Save 4,000 British Airways Avios Points for Short Flights With This Trick!
Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full Advertising Policy.
Currently it costs 4,500 British Airways Avios points for a 1-way, short-haul coach award flight on Alaska Airlines and American Airlines in the US.
After February 2, 2016, this will increase to 7,500 British Airways Avios points each way. Many folks are looking for an affordable substitute for award travel on flights under 650 miles.
While British Airways Avios points are still a good deal, there’s an alternative! By transferring British Airways Avios points to their partner, Iberia, you can book short-haul, round-trip coach award flights in the US for fewer points!
How Can You Save Points?
British Airways and Iberia are owned by the same company, and refer to their points as “Avios.” But each airline has separate award charts and transfer partners. You can transfer points between British Airways & Iberia. That’s how you get a better deal!
A disadvantage of booking award tickets using Iberia Avios points is that they do NOT allow 1-way award bookings, like British Airways does.
But if you’re booking a round-trip, short-haul coach flight, you’ll save by transferring your British Airways Avios points to Iberia.
Using Iberia’s award chart, this flight from St. Louis to Chicago would only cost 11,000 Iberia Avios points. This will save you 4,000 Avios points on a round-trip award ticket!
| British Airways Avios Points | Iberia Avios Points | |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis to Chicago Round-Trip (Present) | 9,000 | 11,000 |
| St. Louis to Chicago Round-Trip (After February 2, 2016) | 15,000 | 11,000 |
How Do You Transfer Avios Points Between British Airways and Iberia?
1. Sign-Up for an Iberia Account
Let’s start with how to sign-up for an Iberia frequent flyer account. Because I suspect many (if not most) readers don’t have one. If you don’t have an Iberia frequent flyer account, you can register for free online.2. Connect Your Accounts
Log into the British Airways website.
3. Transfer Your Points
After selecting “Combine my Avios,” enter your Iberia account information.
How Do You Book Trips with Iberia Avios Points?
1. Log Into Your Iberia Account
Go to the Iberia website and log into your account.
Select the drop down tab for “Iberia Plus,” click “Avios,” then click “Using My Avios.”
2. Search for Award Flights
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Go to book flights with Avios.”
3. Find Low-Level Award Seats
The goal should be to always aim for low-level award seats, which are referred to as “Blue Class” by Iberia. Look for these seats specifically when you are searching for award seats.
Looking at several routes, “Blue Class” generally shows anywhere from 1 to 5 available award seats through Iberia. Award space is usually released ~1 year in advance and is available for most times of the year with the exception of major holidays.
4. Choose Your Flights
Choose the flights that work for you, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “View.” You’ll see the price at the bottom of the screen.This is a remarkable opportunity! Because you’ll only pay between 11,000 and 12,000 Iberia Avios points for a round-trip ticket, depending on the distance of the flight.
The fees for this flight are slightly higher than what you’d pay using British Airways Avios points. You’ll pay ~$20 for a round-trip flight in the US.
Both British Airways and Iberia should show the same available award seats as the American Airlines and Alaska Airlines websites.
Bottom Line
You’ll pay more British Airways Avios points for short-haul partner award flights in the US after February 2, 2016. British Airways Avios points are still a great option for short coach flights in the US compared to most other award programs. But you could get a better deal by transferring your British Airways Avios points to Iberia! You can only book round-trip partner award tickets with Iberia Avios points. And you’ll have to move your British Airways Avios points to Iberia. But it could be a better option if you don’t mind taking a few extra steps to book your award flight!
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
2X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
Intro APR on purchases
N/A
Regular APR
15.99%-22.99% Variable
Annual Fee
$95
Balance Transfer Fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Rates & Fees
Other
MORE INFO
Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
You May Also Like
Join the Discussion!