Avios Cards Hike Sign-Up Bonuses to 100K for New Cardholders

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The offers described in this article have expired. See our reviews for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card and Iberia Visa Signature® Card for up-to-date information.

The British Airways Visa Signature® Card, Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card and Iberia Visa Signature® Card are doubling their sign-up bonuses for new cardholders.

The cards, issued by Chase, phrase their new sign-up bonus like this: Earn 100,000 Avios after spending $5,000 in 3 months.

Other incentives for holders of these cards include:

• 5 Avios per dollar spent on eligible flights within the first 18 months of account opening (3 Avios per dollar spent thereafter).

• 3 Avios per dollar spent on stays booked directly with a hotel during the first 18 months of account opening (2 Avios per dollar spent after that).

• 1 Avios per dollar spent on all other purchases.

Depending on the card, other perks may apply. For instance, you’ll get a 10% discount off of British Airways flights with the British Airways Visa Signature® Card or Iberia Visa Signature® Card card when booking through www.ba.com/Chase10. Terms apply.

If you spend $30,000 on the British Airways Visa Signature® Card or Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card card in a calendar year, you’ll earn an economy companion ticket that’s good for 12 months. A companion ticket can save you big money on airfare costs.

Is it a good deal?

The latest sign-up offer is a great deal that can accelerate your travel goals. Though it’s possible to find lower spending requirements out there, this offer beats some other credit cards that offer rich bonuses. If British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus is your go-to airline, you'll get value from having one of their co-branded credit cards.

The sign-up bonus is enough to potentially cover a roundtrip, depending on the destination and how you redeem rewards. British Airways, in particular, has a reputation for charging monstrous taxes and fees on rewards tickets due to fuel surcharges.

Also, while all three of these airline loyalty programs use the “Avios” name for their mileage currencies, each has a different chart for determining the number of Avios for a flight. At times it can be useful to transfer Avios between programs to book flights where you’ll get the most value, pool all of your points in one program or top off one account.

To get the best deal, consider if it makes sense to transfer Avios between Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia or other airline partners.