If you’re planning a big getaway, taking advantage of sign-up bonuses across travel credit cards is a great way to offset some costs. And sometimes, this involves an international airline loyalty program.
There are currently identical limited-time offers on the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, Iberia Visa Signature® Card and Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card.
The business-as-usual sign-up bonus of 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. And for a limited time, you’ll also earn 5 Avios on every $1 spent on gas, grocery and dining in combined purchases (either up to $10,000 or for the first 12 months from account opening, whichever comes first).
TPG values Avios at a solid 1.5 cents apiece, so if you earn the full 75,000 Avios, you’d take home $1,125 in value. Then, if you max out the $10,000 cap in combined purchases, you’ll add $750 of value, bringing your total haul to an impressive $1,875. That places it toward the top of our best limited-time welcome offers currently available.
All three cards boast similar benefits for a $95 annual fee, so here’s a quick look at each.
British Airways Visa Signature Card
Annual fee: $95
Sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Plus, earn 5 Avios on every $1 spent on gas, grocery and dining in combined (either up to $10,000 or for the first 12 months from account opening, whichever comes first).
Earning rate: Earn 3 Avios per dollar on all British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia flights, 2 Avios per dollar on all hotel stays booked directly with the hotel and 1 Avios per dollar on all other purchases.
Other benefits:
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- 10% off British Airways flights starting in the U.S. (must book through the site provided in your welcome materials).
- Get a $100 statement credit ($200 for business and first-class seats) up to three times a year when you book a reward flight to London on British Airways and pay for your taxes and fees with your card (up to $600 annually).
- Earn a Travel Together Ticket valid for round-trip travel on British Airways, Aer Lingus or Iberia originating anywhere these airlines fly when you spend $30,000 on the card in a calendar year — which can also be redeemed for a 50% discount as a single passenger.
- You can use Avios to pay for taxes, fees and carrier charges when you redeem for a British Airways reward ticket.
- No foreign transaction fees
Check out the full card review.
Apply now: British Airways Visa Signature Card
Iberia Visa Signature® Card
Annual fee: $95
Sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Plus, earn 5 Avios on every $1 spent on gas, grocery and dining in combined purchases (either up to $10,000 or for the first 12 months from account opening, whichever comes first).
Earning rate: Earn 3 Avios per dollar on all British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia flights, 2 Avios per dollar on all hotel stays booked directly with the hotel and 1 Avios per dollar on all other purchases.
Other benefits:
- 10% off Iberia flights booked through Iberia.com/Chase10 with your card.
- Earn a discount voucher of $1,000 to use toward two tickets on the same flight each year you spend $30,000 on purchases on your Iberia Visa card.
- No foreign transaction fees
Check out the full card review.
Apply now: Iberia Visa Signature Card
Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card
Annual fee: $95
Sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Plus, earn 5 Avios on every $1 spent on gas, grocery and dining in combined purchases (either up to $10,000 or for the first 12 months from account opening, whichever comes first).
Earning rate: Earn 3 Avios per dollar on all British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia flights, 2 Avios per dollar on all hotel stays booked directly with the hotel and 1 Avios per dollar on all other purchases.
Other benefits:
- Earn an economy companion ticket when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year (although it’s only valid on tickets between the U.S. and Ireland).
- Priority boarding on Aer Lingus flights between the U.S. and Ireland.
- No foreign transaction fees
Check out the full card review.
Apply now: Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card
Are these offers worth it?
First, let’s talk about the sign-up bonuses. As noted above, all three credit cards earn up to 75,000 Avios. TPG values Avios at 1.5 cents each, meaning you could take home $1,125 worth of rewards on any of these cards.
Plus, earning 5 Avios on every $1 spent on gas, grocery and dining in combined purchases (either up to $10,000 or for the first 12 months from account opening, whichever comes first) makes this bonus more valuable with high earning rates on everyday spending.
That said, remember that you’re not limited to using your Avios on these three airlines. You can also access Oneworld redemptions with carriers like American Airlines, Japan Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways.
In short, there’s a lot of added flexibility with the Avios you can earn from any of these cards.
Bottom line
If you’re not someone who typically flies with any of these airlines, these offers alone may not be enough to make any of the cards worth it. However, those who often travel on Avios-earning airlines (or want to redeem on partners like American Airlines) could find value in these low-cost cards from Chase.
Remember that these cards are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, which means if you’ve applied for five or more cards in the past 24 months, you almost certainly won’t be approved. Additionally, an application for one of these cards will count toward your 5/24 slots. So make sure that applying for one of these offers won’t preclude you from applying for other high-value Chase cards in the near future.
Related: The best airline credit cards