Should You Redeem Avios With Aer Lingus AerClub?

Avios is a well known points currency, used by a variety of frequent flyer programs, including British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Finnair Plus, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Aer Lingus AerClub.

The Avios currency gives you quite a bit of flexibility, since you can transfer the rewards between the participating loyalty schemes at no cost. It’s worth understanding the sweet spots of each program, so you can decide under what circumstances you should redeem rewards through a particular program, rather than transferring them to another “flavor” of Avios.

More from OMAAT How To Transfer Avios Between Accounts (BA, IB, QR, EI, AY) Read more

I’ve written in the past about the best uses of British Airways Executive Club Avios, the best uses of Iberia Plus Avios, the best uses of Finnair Plus Avios, and the best uses of Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios.

Aer Lingus’ Aer Club frequent flyer program is probably the least talked about Avios rewards program, so in this post I wanted to take a brief look at redeeming Avios with this currency. Under what circumstances should you redeem Avios through Aer Lingus AerClub? Are Aer Lingus redemptions cheaper through AerClub than through other programs?

How to earn Aer Lingus AerClub Avios

Even if you’re not an Aer Lingus frequent flyer, there are plenty of ways to rack up Aer Lingus AerClub Avios:

• In the United States, you can pick up the Aer Lingus Visa Signature^® Card (review), which has a great welcome offer and valuable perks
• Aer Lingus AerClub partners with some major transferable points currencies, including Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, and Chase Ultimate Rewards
• You can transfer Avios between the various currencies, so you can accrue these points through transfers from programs like British Airways Executive Club

Basics of redeeming Aer Lingus AerClub Avios

Let’s talk a bit about under what circumstances it makes sense to redeem Avios through the Aer Lingus AerClub program, rather than through other Avios currencies. To very broadly summarize the takeaway:

• If you want to redeem for travel on Aer Lingus, Aer Lingus AerClub and British Airways Executive Club typically have the same award pricing, though AerClub is sometimes cheaper
• For redemptions on all partner airlines, transfer rewards to one of the other Avios currencies (especially British Airways Executive Club) to maximize value

Before we look at redemption options, let me cover a few basics of Aer Lingus AerClub Avios:

• Aer Lingus AerClub Avios expire after 36 months of inactivity, so you need to earn or redeem Avios in that timeframe to keep them active
• Aer Lingus AerClub lets you change or cancel an award up to 24 hours before departure, for a fee of €42.50 per passenger per booking; within that timeframe, award tickets can’t be changed or canceled
• If you want to redeem Aer Lingus AerClub Avios online, you can do so at this link

Redeeming Aer Lingus AerClub Avios on Aer Lingus

The best use of Aer Lingus AerClub Avios is for award bookings on Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus AerClub has a zone based award chart for these bookings, with off-peak and peak pricing (depending on the day of the year, in line with other Avios programs). Below you can find the Aer Lingus AerClub award chart.

As is the case with other Avios currencies, Avios pricing is per segment. So you can expect to pay the following number of Avios for transatlantic flights on Aer Lingus to the United States (Aer Lingus operates some transatlantic flights out of Dublin, Manchester, and Shannon):

• Transatlantic flights to the Northeast and Midwest of the United States cost 13,000-20,000 Avios in economy, or 50,000-60,000 Avios in business class
• Transatlantic flights to the rest of the United States cost 16,250-25,000 Avios in economy, or 62,500-75,000 Avios in business class

The good news is that the surcharges on these awards are really mild, so this is a great Avios redemption option, especially compared to travel on British Airways.

So, if you want to redeem for travel on Aer Lingus, how does Aer Lingus AerClub and British Airways Executive Club award pricing compare?

Well, for most markets, you’ll find that pricing is virtually identical. For example, a one-way off-peak Aer Lingus business class award from Dublin to Philadelphia costs 50,000 Avios plus exactly $169.10 in taxes and fees with each program.

However, in some cases you’ll find that pricing is actually lower through Aer Lingus AerClub than through British Airways Executive Club. For example, take a one-way off-peak Aer Lingus business class award from San Francisco to Dublin. This costs 62,500 Avios plus $163.30 in taxes and fees through Aer Lingus AerClub.

Meanwhile the same award would cost 90,000 Avios plus $158.70 in taxes and fees through British Airways Executive Club. So while it’s a few dollars cheaper, you pay a lot more Avios.

Sometimes there are just quirks with the two programs that I don’t have an explanation for. For example, take a one-way peak Aer Lingus business class award from Boston to Shannon. This costs 60,001 Avios plus $141.30 in taxes and fees through Aer Lingus AerClub. I’m not sure where that extra Avios comes from, but…

Meanwhile the same award would cost 60,000 Avios plus $1,002.30 in taxes and fees through British Airways Executive Club. I’m not sure why the program decides to impose huge surcharges specifically on this route, but it does.

So as you can see, in just about all situations you’re either just as well off redeeming through Aer Lingus AerClub, or better off. So if you are going to redeem on Aer Lingus, it’s always worth doing a side-by-side comparison of pricing, and then you can move around Avios as needed.

Redeeming Aer Lingus AerClub Avios on partner airlines

If you want to redeem Avios on any airline other than Aer Lingus, you’re better off transferring your Aer Lingus AerClub Avios to another flavor of Avios. Generally speaking:

• British Airways Executive Club Avios are most useful for travel on British Airways, and for travel on most oneworld partner airlines
• Iberia Plus Avios are most useful if you want to redeem for travel on Iberia, as the award pricing and surcharges are as low as they get
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios are useful for the unique airline partnerships that Qatar Airways has with non-oneworld airlines, like JetBlue, RwandAir, Virgin Australia, and more

Bottom line

Aer Lingus AerClub is a program that doesn’t get much attention, even though it partners with some major transferable points currencies. There’s no need to study this program in great detail. What you should understand, though, is that AerClub usually has the best award pricing for travel on Aer Lingus, at least among Avios currencies.

So if you’re thinking of redeeming Avios on Aer Lingus, it’s at least worth checking AerClub pricing, as it might be better than British Airways Executive Club pricing. For all other redemptions, you’re best off using another Avios currency, like British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, or Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

What’s your take on the Aer Lingus AerClub program?