What Are the Differences Between Using British Airways or Iberia Avios Points?

May 7, 2017 By Million Mile Secrets

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Million Mile Secrets reader, Gabriel, commented:

Is there a difference between using British Airways or Iberia Avios points?

And reader Lori asked:

Is there any other way to get activity in your Iberia account other than moving AMEX Membership Rewards points?

British Airways and Iberia are part of the same company. The points you use for award flights on both airlines are called Avios. But the airlines have different award charts and redemption rules.

Generally, Iberia Avios points can be more valuable than British Airways Avios points for short-haul partner award flights in the US.

For example, you can book a round-trip award flight less than 600 miles on American Airlines for 11,000 Iberia Avios points. That’s 4,000 points cheaper than if you book with British Airways Avios points!

I’ll share some differences between the British Airways and Iberia frequent flyer programs. And how you can earn points in both programs!

British Airways & Iberia Frequent Flyer Programs

Link: British Airways Award Flight Calculator

Link: Iberia Award Chart

British Airways and Iberia are part of the oneworld alliance. This means you can redeem points from either program for award flights on partner airlines like American Airlines or Air Berlin.

Both programs have distance-based award charts. The number of points you’ll pay depends on the length of your flight.

For example, with British Airways, a round-trip coach award flight within the US costs:

15,000 British Airways Avios points for flights under 1,151 miles
20,000 British Airways Avios points for flights between 1,152 and 2,000 miles
25,000 British Airways Avios points for flights between 2,001 and 3,000 miles

And with Iberia, a round-trip coach award flight within the US costs:

11,000 Iberia Avios points for flights under 600 miles
12,000 Iberia Avios points for flights between 601 and 1,000 miles
17,000 Iberia Avios points for flights between 1,001 and 2,000 miles
23,000 Iberia Avios points for flights between 2,001 and 4,000 miles

As an example, a flight from Dallas to Memphis is 431 miles. So you can book a round-trip American Airlines award flight using 11,000 Iberia Avios points or 15,000 British Airways Avios points.

Keep in mind, you can only redeem Avios points for award flights on American Airlines when you find low-level “SAAver” award seats available. So I recommend searching the American Airlines website first. And then you can book online through British Airways or Iberia with your Avios points.

The Perks and Drawbacks of Using Iberia Avios Points

Each airline also has different rules for award flights.

For example, you can only book round-trip partner airline award flights using Iberia Avios points. Whereas, you can book one-way award flights with British Airways Avios points for 50% of the prices above.

Also, if your travel plans include a connection, you’re likely better off booking through Iberia. Because you’ll pay based on the total milage of the trip. Compared to British Airways, which charges per flight segment.

For example, let’s say you’re flying round-trip from Miami to Denver, but have a connection in Dallas on the outbound and return flight.

With British Airways, you would pay:

7,500 British Airways Avios points from Miami to Dallas
7,500 British Airways Avios points from Dallas to Denver

So a round-trip flight would cost 30,000 British Airways Avios points (7,500 points per flight segment X 4).

But the total mileage for this trip is ~3,500 miles. So you can book it for 23,000 Iberia Avios points, which is a better deal!

Transfer Flexible Points to British Airways or Iberia

Link: American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Partners

Link: All the Ways to Earn British Airways Avios Points for Big Travel!

British Airways and Iberia are both transfer partners in the AMEX Membership Rewards program. You get 200 Avios points for every 250 AMEX Membership rewards points you transfer.

But look out for transfer bonuses! For example, in the past, you could get a 50% bonus when transferring points to Iberia.

There are more options for earning British Airways Avios points because you can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio from Chase Ultimate Rewards and AMEX Starwood Preferred Guest.

Or you can earn points directly with the British Airways Visa Signature Card, which is currently offering a best-ever up to 100,000 point sign-up bonus.

Also, you can transfer points back and forth between your British Airways and Iberia accounts. Here’s a step-by-step guide to combining Avios points.

Note: You will NOT be able to transfer points between British Airways and Iberia unless both accounts have been open for at least 90 days. And each account must have had previous activity (like earning or transferring points).

How to Earn Avios Points & Keep Them Active

Keep in mind, Avios points in both programs expire after 36 months of no activity. To keep your points alive, you can:

Transfer flexible points directly to British Airways or Iberia
Purchase British Airways or Iberia points
Earn points with paid flights
Shop and earn points through the British Airways shopping portal
Sign-up and earn points with Iberia partner offers, like cruises and hotels

Note: Combining points between both accounts does NOT count as activity. You must earn and transfer points directly into your British Airways or Iberia frequent flyer account.

Bottom Line

British Airways and Iberia are owned by the same company. Both use Avios points as their frequent flyer currency, but each airline has different award charts and booking rules.

The airlines are part of the oneworld alliance, which means you can redeem points for award flights on partner airlines, including American Airlines.

For short-haul partner award flights less than 1,000 miles, you can save 3,000 to 4,000 points by booking with Iberia instead of British Airways. Keep in mind, you must book a round-trip partner award flight with Iberia.

Both airlines are AMEX Membership Rewards transfer partners. And you can combine points from both frequent flyer accounts.