The 7 Best Ways to Redeem Aer Lingus AerClub Avios

The 7 Best Ways to Redeem Your Aer Lingus Avios

1. Off-Peak North America East Coast to Ireland in Economy for 13,000 Avios and No Fuel Surcharges (Aer Lingus)

With the December 2016 launch of Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways moved Boston 14 miles west on its Avios award chart. This means the famous ultra-cheap Boston to Dublin award is no more.

Most of the year is off-peak for Aer Lingus, except summer months and some dates around Christmas and New Year’s — many fewer peak dates than British Airways or Iberia. For an off-peak ticket, it’ll only cost you 13,000 Avios!

2. Off-Peak Rest of U.S. to Ireland in Economy for 16,250 Avios and No Fuel Surcharges (Aer Lingus)

Beyond the U.S. East Coast, other North America-Dublin routes top out at 16,250 Avios.

Services will be:

• Orlando (3 per week)
• Miami (3 per week)
• Seattle (3 per week)
• Los Angeles (4 per week)
• San Francisco (7 per week)

3. Off-Peak North America to Ireland in Business for 50,000-62,500 Avios and No Fuel Surcharges (Aer Lingus)

While not the bargain basement deal of economy, off-peak North America-Ireland business class goes for 50,000 Avios from the East Coast and 62,500 Avios elsewhere.

This is competitive with other frequent flyer programs…but when you add onward connections to the UK and Europe, prices become less competitive.

4. Off-Peak North America-Anywhere Aer Lingus Flies (Aer Lingus)

Avios awards are priced by distance per segment. A nonstop off-peak award from Boston-Dublin costs 13,000 Avios in economy. Adding a connection on Aer Lingus can add as little as 4,000 Avios to the total one-way price!

Aer Lingus flies to many popular Mediterranean destinations. Many of these will still cost less than the typical 30,000 miles from North America-Europe charged by most other airlines.

Explore the Aer Lingus route map here.

5. Ireland to UK/Europe in Economy Starts at Just 4,000 Avios (Aer Lingus)

Ireland to UK/Europe starts at just 4,000 Avios peak and 4,500 Avios off-peak. Always compare to cash tickets, though, because intra-Europe flights can be quite cheap — they might not even be much more than the award ticket taxes and surcharges.

6. Experience British Airways Galleries Lounge at London Heathrow for 9,000 Avios (British Airways)

Book a British Airways flight from London Heathrow for as little as 9,000 Avios and experience the British Airways Galleries Lounge before departure.

Just book a short-distance business class award flight on British Airways to gain Galleries access. You can also connect in London, as long as your onward flight from London is British Airways.

If you book an Aer Lingus flight, they have their own lounge — and because Aer Lingus is not a Oneworld member, you cannot use Oneworld elite status to access Oneworld airline lounges such as Galleries when traveling on Aer Lingus.

HOT TIP: Most British Airways flights will require fewer Avios by transferring your Aer Lingus Avios to British Airways Executive Club, and then booking with them on the BA site. Use the Avios.com site to make the transfer. The same goes for Iberia flights: transfer to Iberia Plus!

7. Flybe With No Peak Dates (Flybe)

Flybe is a budget UK and EU airline that operates between many smaller cities that otherwise would need to connect in London or Dublin. See the Flybe route map here.

Most Flybe tickets are cheap in cash — you may even think they’re too cheap to use Avios points, because of taxes and surcharges assessed. Still, it is good to compare. The great thing is, every day of the year prices as off-peak for Flybe awards!

Guide to Spending Aer Lingus Avios

Traditional airline award charts are priced by geographic region. This yields the familiar 25,000-mile U.S. domestic round-trip award ticket.

In contrast, AerClub prices awards on 3 criteria:

• Distance
• Peak or off-peak date
• Fare class

Distance Zones:

AerClub has 6 distance zones:

AerClub publishes its peak travel dates each year, and peak date award travel costs more Avios than off-peak. These are separate from British Airways and Iberia peak dates.

Regardless of whether you use Aer Lingus Avios, British Airways Avios, or Iberia Avios to book Aer Lingus flights, these peak dates always apply to Aer Lingus flights. However, each program may charge different amounts of Avios and fees, so always compare.

How Much Do AerClub Avios Award Flights Cost?

Combining the 6 distance zones and peak dates, you get the following one-way award prices:

Instead of the Aer Lingus website, you book Aer Lingus Avios tickets with the companion Avios.com website.

With Avios.com, you can book the following airlines:

• Aer Lingus
• British Airways
• Flybe
• Iberia
• Vueling

HOT TIP:Aer Lingus is not a OneWorld alliance member, so you can’t directly book awards on airlines like American Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Instead, you can use the Avios.com Combine My Avios feature to move your Avios to British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus to book OneWorld and other partner airlines.

Aer Lingus AerClub vs. British Airways Executive Club to Book Aer Lingus Flights

You can book Aer Lingus flights with either Aer Lingus Avios or British Airways Avios. There are pros and cons to each approach.

Summary

Aer Lingus AerClub is a new, niche program in the Avios family, and its expanding U.S. routes increase options for trans-Atlantic travelers.

Direct point transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to AerClub make it easy to earn Avios. United Airlines flyers can also earn Aer Lingus Avios on United flights through their partnership.

AerClub award options are limited to only a few Avios.com partner airlines. To really maximize value, make sure to learn about the British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus for the best uses of your Avios.