What alliance is Iberia part of?

Iberia is a part of the Oneworld alliance, alongside airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Qantas, and Qatar Airways.

How do I stop Iberia Avios from expiring?

Iberia Avios are valid for 36 months after account inactivity. You can extend the expiration by earning or redeeming at least 1 Avios.

How do I earn Iberia Avios?

You can earn Iberia Avios through credit card purchases on the Iberia Visa Signature card. You can also transfer points from Amex, Bilt, Chase, Marriott Bonvoy, and HSBC to earn Iberia Avios. Some other ways include flying on Iberia or any of its partners and crediting your flights to Iberia Plus, as well as shopping, booking hotels, making car rental reservations, and much more.

Is Iberia a Star Alliance member?

Iberia is not a Star Alliance member; rather, it is a member of the Oneworld alliance.

18 Best Ways To Earn Lots of Iberia Plus Avios [2023]

Iberia is the flag carrier of Spain serving over 120 destinations with its fleet of more than 300 planes. Headquartered in Madrid (MAD), it connects the vast majority of countries to the capital city.

This Oneworld airline is owned by International Airlines Group (IAG) which also owns British Airways, Vueling, and Aer Lingus.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to earn Avios in the Iberia Plus frequent flyer program so you can book award travel, request upgrades, and much more.

Table of contents

Sign Up for an Iberia Plus Account

Iberia’s frequent flyer program is called Iberia Plus. The currency that Iberia Plus uses is Iberia Avios, similar to British Airways Executive Club Avios, Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios, and Aer Lingus AerClub Avios.

You can easily register to join Iberia Plus so you can start earning Avios immediately.

Depending on what elite status you attain, you can get a mileage bonus, VIP lounge access, greater baggage allowance, and free upgrades.

Earn Iberia Avios With Credit Cards

Iberia Plus is transfer partners with a few flexible rewards currencies. In this section, we’ll show you how you can earn Iberia Avios from credit card spending without flying a single mile!

1. Iberia Visa Signature® Card

The first (and most obvious way) to earn Iberia Avios is to spend on the Iberia Visa Signature® card, which is currently issued by Chase.

This card earns 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL. You’ll also earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations purchases directly with the hotel. Lastly, earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.

The card also comes with a hefty welcome bonus and an assortment of perks, including flight discounts and no foreign transaction fees.

Hot Tip: If you happen to have the British Airways Visa Signature® Card or the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card, you can also convert British Airways Avios or Aer Lingus Avios to Iberia Avios, provided you meet some conditions such as minimum account opening times. Visit the Combine my Avios page for more details.

2. American Express Membership Rewards Cards

Another great way to earn Iberia Avios is to transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to Iberia. Note that you’ll enjoy an excellent 1:1 transfer ratio.

That means if you transfer 5,000 Amex points to Iberia Plus, you’ll get 5,000 Avios. It may take around 2 to 3 business days for these transfers to complete.

Recommended American Express Cards

3. Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card

Bilt Rewards points transfer to Iberia Avios at a 1:1 ratio. These points can be earned on the Bilt card, which is primarily targeted at users who pay monthly consumer rent.

4. Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Chase Ultimate Rewards is a flexible rewards currency with plenty of airline and hotel transfer partners.

You can transfer your Chase points at a 1:1 ratio to any of these partners, including Iberia Plus, with the right credit card.

So, if you transfer 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Iberia Avios, you’ll get 1,000 Iberia Avios. Plus, transfers process instantaneously.

Recommended Chase Cards

5. Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Lastly, if you happen to have a lot of Marriott Bonvoy points laying around, you can transfer them at a 3:1 ratio to Iberia Plus.

And if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Iberia in a single transaction, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 Avios on top of the 20,000 Avios you’d earn, for a total of 25,000 Avios.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

6. HSBC Rewards Credit Cards

HSBC offers a lesser-known transferable currency that can be used to earn Iberia Avios.

You can transfer HSBC Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio from the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card or HSBC Premier World Mastercard® Credit Card.

7. Add an Authorized User

If you’re interested in building your child’s or other family member’s credit history while accumulating Avios, adding an authorized user to one of the above-mentioned credit cards can be the best way to go!

Continue racking up Avios on purchases that are made by an authorized user!

Earn Iberia Avios Through Travel

If your credit card portfolio doesn’t include the major credit card options from American Express, Bilt Rewards, Chase, or HSBC, then another great way to earn Iberia Avios is through travel.

This includes not only airfare bookings directly on Iberia, but also alliance flights, car rental reservations, and much more.

Let’s take a look at how you can get Iberia Avios through travel.

