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Savvy travelers know redeeming Iberia Avios points instead of British Airways Avios points for award seats can save you a ton of miles or money on certain flights. And now that Iberia is a direct transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, it’s even easier to move flexible points to Iberia for Big Travel.
But if you already have British Airways Avios points, it’s possible to transfer530 them to Iberia (or vice versa) for free online through your frequent flyer account. That’s because British Airways and Iberia are both owned by the same company, IAG (International Airlines Group). They also own Aer Lingus (which also calls their points “Avios”), and 2 low cost European airlines, Vueling and LEVEL.
It takes a bit of extra effort and a few minutes of your time to move Avios points between British Airways and Iberia. But it’s worth it to potentially save thousands of points! Or take advantage of non-alliance partners or lower taxes and fees.
I’ll remind you of when it makes sense to book award flights with Iberia Avios points instead of British Airways Avios points. And show you step-by-step how to transfer points between your British Airways and Iberia accounts!
Why Transfer Points Between British Airways and Iberia?
1. Different Award Charts and Rules Mean Better Deals on Certain Routes
Save Points on Short-Haul Award Flights in North America
Link: Iberia Award Chart for American Airlines Flights
I showed you how using Iberia Avios points can save you 4,000 points on a short-haul round-trip award flights on partner American Airlines within the US. That’s because British Airways charges a minimum of 15,000 British Airways Avios points for a short round-trip flight within North America, while Iberia charges 11,000 Iberia Avios points for flights 600 miles or less!
Book Connecting Flights for NO Additional Points
Iberia can also help you save points when you’re booking a flight with a connection. While British Airways charges you for each segment on your trip, Iberia calculates the award price based on the total number of miles you fly.
So if you’re flying from Denver to Austin via Dallas round-trip on American Airlines, British Airways would charge you 30,000 Avios points (7,500 points for each flight segment). Booking the same flights with Iberia would only cost you 17,000 Avios points round-trip – about half the price!
Note: British Airways allows one-way tickets, but Iberia will only let you book round-trip awards.
2. Save on Fees and Fuel Surcharges
Booking With Iberia Avios Points Often Means Cheaper Fees…
British Airways is notorious for their high fuel surchages. Even booking flights on partner airlines with British Airways Avios points can result in high fees. However, booking with Iberia Avios points might save you big money!
For example, a round-trip Iberia flight from New York to Madrid in coach costs 34,000 Iberia Avios points plus ~159 euros (~$194).
Booking the exact same flights through British Airways also costs 34,000 Avios points, but you’d have to pay ~$395 in taxes and fees – an extra ~$200!
…But Occasionally You’ll Do Better With British Airways Avios Points
Sometimes it works the other way. For instance, a round-trip flight from London to Madrid on British Airways costs 13,000 Iberia Avios points plus ~56 euros (~$68).
The same flight booked with British Airways Avios points costs the same number of points, but only $55 in fees – a savings of ~$13.
So if you’re booking a round-trip ticket, always check the price with both award programs before making your purchase!
3. Book With Partners Unique to Each Airline for More Flexibility
British Airways and Iberia are both part of the oneworld alliance, so they share partner airlines like American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qantas. However, each airline also has unique partners.
For example, Alaska Airlines partners with British Airways, but NOT Iberia. And Royal Air Maroc partners with Iberia, but NOT British Airways. So if you want to redeem Avios points for an Alaska Airlines flight, you’ll need to make sure they are in your British Airways account, NOT your Iberia account!
How to Transfer Avios Points Between Iberia and British Airways Accounts
Before you transfer Avios points between your British Airways and Iberia Accounts, keep these important rules in mind:
- You will NOT be able to transfer Avios points between British Airways to Iberia unless you have had both a British Airways and Iberia account for at least 90 days and have some sort of activity in the account you are transferring to. If you are transferring to Iberia, activity could include transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards, or crediting a paid flight to Iberia. The same types of activity will work for your British Airways account if you are transferring in the other direction.
- Your name, birthdate, and email address must be identical on both your British Airways and Iberia accounts. If any of those details are not correct, change them in your profile before attempting to transfer points.
You can transfer miles between accounts on both the British Airways website and the Iberia website. It doesn’t matter which site you use, but the process can be a little buggy. So if one site gives you an error, try using the other one.
1. Transfer on British Airways’ Website
Step 1. Log Into Your British Airways Frequent Flyer Account and Find Account Management Menu
On the British Airways Executive Club website, log into your account, then click “Manage My account” on the left side of the page.
