What are the 2021 and 2022 peak and off-peak Avios flight dates?

What are the peak and off-peak dates for redeeming Avios points?  This article looks at the British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus peak and off-peak Avios calendars for 2021 and 2022.

Remember that these calendars apply to the operating airline and not to where you book your flight.  An Iberia flight uses the Iberia calendar even if you book it with the British Airways Avios redemption site.

What if I am booking a partner airline such as Qatar Airways?

You need to remember that partner airlines are charged at peak rates at all times.  This applies to Qatar Airways, American Airlines, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Finnair etc. You can see the British Airways partner chart here.

Where do the Avios peak and off-peak calendars differ?

I have reproduced the calendars below.  You will note that there are substantial differences between them. Especially when travelling during school holidays on a route served by both by BA and Iberia or Aer Lingus, it may well be cheaper to book away from British Airways.

Looking at 2022, Aer Lingus is always peak over Christmas, New Year, Easter and the Summer. It is always off-peak at other dates.

British Airways is far more granular with most months seeing a mix of peak and off-peak dates.

There are different peak periods around school holidays. UK bank holidays and half terms tend not to be peak on the Iberia and Aer Lingus calendars.

Of course …. you can only benefit from this if Iberia or Aer Lingus flies to your chosen destination, and you are happy transiting via Madrid or Dublin. Aer Lingus is launching direct flights from Manchester in Summer 2021 and this will provide some good opportunities to save Avios on flights to the US.

It is also not possible to use a British Airways American Express companion voucher if you fly with Iberia or Aer Lingus.

The 2021 and 2022 British Airways peak and off-peak Avios calendar:  

We have created an online peak/off-peak calendars that you can subscribe to on your mobile device or calendar app. It will add an all-day event for peak days. Click here to subscribe to the 2022 British Airways calendar.

You can see the British Airways Avios redemption pricing chart here.

The 2021 Iberia peak and off-peak Avios calendar:

Thanks to SeatSpy who were able to provide the Iberia 2022 calendar.

We have created an online peak/off-peak calendar that you can subscribe to on your mobile device or calendar app. It will add an all-day event for peak days. Click here to subscribe to the 2022 Iberia calendar.

You can see the Iberia reward flight pricing chart here.

The 2021 and 2022 Aer Lingus peak and off-peak Avios calendar:

We have created an online peak/off-peak calendars that you can subscribe to on your mobile device or calendar app. It will add an all-day event for peak days. Click here to subscribe to the 2022 Aer Lingus calendar.

You can see the Aer Lingus reward flight pricing chart here.

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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:

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

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:

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:

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.)