8. Airfare and Airline Purchases

Iberia A350 business class seat in reclined position — Iberia A350 business class. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

The most straightforward way to earn Iberia Avios is to book a qualifying Iberia flight that earns Avios.

The number of Avios you earn will depend on the amount you pay for your ticket (base fare, carrier charges, and fees) and your status level.

Here’s how many Avios you can earn on your flights:

Ibera Plus Status Level	Number of Avios Earned Per € Spent
Iberia Plus Clásica (Classic)	5
Iberia Plus Plata (Silver)	6
Iberia Plus Oro (Gold)	7
Iberia Plus Platino (Platinum)	8
Iberia Plus Infinita (Infinite)
Iberia Plus Infinita Prime (Infinite Prime)

9. Crediting Oneworld Airline Flights to Iberia Plus

Oneworld airlines — Image Credit: Oneworld

Iberia is a Oneworld alliance airline, which means you can earn and redeem Iberia Avios on any of its partners, such as American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.

However, each airline partner has its own accrual chart, which complicates matters. That said, here is a complete chart to figure out how many Iberia Avios you’ll earn on each Oneworld airline:

Airline	Cabin Class	Fare Class	Accrual Rate (Percentage of Distance Flown)	Minimum Avios Accrued
Alaska Airlines	Business class	J, C, D, I	125%	625
	Flexible economy	Y, B, H	100%	500
	Economy low	K, M, L, V, S, N	50%	250
	Discounted economy	Q, O, G, X	25%	125
American Airlines	First class	F	300%	2
	First class	A	250%	1
	Business class	J, D, C	250%	1
	Business class	R, I	150%	750
	Flexible premium economy	W	150%	750
	Discounted premium economy	P	100%	500
	Full fare economy	Y, H	100%	500
	Discounted economy	K, L, M, V, S	50%	$250
	Deeply discounted economy	B, N, O, Q, G	25%	$125
British Airways	First class	F	300%	$1,500
	Discounted first class	A	250%	$1,250
	Business class	J, C, D	250%	$1,250
	Discounted business class	R, I	150%	$750
	Premium economy	W	150%	$750
	Discounted premium economy	E, T	100%	$500
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	$500
	Discounted economy	K, N, M, L, S, V	50%	250
	Deeply discounted economy	Q, O, G	25%	$125
Cathay Pacific	First class	F, A	150%	N/A
	Business class	J, C, D, I	125%	N/A
	Flexible premium economy	W	110%	N/A
	Discounted premium economy	R, E	100%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	N/A
	Discounted economy	K, L, M, V, S, N, Q	25%	N/A
Finnair	Business	C, J, D	250%	$1,250
	Business	R, I	150%	$750
	Premium economy flex	W	150%	$750
	Premium economy	E, T, P	100%	$500
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	$500
	Economy	K, M, L, V, S, N	50%	$250
	Discounted economy	Q, O, Z, G, A	25%	$125
Japan Airlines	First class I	F, A (F for domestic flights)	150%	N/A
	First class II	E (domestic only)	125%	N/A
	Business class I	J, C, D, I	125%	N/A
	Business class I	J (domestic only)	110%	N/A
	Business class II	I (domestic only)	85%	N/A
	Business class II	X	70%	N/A
	Premium economy I	W, R	100%	N/A
	Premium economy II	E	70%	N/A
	Premium economy III	P	50%	N/A
	Economy full	Y, B (Y for domestic flights)	100%	N/A
	Economy low	A (domestic only)	75%	N/A
	Economy low I	H	70%	N/A
	Economy low II	K, M, L, V, S	50%	N/A
	Economy lowest	N, Q, O, G, Z	25%	N/A
LATAM	Business	J, D, I, C, Z	125%	N/A
	Premium economy	W	110%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H, P	100%	N/A
	Economy	K, M, V, L, X, S, N	50%	N/A
	Discounted economy	O, Q, G, A	25%	N/A
Malaysia Airlines	First/business suite	F, A	150%	N/A
	Business	J, C, D	125%	N/A
	Discounted business	Z	100%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	N/A
	Discounted economy	K	50%	N/A
	Deeply discounted economy	M, L, N, V, S	25%	N/A
Qantas	First class	F, A	150%	N/A
	Business class	J, C, D, I	125%	N/A
	Premium economy	W, R, T	100%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	N/A
	Discounted economy	K, L, M, S, V	50%	N/A
	Deeply discounted economy	N, O, Q, G	25%	N/A
Qatar Airways	First class	F, A	150%	N/A
	Business class	J, C, D, I, R	125%	N/A
	Promotional business class	P	75%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	N/A
	Discounted economy	K, L, M, V, S, N, Q, T	50%	N/A
	Deeply discounted economy	G, O, W	25%	N/A
Royal Air Maroc	Business	J, C, D, I	125%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	N/A
	Discounted economy	K, M, L, V, S, N, Q, O, T, R	50%	N/A
	Deeply discounted economy	W, P, G	25%	N/A
Royal Jordanian Airlines	Business	J, C, D, Z, I	125%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	N/A
	Discounted economy	P, K, R, M, V	50%	N/A
	Deeply discounted economy	W, S, N, L, O, Q	25%	N/A
S7 Airlines (temporarily suspended)	Business	J, C, D	125%	N/A
	Full fare economy	Y, B, H	100%	N/A
	Discounted economy	K, M, R, T, V, L, S	50%	N/A
	Deeply discounted economy	N, O, Q, W	25%	N/A
SriLankan Airlines	Business flex	J	150%	N/A
	Business semi-flex	C	125%	N/A
	Business value	D	125%	N/A
	Business saver	I	100%	N/A
	Economy flex	Y, B, P, H	80%	N/A
	Economy semi-flex	K, W, M, E	70%	N/A
	Economy value	L, R, V, S	50%	N/A
	Economy saver	N, Q, O	25%	N/A

