The Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card provides an opportunity to earn valuable Avios rewards that you can transfer between multiple airline programs. The card offers solid value for transatlantic travelers through priority boarding and a companion ticket benefit, but other cards provide better rewards for daily spending.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let's dive right in.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months.
- 3X Avios on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia
- 2X Avios on Hotel Booked Directly
- Priority Boarding (to/from the USA)
- Baggage Delay and Lost Luggage Insurance
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus of Aer Lingus Visa
The Aer Lingus Visa currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months.
The most attractive feature of this card is the bonus, particularly because Avios can be used interchangeably across Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia. This flexibility in earning and redeeming rewards sets Avios apart from other airline loyalty programs, making the nous even more valuable.
Chase maintains strict eligibility requirements for this bonus. You won’t qualify if you currently have this card or if you’ve received a welcome bonus on it within the past 24 months. However, having other Chase Avios cards like the British Airways or Iberia Visa cards won’t impact your eligibility or this bonus.
While other credit cards may restrict welcome bonuses based on your card history across multiple issuers, the Aer Lingus card only considers your history with this specific product. This makes it an excellent option if you’ve previously earned bonuses on other Avios-earning cards.
Chase’s 5/24 rule does apply to this card application, so you’ll need to consider your recent credit card application history before applying. You’ll want to check how many new credit cards you’ve opened across all banks in the past 24 months.
Earning Avios with Aer Lingus Visa
The Aer Lingus Visa earns:
- 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL.
- 2 Avios per dollar spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
- 1 Avios per dollar spent on all other purchases.
When it comes to earning rewards on flights, the return offered by this is pretty good. However, if you want to maximize your rewards on travel spending, you might be better off using a premium travel credit card instead, such as American Express Platinum Card® or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® .
These cards typically offer higher earning rates and more flexible redemption options compared to cobranded airline cards.
Annual Fee of Aer Lingus Visa
The Aer Lingus Visa charges a $95 annual fee that is not waived for the first year. The card’s main benefits that help offset the fee include priority boarding on Aer Lingus flights and the ability to earn an economy companion ticket after spending $30,000 in a calendar year.
There is no additional fee to add authorized users to the card, and authorized users also receive the priority boarding benefit on Aer Lingus flights when showing their card at the gate.
Aer Lingus Card Benefits
The Aer Lingus Card offers several benefits that cardholders will find very valuable:
Priority Boarding: You and your authorized users can skip the regular boarding queue on Aer Lingus flights between the US and Ireland. Just show your card at the gate to enjoy this time-saving perk that makes your journey more comfortable.
Companion Ticket: Receive an economy companion ticket when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year. This valuable benefit lets you bring someone along on your Aer Lingus economy flight without paying for their ticket – even the taxes and fees are covered.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.
120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card.
Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
Redeeming Aer Lingus Miles
Aer Lingus AerClub Avios might be the most overlooked currency in the points world, but that's exactly what makes it interesting. Aer Lingus isn't part of an alliance itself, though it shares the Avios currency with British Airways and Iberia, both Oneworld members. That connection matters because it opens up partner bookings you wouldn't get otherwise. United also partners with Aer Lingus, so you can earn Avios on United flights too.
The standout redemption is transatlantic travel between North America and Ireland. Off-peak economy from the East Coast starts at just 13,000 Avios one-way with no fuel surcharges, and West Coast cities like Los Angeles or Seattle top out around 16,250 Avios. Business class runs from 50,000 to 62,500 Avios depending on your departure city, which holds up well against other programs once you factor in the lack of surcharges.
You can stretch your Avios further by adding a connection on Aer Lingus for as little as 4,000 extra Avios, opening up destinations across the Mediterranean for less than the typical 30,000 miles other airlines charge from North America to Europe. Intra-Europe hops from Ireland start at a mere 4,000 Avios, though you'll want to check cash fares first since short flights in Europe are often cheap anyway.
One clever trick: book a short business class British Airways flight from London for just 9,000 Avios to get access to the Galleries Lounge at Heathrow before your next flight. Since Aer Lingus itself isn't a Oneworld member, this lounge access only works when you're flying on British Airways metal.
Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:Pros:
Strong Welcome Bonus: The card routinely offers substantial welcome bonuses worth enough Avios for business class flights to Europe, making it an attractive option for initial value.
Priority Boarding: You’ll get priority boarding on all Aer Lingus flights between the U.S. and Ireland just by showing your card, letting you get settled earlier and secure overhead bin space without needing elite status.
Companion Certificate Opportunity: Spend $30,000 in a calendar year and receive a companion ticket valid for a free economy seat when purchasing a paid economy ticket, which can provide good value on expensive transatlantic routes.
Flexible Points Currency: Your Avios can be freely transferred between Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar Airways programs, giving you access to multiple award charts and sweet spots.
Cons:
Limited Airline Benefits: Unlike many airline cards, this one doesn’t offer free checked bags or meaingful discounts on Aer Lingus purchases, reducing its ongoing value for frequent flyers.
Weak Earning Structure: The card only earns 3x on Aer Lingus and partner airlines, with mediocre earn rates on other categories. Many transferable points cards offer better everyday earning potential.
Restrictive Companion Ticket: The companion ticket benefit requires high spending and can only be used on economy tickets, making it less valuable than competitve cards’ companion passes.
Limited Route Network: Aer Lingus has a relatively small route network focused mainly on Ireland, which limits the card’s usefulness for travelers who don’t frequently fly these routes.
Is the Chase Aer Lingus Card Worth It?
The Aer Lingus Visa is a decent option if you frequently fly between the US and Europe on Aer Lingus, offering priority boarding and the potential to earn a companion ticket through spending.
While the card comes with a reasonable annual fee, you’ll get the most value from its wlcome bonus, which could potentially cover a roundtrip transatlantic business class ticket when maximized correctly.
The card’s earning structure is relatively basic, with bonus points on Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia flights, but you’ll likely get better returns using a premium travel card for your everyday spending such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
One of the card’s strongest features is the flexibility of its Avios rewards, which you can freely transfer between Aer Lingus, British Airways, and other IAG airlines, giving you multiple redemption options.
However, unless you’re specifically loyal to Aer Lingus, you might be better served by a card that earns transferable points or the British Airways Visa card which doesn’t offer more valuable perks like flight discounts and an more flexible companion ticket benefit.
Learn How to Apply: Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months.
- 3X Avios on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia
- 2X Avios on Hotel Booked Directly
- Priority Boarding (to/from the USA)
- Baggage Delay and Lost Luggage Insurance
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
