The 6 Best Ways to Redeem Aer Lingus AerClub Avios [2024]

Aer Lingus AerClub launched in December 2016 as part of the Avios family with British Airways, Iberia, and additional airline partners.

Avios is complicated: while the points are the same, which program they sit in influences your award ticket availability, options, prices, and booking method. You can be booking the same flight with your Avios and get 4 different Avios prices and fees!

AerClub uses the avios.com website for all award ticket bookings. Compared to British Airways Executive Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Iberia Plus, even flight availability can differ. But complexity can mean opportunity if you take the time to learn!

The great recent news for U.S.-based travelers is that Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways, and Iberia Plus are all Chase transfer partners. Rather than the complicated and error-prone “Combine My Avios” process, these direct transfers are simple and instant. You can also transfer to Qatar Airways from Citi ThankYou points.

We have previously highlighted the best ways to redeem British Airways Avios. Now let’s compare to AerClub Avios and see what values we can unearth!

Easy Ways to Boost Your AerClub Avios

Aer Lingus Visa Signature^® Credit Card

Aer Lingus Visa Signature^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Aer Lingus Visa Signature^® Card

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

75,000 Avios

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$938

Annual Fee

$95

APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x points on Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia purchases
• 2x points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel
• Priority boarding

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• Doesn’t offer many bonus categories

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL.
• Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
• Every calendar year you make purchases of $30,000 on your Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card, you'll receive a Commercial Companion Ticket good for 12 months
• You and any authorized users on your account are eligible for Priority Boarding on Aer Lingus flights departing from and returning to the US from Ireland, subject to availability.
• Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
• Simply tap to pay with your contactless Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

If you spend $30,000 annually on the card, you can earn a companion certificate for economy class travel between the U.S. and Ireland.

Also, you will enjoy priority boarding for yourself and any authorized users on your account on Aer Lingus flights between the U.S. and Ireland.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Collecting Chase Ultimate Rewards points by using a Chase credit card is one of the best ways to earn AerClub Avios because Ultimate Rewards points are:

• Very easy to earn
• Transferable to Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio)
• Transferable to many other airlines and hotels!

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

GREAT STARTER CARD

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$95

APR

21.49%-28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠

60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$550

APR

22.49%-29.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025

Cons

• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck^®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 22.49%-29.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

Here are some of Aer Lingus’s routes to/from North America’s East Coast:

Hot Tip: If you want to understand Aer Lingus’ route network in detail, check out our definitive guide to Aer Lingus’ direct routes from the United States.

3. Off-Peak North America to Ireland in Business for 50,000-62,500 Avios and No Fuel Surcharges (Aer Lingus)

While not the bargain basement deal of economy, off-peak North America to Ireland business class goes for 50,000 Avios from the East Coast and 62,500 Avios elsewhere.

This is competitive with other frequent flyer programs. However, when you add onward connections to the U.K. and Europe, prices become less competitive.

Hot Tip: For more options, check out our detailed guide to using points and miles to fly to Ireland.

4. Off-Peak North America to Anywhere Aer Lingus Flies (Aer Lingus)

Avios awards are priced by distance per segment. A nonstop off-peak award from Boston (BOS) to Dublin (DUB) costs 13,000 Avios in economy. Adding a connection on Aer Lingus can add as little as 4,000 Avios to the total one-way price!

Aer Lingus flies to many popular Mediterranean destinations. Many of these will still cost less than the typical 30,000 miles from North America to Europe charged by most other airlines.

Explore the Aer Lingus route map here.

5. Ireland to U.K./Europe in Economy Starts at Just 4,000 Avios (Aer Lingus)

Ireland to U.K./Europe starts at just 4,000 Avios on off-peak dates and 4,500 Avios on peak dates. Always compare to cash tickets, though, because intra-Europe flights can be quite cheap — they might not even be much more than the award ticket taxes and surcharges.

6. Experience British Airways Galleries Lounge at London Heathrow for 9,000 Avios (British Airways)

Book a British Airways flight from London (LHR) for as little as 9,000 Avios and experience the British Airways Galleries Lounge before departure.

Just book a short-distance business class award flight on British Airways to gain Galleries access. You can also connect in London, as long as your onward flight from London is British Airways.

If you book an Aer Lingus flight, the airline has its own lounge — and because Aer Lingus is not a Oneworld member, you cannot use Oneworld elite status to access Oneworld airline lounges such as Galleries when traveling on Aer Lingus.

Aer Lingus Avios is different from traditional frequent flyer programs. By learning its quirks, you can determine when it’s advantageous to use Avios, and when you should consider an alternate program.

Traditional airline award charts are priced by geographic region. This yields the familiar 25,000-mile U.S. domestic round-trip award ticket.

In contrast, AerClub prices award flights on 3 criteria:

• Distance
• Peak or off-peak date
• Cabin class

Distance Zones

AerClub has 6 distance zones:

AerClub publishes its peak travel dates each year, and peak date award travel costs more Avios than off-peak. These are separate from British Airways and Iberia peak dates.

Regardless of whether you use Aer Lingus Avios, British Airways Avios, or Iberia Avios to book Aer Lingus flights, these peak dates always apply to Aer Lingus flights. However, each program may charge different amounts of Avios and fees, so always compare.

In 2020, peak dates are:

• January 1 to 8
• April 3 to 19
• June 13 to September 6
• December 17 to 31

In 2021, peak dates are:

• January 1 to 6
• March 26 to April 11
• June 12 to September 5
• December 16 to 31

What Airlines Can You Book With Aer Lingus Avios?

Instead of the Aer Lingus website, you book Aer Lingus Avios tickets with the companion avios.com website.

With avios.com, you can book the following airlines:

• Aer Lingus
• British Airways
• Iberia
• Vueling

Hot Tip: Aer Lingus is not a Oneworld alliance member, so you can’t directly book awards on airlines like American Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Instead, you can use the avios.com “Combine My Avios” feature to move your Avios to British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus to book Oneworld and other partner airlines.

Aer Lingus AerClub vs. British Airways Executive Club to Book Aer Lingus Flights

You can book Aer Lingus flights with either Aer Lingus Avios or British Airways Avios. There are pros and cons to each approach.

Final Thoughts

Aer Lingus AerClub is a niche program in the Avios family, and it has become a convenient way to access Ireland nonstop, as well as a competitive option for transatlantic travelers generally.

Direct point transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to AerClub make it easy to earn Avios. United Airlines flyers can also earn Aer Lingus Avios on United flights through their partnership.

AerClub award options are limited to only a few partner airlines. To really maximize value, make sure to learn about the British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus for the best uses of your Avios.