As illustrated above, you can earn Iberia Avios on virtually every eligible Oneworld flight. Whether you’re flying within Europe, on an ultra-long-haul flight to Hong Kong, or on a regional flight from the U.S. to Central America, chances are your flight can earn Iberia Avios.

Let’s do a few example calculations:

Let’s say you’re booking a one-way business class flight from New York (JFK) to Casablanca (CMN) on Royal Air Maroc in D class. You’ll earn 125% of the distance flown, which comes out to 4,511 Iberia Avios earned.
Let’s say you’re flying on a first class ticket from San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK) on American Airlines in A class. You’ll earn 150% of the distance flown, which amounts to 3,879 Iberia Avios earned.

10. Crediting Non-alliance Partner Airlines to Iberia Plus

In addition to Iberia’s Oneworld partners, you can credit flights on a few partner airlines that fall out of Iberia’s Oneworld alliance membership to earn more Iberia Avios.

Currently, Iberia has 4 non-alliance partner airlines:

Avianca
Binter Canarias
LEVEL (owned by IAG)
Vueling (owned by IAG)

Here is the accrual chart for non-Oneworld partner-operated flights:

Airline	Cabin Class	Fare Class	Accrual Rate (Percentage of Distance Flown)
Avianca	Business	J, C, D, A, K	125%
	Full-fare economy	Y, B, M	100%
	Discounted economy	H, Q, V, E, L, O	50%
	Deeply discounted economy	P, Z, W, S, G	50%
Binter Canarias	Business	C, R	125%
	Full-fare economy	Y	100%
	Discounted economy	Z, N, M	50%
	Deeply discounted economy	B, K, L, H, E	25%
LEVEL	Premium economy	W	150%
	Discounted premium economy	E, T	100%
	Economy	Y, B, H	100%
	Discounted economy	K, M, L	50%
	Deeply discounted economy	V, S, N	25%
	Deeply discounted economy	Q, O, A	10%
Vueling	Business	I	250%
	Discounted business	D, U	150%
	Flexible economy	Y, E, K	100%
	Classic economy	M, R, V, S, X, Z, T, W	50%
	Basic economy	Q, O, P	25%

*Interisland flights booked in the H or E fare classes do not accrue Avios.

For example, if you book a V class ticket on Vueling between Seville (SVQ) and Gran Canaria (LPA), you will earn 427 Avios. The flight distance is 855 miles, but the multiplier for a V class ticket is 50%, resulting in 427 Avios earned.

11. Hotel Partners

Iberia Plus maintains partnerships with a selection of hotel chains around the world. That’s great news because you can earn Iberia Avios on hotel stays that you were planning on making anyway.

Here is the Iberia Plus hotel partner list:

Iberia Plus Hotel Partner	Points Accrual Structure	Iberia Plus Hotel Partner	Points Accrual Structure
ALL – Accor Live Limitless	Can only transfer at a 3,000:3,000 ratio	Marriott Bonvoy	Up to 2 Avios per $1 spent Can also convert at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-Avios bonus after transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in a single transaction
Best Western Rewards	500 Avios per night Can also convert at a 5,000:1,000 ratio	Melia Hotels International	3 Avios per €1 spent Can also convert at a 100:30 ratio
IHG One Rewards	Up to 2 Avios per $1 spent 500 Avios/stay at The Venetian Resort – Las Vegas and Macao and The Palazzo – Las Vegas Can also convert at a 10,000:2,000 ratio	NH Hotel Group	Up to 450 Avios per night

12. Use Other Hotel Booking Companies

Another great way to earn Iberia Avios is to make your hotel bookings through Booking.com.

