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Iberia Club Loyalty Program: What to Know
You can transfer points from two major credit card issuers and British Airways to the Iberia Club loyalty program.
Ramsey is a freelance travel journalist covering business travel, loyalty programs and luxury travel. His work has appeared in Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Reader's Digest, AFAR, BBC Worldwide, USA Today, Frommers.com, Fodors.com, Business Traveler, Fortune, Airways, TravelAge West, MSN.com, Bustle.com and AAA magazines. As someone who flies more than 450,000 miles per year and has been to 173 countries, he is well-versed in the intricacies of credit cards and how to maximize the associated perks and services.
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Iberia Airlines, based in Madrid, is the flag carrier airline of Spain and a member of the Oneworld alliance. The carrier, part of the IAG group that includes British Airways, has an extensive network in Europe, destinations in the Americas and a few options in Africa and Asia.
Its frequent flyer program, Iberia Club, awards points to members for flying Iberia flights as well as those of its partners. Members can also earn points for doing business with program partners.
Here’s everything you need to know about Iberia Club so that you can earn and redeem points for free travel.
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About Iberia Airlines
Iberia offers three cabins on its intercontinental flights: business class, premium economy and economy. On European flights, its business class has economy class seats with a blocked middle seat.
Iberia flies to Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the U.S. Iberia Club members earn Avios, just like those from British Airways, and they are transferable between accounts.
How to earn Iberia Club Avios
Earn by flying
Members can earn between 5 and 9 Avios per euro spent based upon elite status by flying Iberia or its partner airlines.
Iberia Club is a transfer partner of many credit card programs, including Chase’s Ultimate Rewards. You can transfer your points to the Iberia Club program at a 1:1 ratio in an almost immediate transfer.
Transfer from AmEx Membership Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards is another transferable rewards partner for Iberia Club, and you can move points at a 1:1 ratio.
Transfer from British Airways
You can transfer Avios from other accounts, including Aer Lingus, British Airways and Level accounts to Iberia Club at a 1:1 ratio. Both accounts must have been open for at least 90 days. If you’re considering this transfer for a future trip, we would recommend opening the accounts so that you would meet that criteria when the time comes.
Other ways to earn
Shop online. The Iberia Club Store shopping portal awards points for every euro you spend. You can even earn elite status within Iberia Club if you spend enough because you can earn 1 elite point for every 10 Avios you earn.
Dining at airports in Spain. You can earn points when dining at select restaurants at Spanish airports.
Purchase Avios. You can also buy Avios on the Iberia website, with a maximum of 200,000 Avios per transaction, per year.
Ways to redeem Iberia Avios
For Iberia flights
Iberia Club relies on a distance-based award chart for redemptions with peak and off-peak pricing based on different times of year. The farther the flight, the more Avios you will pay for an award flight. Understandably, peak pricing coincides with busier travel periods like holidays and the summer season.
🤓Nerdy Tip
U.S. holidays often fall into the off-peak category since those are not celebrated in Spain (for example, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Thanksgiving).
For partner award flights
Iberia is a member of the Oneworld alliance, but it also has a large number of airline partners that are not part of the alliance. These include Vueling, Binter Canarias, LATAM and TAAG Angola.
Oneworld partners Oneworld partners
Alaska Airlines.
American Airlines.
British Airways.
Fiji Airways.
Cathay Pacific.
Finnair.
Japan Airlines.
Malaysia Airlines.
Oman Air.
Qantas.
Qatar.
Royal Air Maroc.
Royal Jordanian.
SriLankan Airlines.
Get upgraded
Iberia Club members can use their Avios to upgrade tickets on eligible economy class fares to business class although you will have to call the airline to complete it. You can also opt to do it online or at check-in. The cost in Avios varies by the ticket and route.
Combine cash and points
Avios&Money is an option for those that may not have enough Avios points to redeem for a free ticket. Instead, you can combine cash and Avios points to cover the cost of a redemption. While this is not the best use of your points, it works for those in a pinch.
Iberia Club members can attain different elite status tiers by doing more business with the carrier. The membership year for accrual purposes runs between April 1-March 31 the following year.
Status tiers
Classic: This is the entry-level status everyone gets when they sign up. It offers no special benefits.
Silver (Plata): You will reach this level once you have earned 3,300 elite points or flown 20 segments with Iberia or its partners. Its benefits include earning 6 Avios per euro spent, priority boarding and check-in, and free seat selection. Plata status also is equivalent to Oneworld Ruby status.
Gold (Oro): You’ll need to accrue 7,500 elite points or fly at least 40 segments to achieve this status. Among the perks are the ability to earn 7 Avios per euro spent, access to free parking and lounges, an additional bag, plus all the perks of Silver status. Iberia Club Gold is equivalent to Oneworld Sapphire status.
Platinum (Platino): You’ll reach this level when you have 20,000 elite points or 90 segments. You can earn 8 Avios points per euro spent plus benefits like two free upgrades as well as all the offerings of Gold status. You’ll also have lounge access and a credit of up to 25,000 Avios. Iberia Club’s Platinum status is equivalent to Oneworld Emerald status.
Platinum Prime (Platino Prime): This status is awarded after achieving 30,000 elite points. You can earn 9 Avios points per euro spent plus benefits like four free upgrades top priority boarding.
Infinite (Infinita): You’ll get to this top tier after achieving 400,000 lifetime elite points since you joined the loyalty program. Its perks and benefits include everything that comes with Platinum status plus four upgrades each year, the ability to earn 9 Avios points per euro spent and free home baggage collection service in Madrid.
Infinite Prime (Infinita Prime): After reaching 640,000 lifetime elite points, this top-most level really spoils you. In addition to all the benefits of Infinite status, you can also give Gold status to two people, enjoy eight upgrades and guaranteed space when redeeming Avios points.
Iberia's accrual calendar starts counting April 1 and ends on March 31 of the following year.
Sweet spots
By using a distance-based award chart, there are several sweet spot redemptions that members can benefit from when redeeming Avios points. For example, if you fly from Boston or New York to Madrid in business class, it will only cost 40,500 points per segment during the off-peak season because the trips are between 3,000 and 4,000 statute miles long.
You can also fly between Madrid and the Caribbean using Avios points. For example, a nonstop flight between Madrid and San Juan or Santo Domingo costs only 50,500 points each way in business class since the trip is between 4,000 and 5,000 statute miles long.
Avios often charges hefty taxes and fees for each redemption ticket, although Iberia charges less than what British Airways does.
While Iberia may not be top of mind for U.S.-based flyers, the Iberia Club program offers some great opportunities for earning and redeeming points. Its sweet-spot redemptions are often fewer points than what U.S. airlines charge, giving travelers the chance to fly in flat-bed comfort for fewer points.
You can also easily earn points via credit card transfers or by moving points between different airlines that participate in the Avios program. This means that Iberia’s flights are more easily within reach.
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