There has been NO Iberia devaluation. I repeat …

One upside of only publishing articles in the early morning, instead of dropping them in during the day, is that it gives me more time to reflect on the issue at hand. And, this time, saved me an ‘egg on face’ moment.

The quiet of my holiday was broken on Sunday evening by a tweet from @FreequentFlyr noting apparently strange pricing behaviour over at Iberia Plus.

Let’s jump back a step first though.  Since Avios was launched in November 2011, all three scheme (Iberia Plus, BA Executive Club, avios.com) have used the same pricing chart for awards – this one:

The chart that @FreequentFlyr had spotted was a different one.

What he assumed was that he had stumbled onto a massive, secret, Iberia devaluation – that Iberia had devalued oneworld partner redemptions overnight.

And if Iberia had done that, surely BA would follow?

Every major US frequent flyer site was all over this yesterday speculating that a) BA would follow and therefore b) the end of the glorious 4,500 Avios one-way internal US redemption was dead.

EXCEPT THAT IT ISN’T.  BECAUSE NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

Almost no-one, ever, books oneworld redemptions using Iberia Plus points.  This is why:

You cannot book them online

They are non-refundable and non-cancellable

Anyone with a brain moves their Avios to BA and books via ba.com.  Because, on ba.com, a oneworld redemption:

Can be booked online

Is refundable

Is cancellable

No wonder that no-one actually knew what Iberia’s oneworld pricing chart looked like.

However, this is what it looked like back in 2011 (courtesy of Flyertalk):

I went through old Flyertalk posts last night and I found references to redemptions which confirm these numbers.

Compare the ‘new’ table with the old table, priced in pre-Avios ‘Puntos’.  They are the same except that the Avios table is the old table multiplied by 15, which was the multiplier used with IB points when Avios was launched.

So, to clarify – Iberia has had (for AT LEAST 10 YEARS according to Flyertalk posts I pulled out yesterday) a very unattractive reward chart for oneworld partner airlines.  Because you could only book by phone, and the tickets were not cancellable or refundable, everyone forgot this redemption chart actually existed.  Until yesterday.

I look forward to some interesting articles on the US frequent flyer sites today.  And possibly some articles being quietly deleted.

Move along now, there is nothing to see.

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.)