You can earn 1 Avios per €1 spent, which can be a great deal! Your Avios will appear 6 to 8 weeks after the checkout date.

13. Book Vacation Packages Through Iberia

Iberia Flight Hotel — Image Credit: Iberia

When booking a flight + hotel package through Iberia you can earn 1 Avios for every 1€ you spend (only for bookings departing from Spain).

14. Book a Car Rental

At the moment, 2 car rental agencies partner with Iberia Plus: Avis and Budget. To earn Avios, make your rental car booking online, provide your Iberia Plus card number, and your Avios will get credited to your account within 2 weeks after returning your car rental.

Avis

When you join Avis Preferred, you can earn 1,000 bonus Avios on your first Preferred rental.

And if you book a leisure rate, you can earn up to 3 Avios per $1 spent (before taxes and fees), up to 10,000 Avios per rental. With a corporate rate, that accrual drops down to 1 Avios per $1 spent (before taxes and fees), up to 10,000 Avios per rental.

If you’re renting in Europe or the U.K., you’ll earn 5 Avios per €1/£1 you spend (depending on which country you’re in). If you’re renting in Europe or the U.K. on a corporate rate, the rate is 2 Avios per €1/£1 you spend.

Budget

With Budget, you’ll earn a flat 2 Avios per €1 you spent, regardless of the car type. Specific rates like Budget employee rates, net rates, and other excluded rates aren’t eligible for earning Avios.

Specialty Earnings for Iberia Avios

In this last section, we’ll focus on some of the not-so-obvious ways you can earn Iberia Avios. Let’s see what options are available!

15. Shop&Fly With El Corte Inglés

El Corte Inglés has partnered with Iberia to allow Iberia Plus members to earn 3 Avios per €1 spent on tax-free purchases at El Corte Inglés at Castellana, Serrano in Madrid, Diagonal in Barcelona, and Costa in Marbella. The opportunity is open to non-residents in the European Union. This is a great deal if you’re visiting Spain and planning on doing some shopping!

Simply make your purchases at El Corte Inglés Department Stores, visit the Tourist Information Desk or the International Desk, offer them your Iberia Plus number, and the staff will help you claim your VAT refund.

After that, go to the airport, process your refund, and the Avios will get credited to your account within 5 days of the VAT refund date. If you run into any issues, you can send an email to [email protected].

16. Subscribe to The Economist

The Economist is a popular newspaper and magazine that currently offers up to 8,400 Avios when you set up a subscription.

Here’s the accrual chart for new subscriptions to The Economist:

Product	Subscription Length	Avios Earned
Digital	1 year	3,400 Avios
Print + Digital	1 year	4,400 Avios
Digital	2 years	5,400 Avios
Print + Digital	2 years	6,400 Avios
Digital	3 years	7,400 Avios
Print + Digital	3 years	8,400 Avios

17. Dine With Areas

At an Areas dining partners in Spanish airports (including Starbucks, PAUL, and Burger King), you’ll earn 2 Avios per every 1€ spent on purchases over 6€. Look for the sign that says “Aquí acumulas Avio.”

18. Buy Iberia Avios

Buying Iberia Avios can make sense in certain situations. Historically, Iberia offers up to a 50% bonus when you purchase Avios.

Hot Tip: If you purchase Iberia Avios, be sure to make your purchase in euros instead of U.S. dollars so you can save big!

Normally, the non-bonused price to buy Iberia Avios is around 2 cents per Avios — that cost goes down to around 1.5 cents per Avios with a 50% bonus.

However, keep in mind that you can only buy Iberia Avios if you’ve been a member for at least 3 months and if you’ve earned at least 1 Avios.

You can buy up to 200,000 Iberia Avios every calendar year, pre-bonus.

Final Thoughts

Iberia Avios are easy to earn. With a range of different ways you can rack up Avios beyond the usual suspects, you can be rapidly on your way to accumulating Iberia Avios quickly when you follow the steps in this guide.

For example, since Iberia is a Oneworld partner, you can rack up Iberia Avios with partners like American Airlines. That means you can earn Iberia Avios on domestic U.S. flights! You can also earn Iberia Avios on non-alliance partners like Avianca and LEVEL. Earn Iberia Avios, as well, when staying at hotels or shopping in Spain.

Iberia has a co-branded credit card issued by Chase, and transfer partnerships with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and HSBC Rewards.

Now, you know all of the best ways to earn Iberia Avios — once you’ve built up a stash, check out our guide on the best ways to redeem Iberia Plus Avios for max value!

The information regarding the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card, HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard® Credit Card, and HSBC Premier World Mastercard® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express^® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.