The flag carrier of the Republic of Ireland is Aer Lingus, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). This means that Aer Lingus’s loyalty program, Aer Club, also uses Avios as its points currency.
Avios can be redeemed on flights with Aer Lingus and IAG’s other airlines, including Iberia and British Airways, as well as Qatar Airways.
Booking Aer Lingus with Avios often offers excellent value in both business class and economy. However, it’s sometimes more advantageous to book a flight through one loyalty program over another.
Booking Aer Lingus via British Airways Executive Club
The easiest way to book award flights with Aer Lingus is via British Airways Executive Club.
While it might seem strange to book Aer Lingus flights through the British Airways portal, this method is simple because it’s self-contained and straightforward.
All you need to do is sign up for an Executive Club account on the British Airways website.
This will generate an account number, with which you can earn Avios directly with products such as the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, or by moving points from transferable points currencies, including the following:
Once you’ve opened an Executive Club account and have a balance of Avios, just complete a reward search via British Airways’s website to find Aer Lingus flights.
For example, a one-way flight in economy from Toronto to Dublin on an off-peak date costs just 13,000 Avios, plus $225.91 (CAD) in taxes and fees.
If you’d like to fly in Aer Lingus business class, the cost on an off-peak date from Toronto to Dublin is 50,000 Avios, plus $785.91 (CAD) in taxes and fees.
Surely, there’s a stark difference between fare classes in both the number of Avios required, and the amount of taxes and fees levied. However, it’s very much in line with British Airways’s tendency to impose high fuel surcharges on award bookings, especially in premium cabins.
On the other hand, just because booking Aer Lingus award flights via British Airways Executive Club is the easiest method, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the most economical.
How to Sign Up for Aer Lingus AerClub
Rather than booking Aer Lingus award flights via British Airways Executive Club, the best and most cost-effective way to book Aer Lingus with Avios is through Aer Lingus AerClub.
This method requires some extra legwork, as well as navigating through a couple of antiquated websites; however, it’s certainly worth the effort.
This is because the amount of taxes and fees charged are much lower when booking through Aer Lingus AerClub, versus booking through British Airways Executive Club.
However, you’ll first need to sign up for an Aer Lingus AerClub account, which is done on the Aer Lingus website.
This is actually the only time you’ll be using the airline’s website, since in a strange twist of fate, all Aer Lingus AerClub award bookings must be made on the third-party Avios website, instead of on the loyalty program’s official website itself.
Once you’ve signed up for AerClub, head over to the Avios website and use your Aer Lingus AerClub credentials to login. You should be able to now see your AerClub number and dashboard, as well as your Aer Lingus Avios balance, if any.
In North America, Aer Lingus Avios may be earned directly with the US-issued Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card. Alternatively, AerClub is a transfer partner of American Express US Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.
However, since British Airways Avios are much easier to come by, it’s possible to accumulate British Airways Avios, and then transfer them into your Aer Lingus AerClub account from within the Avios ecosystem.
Once you’ve logged in with your Aer Lingus AerClub credentials on the Avios website, use the drop-down menu to select “Combine my Avios”, which brings you to the following screen:
Simply enter in your British Airways Executive Club credentials, and you’ll then be able to instantly transfer Avios into your AerClub account from your Executive Club account.
With Avios available in your AerClub account, you can then use the Avios website’s search function to find an Aer Lingus flight.
Note that the Avios website often suffers from bugs and instability. It’s recommended to clear your browser’s cookies or use incognito mode if you want to have maximum site functionality.
How to Book Aer Lingus with Avios on the Avios Website
With Avios available in your Aer Lingus AerClub account, the next step is to search for flights and complete a booking.
Once you’ve found your preferred flights, you’ll want to book your flight on the Avios website as soon as possible. Lingering too long on the Avios website could result in it crashing, and someone else might snag up the award seats by the time you’ve completed the search again.
As shown below, the same flight in economy from Toronto to Dublin costs 13,000 Avios, which is the same amount when booked through British Airways Executive Club. However, note that the taxes and fees only amount to $193.86 (CAD) on the Avios website, versus $225.91 (CAD) via Executive Club, which results in a savings of about $30 (CAD).
That’s because there aren’t any additional fees for making a partner booking, as you’re essentially booking directly with Aer Lingus, even if it’s via a separate website.
However, the biggest win here comes when booking business class flights.
Recall that British Airways Executive Club charges 50,000 Avios plus $785 (CAD) for a one-way Aer Lingus business class flight from Toronto to Dublin.
If you were to book that same flight on the Avios website instead, you’d still have to pay 50,000 Avios. However, the amount of taxes and fees drops down to $223.36 (CAD), which is a savings of over $550 (CAD).
Therefore, by making the extra effort to create an AerClub account and transfer Avios from your British Airways Executive Club account, you’ll wind up saving a tidy sum of cash.
Indeed, despite the fact that signing up for AerClub is a bit complicated and frustrating, it’s definitely worth the effort, especially if you’d like to fly in Aer Lingus business class.
Conclusion
Aer Lingus offers an excellent gateway to Europe for North American travellers. Because of the relatively short distance between major hubs such as Toronto or Boston and Dublin, it also offers great value to customers looking to redeem Avios.
While British Airways Executive Club provides the easiest way to book Aer Lingus flights with points, it’s not nearly as economical as signing up for AerClub and booking on the Avios website.
At first glance, it may seem counterintuitive to book a reward flight through a website external to the airline with which you fly. However, it’s definitely worth the extra effort, as you can save a significant amount of taxes and fees for the same flight.
This story originally appeared on princeoftravel