Note: You can also sign into your British Airways account on the regular British Airways website. But the “My Account” button is in a slightly different spot.
Then, on the drop-down menu, select “Combine my Avios.“
Step 2. Confirm You Want to Combine Avios Points
On the next page, scroll down and click the big blue “Combine my Avios” button.
Step 3. Enter Your Iberia Account Details
From the drop-down menu, select “Iberia Plus.“ Enter your Iberia frequent flyer number and PIN. Then click “Log in & continue.”
Step 4. Indicate the Transfer Direction
Do you want to transfer your British Airways Avios points to Iberia, or your Iberia Avios points to British Airways? Make the selection for the direction you want to transfer.
Step 5. Choose the Number of Avios Points to Transfer
By now you should know the number of Avios Points you would like to transfer. Type that number into the box, and then click “Review my transfer.“
You will then be given the opportunity to verify your transfer information before you confirm that you would like to complete the transfer.
2. Transfer on Iberia’s Website
Step 1. Log Into Your Iberia Account and Find the Avios Menu
On the Iberia website, the “Combine my Avios” link is buried deep in their website.
Start by logging into your Iberia account, then hover over the “Iberia Plus” menu (to the left of the oneworld logo).
Within that menu, move your cursor to hover over the “Elite Points and Avios” section in the navigation list on the left side.
Select “Buying and Transferring Avios” on the screen that appears.
Step 2. Get to the Right Page to Start Your Transfer… Iberia Doesn’t Make This Easy!
This will take you to a page about buying and gifting Avios to other users. If you scroll down to the bottom of that page, you’ll see a tiny link reading “Don’t forget you can combine your Avios with those of other customer loyalty programmes.” This will only appear if you are logged in to your Iberia account. Click the link.
Step 3. Keep Clicking Through Until You Get to the Right Page…
Now you will be on a splash page about combining Avios points, and you just need to click on the big red button to finally get to the right page. Click “Combine my Avios.“
Step 4. Select Which Program You Want to Transfer To
You’ll want to select that you are transferring Avios points between Iberia and British Airways.
Step 5. Login to Your British Airways Account
Login to your British Airways account so that Iberia can access your account information.
Step 6. Select Your Direction of Transfer
Just like when using British Airways’ website, you’ll need to select which direction you want to transfer your Avios points.
Step 7. How Many Avios Points Do You Want to Transfer?
Type in the number of Avios points you would like to transfer and then click “Review my transfer.” You will then have the opportunity to review your point transfer before confirming that you would like to make the transfer.
Need to Top-Up Your Avios Point Balances?
If you’d like to earn British Airways Avios points directly, consider the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
Or, you can transfer flexible AMEX Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott points to British Airways or Iberia.
The information for the British Airways Visa card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
1. AMEX Membership Rewards Points
British Airways and Iberia are AMEX Membership Rewards transfer partners.
And sometimes there are transfer bonuses! These cards earn AMEX Membership Rewards points:
2. Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
You can move Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways or Iberia at a 1:1 ratio in 1,000-point increments.
There are plenty of credit cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve – Earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
- Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card – Earn 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
However, if you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank (NOT counting Chase business cards and these other business cards) in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for any of them.
You can also earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points with cards like the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card and Ink Business Cash Credit Card. But you’ll need one of the cards above (or the Chase Ink Bold or Ink Plus that are no longer available) to transfer your points to valuable partners.
3. Marriott Points
You can transfer Marriott Points to British Airways or Iberia at a 3:1 ratio… or better! That’s because Marriott gives you a bonus when you transfer in increments of 60,000 Marriott points. For every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer, you’ll be given a 5,000 airline mile bonus in the program you’re transferring to!
That means that if you transfer 60,000 Marriott points to British Airways, you’ll get 25,000 British Airways Avios points!
You can earn Marriott points with the:
- Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
Bottom Line
British Airways and Iberia are owned by the same company, so you can transfer Avios points (for free) between the 2 frequent flyer programs. If you’re considering booking an award flight using British Airways or Iberia Avios points, you should check the mileage requirement and the taxes and fees required with each program. Because sometimes you can save points and / or money!
Transferring Avios points between British Airways and Iberia is relatively easy. Before you’re ready to even consider transferring, you need to have both accounts open for at least 90 days and have activity on your account. So plan well in advance if you have an upcoming trip!
Remember, you can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott points to British Airways or Iberia if you want to top-up your account. And don’t forget to watch for AMEX transfer bonuses!
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