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Aer Lingus is the latest 1:1 American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner. U.S. American Express cardholders can begin transferring points to their AerClub account in late August. This is the first Membership Rewards® points partner addition since 2016 when Etihad joined the fold.
The addition of Aer Lingus also means that you can now transfer your points to the three major Avios airline partners: Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia. You now have another valuable transfer option for European award flights if you own a Membership Rewards credit card. Read on for further details about the newest Membership Rewards Transfer Partner to be added.
Begin Making 1:1 Transfers in Late August 2018
Aer Lingus is already a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards. It’s a welcome addition to the American Express Membership Rewards program.
The ability to transfer points to Aer Lingus depends on where you live:
- U.S. residents can begin transferring points in late August 2018
- U.K. cardholders will enjoy this opportunity later in 2018
If you’re planning on booking an Aer Lingus flight, you should see if you can wait until the 1:1 point transfer window opens.
To begin transferring points, you need to create an AerClub account on the Aer Lingus website.
A Few Examples of Redeeming Aer Lingus Avios
In the past, you’ve already been able to transfer your Membership Rewards points to British Airways Avios program.
Unlike British Airway and Iberia (the other Avios and Membership Rewards transfer partner), Aer Lingus doesn’t charge a fuel surcharge on long-haul flights. When you need to fly to Europe, you can save hundreds of dollars by flying Aer Lingus.
These are some of the best award flights to maximize the 1:1 point transfer opportunity of some of the best travel credit cards available.
Fly from the U.S. East Coast from 13,000 Avios One-Way
Aer Lingus uses a distance-based award chart with off-peak and peak season prices. This is great because you don’t have to worry about a variable award price that is constantly fluctuating. You know exactly how much an award flight is going to cost for your travel dates.
The United States is split into two different zones on the award chart, Zone 5 and Zone 6.
As you might guess, it’s more affordable to fly from northeastern North America. The following cities are considered Zone 5 locations:
- Boston
- Chicago
- Hartford
- Newark
- New York
- Philadelphia
- Toronto
All of the above cities fly to Dublin. However, Boston and New York also fly to Shannon.
The most economical option is flying one-way economy flights for 13,000 Avios off-peak and 20,000 Avios in-peak seasons.
Flying business class can also be more affordable than other airlines as you can expect to pay 50,000 Avios off-peak and 60,000 Avios in peak season each way.
The Rest of the U.S. Flies to Ireland for 16,250 Avios
If you fly from a Zone 6 city, economy flights cost 16,250 Avios off-peak and 25,000 Avios in peak season.
Business class flights are either 62,500 off-peak or 70,000 Avios in peak season.
Aer Lingus categorizes the following origin cities in this category:
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Orlando
- San Francisco
- Seattle
All flights from Zone 6 cities only go directly to Dublin.
Short Haul Europe Flights Start at 4,000 Avios
Once you land in Ireland, you can visit other European destinations for 4,000 Avios in off-peak season and 4,500 Avios in peak season.
Some of the Zone 1 destinations from Dublin or Shannon include:
- Amsterdam
- London
- Glasgow
- Birmingham
- Bristol
For 6,500 Avios, you can also fly to various destinations in Spain and even a few other large European cities including:
- Berlin
- Budapest
- Milan
- Munich
- Warsaw
- Venice
This can still be one of the most affordable ways to visit middle Europe and the Mediterranean countries.
Additional Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
In addition to Aer Lingus, you can also transfer your Membership Rewards to the following 1:1 transfer partners:
- Aeroplan
- Air France FlyingBlue
- Alitalia
- ANA
- Asia Miles
- British Airways
- Delta SkyMiles
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Iberia
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic
Summary
Although you may use the new Aer Lingus Membership Rewards transfer partner option for your U.S. to Ireland flights, you can also book affordable short haul flights once you land in Europe. Aer Lingus is a valuable transatlantic award flight option because of their competitive award flight redemption rates and the lack of a fuel surcharge. Plus, it’s not every day that another 1:1 point transfer opportunity comes along.
Hi Mary, good to know. I flew this year for my first time with Aer Lingus and enjoyed the flight. But I must say, I wished, the machines could have been newer.