Discount Madrid redemptions via Iberia Plus

Iberia runs regular redemption offers on flights to and from Spain and the UK, which can make it cheaper to move Avios points to Iberia Plus from BAEC or avios.com and redeem from there, rather than booking directly from BAEC or avios.com.

Iberia is currently offering a 25% discount on Avios redemptions between Madrid and London in July and August, so 5,625 each-way instead of the usual 7,500 in Economy.  It may also be possible to get this rate to other UK or Spanish destinations, given that regional connections in Spain and the UK are free on Avios redemptions.

There is a snag, though.  In order to avoid paying the full rate of taxes by getting a ‘Reward Flight Saver’ redemption, you need to have earned 1 Avios in Iberia Plus.  Transferring an Avios from BA does not count.  Until last week you could get this by opening an account with Spanish online supermarket alice.es for 100 Avios, but that offer has now been pulled.

If you have an Iberia Plus account which does not qualify for Reward Saver and you think you might be interested in future redemption ‘sales’ to Spain on IB, you should try to credit 1 flight segment, 1 hotel stay or 1 car hire to Iberia Plus so that you qualify next time such an offer comes around.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

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

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

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

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

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:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios 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.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)