…. and here’s the Aer Lingus peak and off peak Avios calendar for 2019

In our other article today we published the Iberia and British Airways peak and off peak calendars for 2019 which are very useful when planning reward flights, especially during school holidays.

Since 2017 Aer Lingus also has its own peak and off peak calendar.

Three periods are noticeably different from the BA calendar. Aer Lingus doesn’t have an October and February peak season during the UK half terms, the April peak season is one week shorter and there’s also no peak season towards the end of May / early June.

February and most of October are also off peak on Iberia, but there are number of days where Aer Lingus is the only IAG airline with off peak days.

On short haul the cost differences are modest. If you want to fly from London to Dublin in Economy on 12th February 2019 you would pay 4,000 Avios with Aer Lingus (off peak) and 4,500 Avios (peak) with BA, one way.

On a long haul flight the saving would be way more, of course, and makes the Aer Lingus long haul services from Dublin to North America particularly attractive during these periods.

(Aer Lingus long haul in Business Class is also very attractive, versus British Airways Club World, with the new 1-2-1 fully flat seats. We reviewed the seat here)

Just to be clear the Aer Lingus peak and off-peak dates apply to Aer Lingus flights wherever you book them. If you book an Aer Lingus flight on ba.com (actually, you can’t do it online, you need to call) then it goes by the Aer Lingus calendar and not the BA calendar.  The same goes for Iberia and, if booked on the Iberia site, BA.  You should compare the taxes and charges across both avios.com and the BA call centre before booking however.

Aer Lingus 2018:

(blue = off-peak, green = peak, click to substantially enlarge)

Aer Lingus 2019:

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.)