The Best Ways to Book Aer Lingus with Avios

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…