Do I earn Avios and BA tier points if I fly with Iberia Express?

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Today I want to look at whether you can earn Avios and British Airways Executive Club tier points when you fly with Iberia Express.

Iberia Express is a low-cost short-haul subsidiary of Iberia, complementing Iberia’s own short-haul flying on routes from Madrid that might not justify the more business-oriented Iberia offerings. Since Iberia, Iberia Express and British Airways are part of the same company (International Airlines Group), it is possible to book flights on Iberia Express via ba.com.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer regarding Avios and tier point earning rates on Iberia Express flights.

There are three ways to book an Iberia Express flight:

the first is directly with Iberia Express, which will give you an Iberia Express I2 prefixed flight number

the second is via Iberia, which codeshares on Iberia Express flights and gives you its own IB-prefixed flight number

the third is to book via British Airways via the Iberia codeshare or any BA codeshare which is in place, resulting in an IB or BA flight code

If you book an Iberia Express flight via British Airways or Iberia, and it has an IB-prefixed flight number, you will earn the standard Avios and tier points for an Iberia flight.

If you book via Iberia Express with an I2 flight code, you cannot earn Avios or tier points in British Airways Executive Club. You CAN earn Avios if you credit the flight to an Iberia Plus frequent flyer account, and you can then use the ‘Combine My Avios’ function on ba.com to move those Avios across to your BA account.

I bet you’re glad you asked now ……!

(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.