250 free Avios still available if you pre-register for Aer Lingus AerClub

Aer Lingus is still offering 250 free Avios points if you pre-register for its new, much delayed, loyalty scheme AerClub.  If you didn’t jump in when I mentioned this back in April, you can still do it.

First a bit of history.  Following the acquisition of Aer Lingus by IAG, the existing Gold Circle loyalty programme was closed.  The plan was to relaunch it on 1st April 2016 as AerClub with Avios as its currency.

(If you have any Gold Circle points, they will convert to Avios at 1:2).

I wrote a long piece in November explaining what was known about AerClub.  The 1st April launch clearly did not happen and further dates have come and gone since then.  The website still talks about ‘2016’ but I wouldn’t put any money on that.

Earn 250 free Avios for pre-registering

According to this page of the avios.com website, you will earn 250 Avios in AerClub if you pre-register your interest before the launch.

The page to pre-register your details is here.  The 250 Avios are not mentioned here but it is mentioned clearly on the avios.com link above.

Pre-registering takes all of 10 seconds.  All they want is your first name and your email address.

Given that:

It is already certain that AerClub will be part of ‘Combine My Avios’ and that you will be able to move these 250 Avios to BA, and

AerClub is likely to have interesting promotions and partners which will make having an account a necessity for serious UK-based Avios collectors

….. I would pre-register your interest today if you haven’t already done so.

Once AerClub launches, I imagine that it will start getting substantial coverage on Head for Points as a lot of the promotions will be of interest to UK readers too.  We may, or may not, even launch a tailored version of HFP for the Irish market …… let’s see.

I also want to review the new Aer Lingus business class product before it is openly bookable online by British Airways Executive Club members.  At the moment you need to ring to book Aer Lingus redemptions and there is no way of checking availability in advance.  The upside of this method is that it does keep down demand for the seats to those of us ‘in the know’.

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.)