How do I move Avios from Iberia Plus to British Airways Executive Club?

In this article I want to look at how you can transfer Avios from Iberia Plus to British Airways Executive Club.

As you might already know, Avios is the reward currency used by British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and various other airlines.  In this article we’ll look at how you can move Avios between Iberia Plus and British Airways Executive Club.

To collect Avios you can signed up with any or all of British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Flybe and Vueling Club. However, the Avios balance is not shared between the accounts. It may be that you are signed up to both Executive Club and Iberia Plus, meaning you have two separate “bank accounts” for your Avios.

In theory, it is extremely easy to move Avios from Iberia Plus to British Airways Executive Club, meaning you can pool your Avios in one place rather than spreading them out.

In reality, it is not.

The first thing to say is that you can cannot move Avios into or out of an Iberia Plus account unless:

the Iberia Plus account is 90 days old and

the Iberia Plus has ‘earned’ at least 1 Avios

The easiest way to have the account ‘earn’ an Avios is to transfer 1,000 American Express Membership Rewards points.  You could also credit a BA or oneworld flight to the account or transfer some hotel points.

How do I transfer Avios from Iberia to British Airways, or from British Airways to Iberia?

The British Airways and Iberia websites have a tool on them called ‘Combine My Avios’.  This menu option allows you to push or pull Avios between your accounts.  Unfortunately it rarely works due to historical IT issues.

There is a solution though.  You need to use the avios.com website as an intermediary.  In order to open an Avios account which can be operated at avios.com, you need to visit the Aer Lingus website and sign up for AerClub.

Once you have signed up for Aer Club, this is what you do:

Log in at avios.com using your new AerClub account details

Find ‘Combine My Avios’ in the menus

Use ‘Combine My Avios’ to PULL your Avios from iberia.com to avios.com

Repeat the process to PUSH your Avios from avios.com to ba.com

This process works 99% of the time, which is about 75% more often than an attempt to make a direct transfer from Iberia to British Airways will succeed.

Moving points between accounts is instant and extremely easy – you can choose how many you would like to shift and complete the transaction. However, ‘Combine My Avios’ does not let you transfer Avios to another person – you must hold both accounts and they must have the same registered address.

(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Executive Club works.  You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )

(Head for Points is the UK’s biggest frequent flyer website with 1.8 million monthly page views.  Want to learn more about earning and spending Avios?  Click here to read our latest news stories, click here to join our email list and click here to read our ‘Avios Redemption University’ series.)

How to get 20,000 Avios from Amex Gold or 30,000 Avios from Amex Platinum (December 2021 offer)

The sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold converts to 20,000 Avios and the card is free for the first year. You can apply here.

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

You don’t qualify for the Amex Gold bonus if you have a British Airways American Express card. You DO qualify for the bonus on The Platinum Card, which converts into 30,000 Avios. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

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

If you have your own small business, the best way of earning Avios is via the Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa. It has a sign-up bonus which converts to 10,000 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 look at the British Airways Accelerating Business card, because it currently has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up by 14th November. You can apply here.

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

You can find out more about ALL UK credit cards which offer travel rewards in this article, updated monthly.