Iberia is the flag carrier of Spain serving 115 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, often known as IAG. This group 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.
Sign Up for an Iberia Plus Account
Image Credit: IberiaIberia’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, 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 5 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL within your first 12 months of account opening. After the first year, that multiplier goes down to 3 Avios per $1 spent.
You’ll also earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations purchases directly with the hotel within the first 12 months of account opening (2 Avios per $1 spent after the first year).
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 like minimum account opening times. Visit the Combine my Avios page for more details.
2. 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
3. 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 still enjoy that excellent 1:1 transfer ratio.
That means if you transfer 5,000 Amex points to Iberia Plus, you’ll get 5,000 Avios. It takes around 2 to 3 business days for these transfers to complete.
Recommended American Express Cards
4. 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
5. 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.
6. 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 Chase, American Express, 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.
7. Airfare and Airline Purchases
Iberia A350 business class. Image Credit: Daniel RossAnother ridiculously 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 fare class you book, the distance you fly, and the class of service. We’ll talk about elite status bonuses in a later section.
Here’s the Avios accrual chart for Iberia Plus members:
| Fare Class | Earned Points (Percentage of Distance Flown) | Minimum Avios Earned |
| Business (J, C, D) | 250% | 1,250 |
| Discounted business (R, I) | 150% | 750 |
| Premium economy (W) | 150% | 750 |
| Discounted premium economy (E, T) | 100% | 500 |
| Economy flexible (Y, B, H) | 100% | 500 |
| Discounted economy (K, M, L, F, V, S, Z, N, G*) | 50% | 250 |
| Deeply discounted economy (Q, O, A) | 25%** | 125 |
* If you’re booked on a redemption ticket in G class, you will not earn Avios.
** If you’re booked in a Q, O, or A class ticket on a route to Central America or South America, you’ll earn 50%, instead of 25%.
Let’s do some calculation examples!
If you book a one-way ticket in E class (discounted premium economy) from Los Angeles (LAX) to Madrid (MAD), you’ll earn approximately 5,845 Avios.
If you book a one-way, deeply discounted economy ticket in O class from Madrid (MAD) to Chicago (ORD), you’ll earn 1,050 Avios.
Lastly, if you book a one-way, deeply-discounted economy ticket in Q class from Buenos Aires (EZE) to Madrid (MAD), you’ll end up with 3,126 Avios.
8. Crediting Oneworld Airline Flights to Iberia Plus
Image Credit: OneworldIberia 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 |
| American Airlines | First class | F, A | 150% | 750 |
| Business class | J, D, R, I | 125% | 625 |
| Flexible premium economy | W | 110% | 500 |
| Discounted premium economy | P | 100% | 500 |
| Full fare economy | Y, C | 100% | 500 |
| Discounted economy | H, 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 |
| Flexible 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, I, R | 125% | 625 |
| Full fare economy | Y, B, H | 100% | 500 |
| Economy | K, M, P, T, L, V, S, N | 50% | 250 |
| Discounted economy | Q, O, Z, G, A, W | 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, C, 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 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 City (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 City (JFK) on American Airlines in A class. You’ll earn 150% of the distance flown, which amounts to 3,879 Iberia Avios earned.
9. 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, K | 50% |
| Deeply discounted economy | 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 | J | 250% |
| Discounted business | D, I, R, C, U | 150% |
| Flexible economy | Y, B, H | 100% |
| Classic economy | K, M, L, F, V, S, Z, N | 50% |
| Basic economy | Q, O, A | 50% |
*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.
10. Use Elite Status To Earn More Miles
Image Credit: IberiaWe alluded to elite status bonuses above, but if you have Iberia Plus elite status, you’ll earn up to 100% in bonus Avios:
- Iberia Plus Platino (Platinum) — 100% bonus Avios of the standard mileage
- Iberia Plus Oro (Gold) — 50% bonus Avios of the standard mileage
- Iberia Plus Plata (Silver) — 25% bonus Avios of the standard mileage
For example, if you booked a paid business class ticket in I class round-trip from New York City (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) and had Iberia Plus Plata (Silver) status, you’d end up with 19,740 Avios at the end of the round-trip itinerary.
You’d earn 5,384 Avios in each direction from the 150% multiplier on a flight distance of 3,589 miles. Then, you’d earn a 25% bonus on 5,384 miles, making it 9,870 Avios in each direction. Multiply that by 2 for the round-trip, and you’d end up with 19,740 Avios.
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 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!
14. 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 plan 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].
15. 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 |
16. 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 USD 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.
17. Send Foreign Currency Abroad
The very last way to earn Avios we’ll discuss is using an international exchange and payments services company called Midpoint.
For each £10 transferred (or its equivalent in other currencies), you’ll earn 1 Iberia Avios.
All you need to do is sign up, enter your Iberia Plus details in the registration and profile area, and place an order!
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, shopping in Spain, and sending foreign currency through Midpoint.
Iberia has a co-branded credit card issued by Chase, as well as transfer partnerships with Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership 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 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 Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business 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.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
