner with Aer Lingus. For Capital One, British Airways is the actual partner. However, you can transfer points from British Airways to Aer Lingus. Amex and Chase points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, while Capital One miles transfer at a 2:1.5 and Marriott points transfer at a 3:1 ratio. Separately, you receive 5,000 bonus miles with every 20,000 Marriott points that you transfer.
My favorite cards to put on your radar include the Amex Gold Card, Capital One Venture Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. The Amex Gold Card earns 4x points at restaurants and US grocery stores. You earn 2x miles (points) on all purchases with the Capital One Venture Card. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers earn 3x points on dining and travel. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant earns 6x points at Marriott.
The Aer Lingus credit card is another way to earn Avios directly with your credit card spending. In addition to its welcome bonus, cardmembers earn 5x Avios per $1 spent on airfare purchased with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and LEVEL, within your first year of account opening. Cardmembers also earn 3x Avios per $1 spent on hotels booked directly with the hotel, within your first year of account opening.
Other Ways to Earn Avios
Outside of transferring credit card points to AerClub, you can earn Avios by flying Aer Lingus or its partner airline flights. Attach your AerClub frequent flyer number to its partner airline flight, and you earn Avios after the completion of the flight. Go to wheretocredit.com to see if this makes sense for your situation.
The Aer Lingus Avios estore shopping portal allows you to earn Avios with your online shopping. Simply click through a participating merchant before a purchase, and you earn Avios with your spending.
Using the AerClub car rental and hotel partners allows you to earn Avios with each reservation that you complete. AerClub partners with car rental companies like Avis and hotels brands like Marriott Bonvoy.
Holidays with Aer Lingus, Heathrow Rewards, Worldwide Experiences with Viator, Devine’s Worldwide Chauffeur Services, and Lounge Pass are travel partners that earn Avios when you spend with each partner.
Midpoint, a peer-to-peer international currency exchange, allows you to earn Avios when exchanging currency. At the time of this writing, you earn 1x Avios for every €11 exchanged.
Basic Redemption Rules
With AerClub, the number of rules to note is light. So, here are a few of the most important rules to know when booking an award flight:
- Number of Avios required is based upon the zones of your flight
- AerClub uses peak and off-peak travel dates
Using the Avios Search Engine
The Avios website is limited in that not all partner award space will show on its site and you can only search for award flights one week at a time. For British Airways and Iberia flights, it’s best to use each of these airlines’ respective search engines to search for a flight. For Aer Lingus award flights, start your search on united.com, and then confirm the same award space on avios.com. It’s important to note that united.com may not show the same Aer Lingus business class award space that you see on avios.com.
Best Ways to Use Avios
1. Aer Lingus US East Coast to Ireland
Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Castle, Phoenix Park, and St Patrick’s Cathedral are just a sliver of what you can experience in Dublin. With 50,000 Avios, you can book an Aer Lingus business class flight during off-peak dates between the US East Coast and Ireland. The US East Coast in the AerClub award chart is Zone 5. Another option is to book the same flight in economy class with 13,000 Avios.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Dublin (DUB) <> Boston, Chicago (ORD), Newark, New York-JFK, and Washington-Dulles
- Shannon (SNN) <> Boston, New York-JFK
- Manchester (MAN) <> New York-JFK
2. Aer Lingus US West Coast to Ireland
Travelers based in one of the Zone 6 cities may want to give AerClub a look the next time you’re flying to Ireland. The title of this section is a bit misleading. This is because AerClub includes Miami and Orlando in Zone 6 with Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. With 62,500 Avios, you can book a one-way Aer Lingus business class flight between the US and Ireland. Booking the same flight in economy class only requires 16,250 Avios.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Dublin <> Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle
- Manchester <> Orlando
3. Aer Lingus Ireland to the UK/Western Europe
Aer Lingus operates short-haul intra-European flights between cities like Dublin and Amsterdam, London, and Paris. So, this means that you can use 4,000-4,500 Avios (off-peak, peak) to book a one-way economy class flight between Ireland and cities in Zone 1 like Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Glasgow, and Paris.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Belfast (BFS) <> Edinburgh, London, Manchester
- Cork (ORK) <> Amsterdam, Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Paris
- Donegal (CFN) <> Glasgow
- Dublin (DUB) <> Amsterdam, Bordeaux, Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Isle of Man, London, Manchester, Paris
- Shannon (SNN) <> London, Paris
4. Aer Lingus Ireland to Western Europe
Flights that are slightly longer than ones in Zone 1 fall within Zone 2 of the AerClub award chart. These are flights that are generally to western-European counties outside of the UK. With 6,500 Avios, you can book a one-way off-peak economy flight between Ireland and countries in Zone 2. If off-peak dates do not work for you, 7,500 Avios books the same flight during peak dates.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Cork (ORK) <> Barcelona, Geneva, Lisbon, Munich, Nice
- Dublin (DUB) <> Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva, Lisbon, Madrid, Prague, Venice, Vienna
- Shannon (SNN) <> Barcelona
5. Aer Lingus Ireland to Eastern Europe
Travelers flying between Ireland and eastern Europe may find that AerClub has the redemption they need. Zone 3 in the AerClub award chart includes destinations between Ireland and eastern Europe. With 8,500 Avios, you can book a one-way off-peak economy flight between Ireland and countries in Zone 3.
Examples of flights that you can book include:
- Cork (ORK) <> Gran Canaria, Dubrovnik
- Dublin (DUB) <> Athens, Budapest, Dubrobnik, Gran Canaria, Naples, Rome, Santorini, Split
AerClub FAQs
How many Avios do I need for a flight on Aer Lingus?
You can book a flight for as few as 4,000 Avios.
Can you use BA Avios on Aer Lingus?
Unfortunately, you can’t use British Airways Avios to book Aer Lingus award flights.
Do you get Avios points on Aer Lingus?
AerClub has four Membership tiers: Green, Silver, Platinum, and Concierge. You earn Tier Credits when you fly with us on Aer Lingus ticketed and operated flights, and credits are awarded based on your route and fare type. The more Tier Credits you earn in your 12 month qualification period, the higher status of AerClub tiers you earn.
How much are Aer Lingus points worth?
Data points suggest Avios are worth 1.5 cents per point.
Can you transfer Aer Lingus Avios to BA?
Yes! You can transfer Avios between your British Airways (BA), Aer Lingus, and Iberia accounts.
Conclusion on AerClub
Point transfers from Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy partner are some of the easiest ways to earn Avios. Before booking an award flight, it’s important to note that the airline has uses off-peak award dates. When you’re ready to redeem Avios to book a flight, head to avios.com or united.com, find the flight you want to book, and get ready for your Ireland adventure!
How do you redeem your Avios? What other ways have you used your Avios? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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