nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

Aer credit card

GeneralSherman

Giving serious consideration to getting the Aer credit card as we will be making transatlantic trips over the next couple of years. Any boardsies using the Aer credit card or have a recommendation for any other points building method to redeem against flights ?. I have redeemed Tesco tokens for discounts on Irish Ferries in the past so looking for some way of using spending towards flight perks.

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

Nigel Fairservice

I think there was thread on the Aer Lingus credit card a few years ago and the consensus was that the credit card wasn't worth it. It wasn't a patch on some American credit card offerings.

[Deleted User]

it’s not great. The benefits are the travel insurance, the two fast passes and two lounge passes. The points are slow to build vs BA or US credit cards. But you can’t get those if you live here.

The free flights are a waste of effort. Hard to book and far from free as you pay lots of taxes duty etc.

L1011

If you are going to

Use the lounge passes and fast track passes
Use the free flights (particularly if you can use them for something semi expensive, e.g. you're flexible but booking, say, ski flights which are always dear but very few people will look for the free flights)
Find the travel insurance worth it

It can be worth a few hundred quid a year over the cost of having the card in terms of those benefits alone. But you need to be using them in the first place, not changing your plans to do it.

Then, if you spend a huge amount on the card and pay it off in full every month the Avios do add up. I don't use cash or debit for anything, including any bills I can pay by card - broadband, phone, bins are the only ones currently unfortunately; holding out hope a power firm allows it (and are cheap in the first place - spending more money for a tiny reward is pointless)

Make sure you put your credit card numbers - any credit card, any bank - on your Avios account in the first place as there are a number of places that give you Avios automatically that way; Harvey Nicks and Aircoach for me in the last year.

Bojill

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122414021#Comment_122414021

The monthly fee is balanced out against the worldwide annual insurance, (if you were getting that anyway).

So compared to my other credit card, I'm getting 2 lounge passes and 2 fast tracks for free.

Depending on reaching the 5k, I'm also getting 2 free european flights and paying the taxes /duty I would have to pay anyway on top of the fare if I was paying it.
I also get a few thousand avios per year.

To the op, on transatlantic aer lingus flights you just show your credit card and get priority boarding.

thebiglad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420908#Comment_122420908

As an Aer Credit card user (also currently Platinum with Aer Lingus) I consider the main benefit is the annual travel insurance which I would buy anyhow - aside from that I can pick up points on my spending, not great rate but, I'd be spending the money anyhow so may as well get some Avios.

Depends on your appetite/needs and how fast you want to earn Avios, I see Revolut have an option which costs e540 per year but way faster points earning, lounge access with Priority pass and a few other benefits.

Aside from that, no cards in the Irish market with Avios earning potential.

You can direct your general (but particurlarly travel) spending via the AerClub estore to really bulk up points and that does not require an affiliate credit card, so no additional fees.

It really comes down to how much you put through the credit card monthly and how much you currently travel, whether you have status with EI already for lounge access etc as to where the best package is for you

Bojill

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420947#Comment_122420947

When do the avios points from the credit card go onto your account? Is it just once a month update,?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122421679#Comment_122421679

Yes, once a month. Week or so after the payment date from memory.

[Deleted User]

I think you might be wrong with priory USA boarding with a AER card. I have not seen that in the terms and conditions nor when they call boarding.

Have you a link for that benefit?

Bojill

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122422388#Comment_122422388

Apologies, you are correct. It's a perk on the American version of the aer lingus card.

Sheep Shagger

To those saying the annual travel insurance is a good benefit, is it actually good cover compared to say VHI Multi trip as in the past I found the cover BOI provided 'free' as a bit poor meaning you had to buy a decent travel medical insurance policy (which comes with lost bags, delayed flights etc cover).

Used to have a BOI platinum visa card that had free insurance but downgraded to the free classic card as didn't think it was worth it.

AFAIK the travel cover with the card doesn't cover a family either only the principle card holder which is fine if you are single otherwise you have to buy additional cover for partner and kids.

Obviously the AL card has other benefits like fast track and lounge to recoup your annual fee, something the platinum card doesn't have.

thebiglad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122436284#Comment_122436284

Have you actually looked at the cover?

It covers family and here is the summary of coverage - which to me seems to be typical in the market. I also have Private Health Insurance which is providing medical cover for me but, that is not a requirement of the BOI Policy.

BOI.pdf

At effectively €72 for annual multitrip - easy to compare with the other available in the market.

kindalen

https://www.headforpoints.com/2024/07/29/review-bank-of-ireland-avios-credit-card-aer-lingus-aerclub/

Sheep Shagger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122438882#Comment_122438882

I did actually, apologies didn't spot the family thing, then again I was reading on my phone.

Will take a look at the cover, the annual fee might get covered by the travel policy alone (if it has decent limits) especially for the US in terms of medical.

AngryLips

I have the card and I don't really get the complaints about it being not that good. Granted, it doesn't quite match the benefits of what you see in other countries, but they reduced the monthly fee after introducing it to the point where the fee pretty much covers the lounge access and fast track that you get included with it. For me the main benefit is free flights - the process to avail of the free flights could be better but as someone who recently paid €60 in total for two return flight to BCN in September (consisting only of taxes) I thought that was amazing value and I don't really understand how anyone would sniff at such an offer.

dory

I have it and am having awful trouble trying to book the free flights. It's very hard. You have to say exactly which fight you want, and then they say - sorry, it's full. And then you start again. So far I've only managed to get the free lounge access. And you have to be flying with AerLingus to get that.

GeneralSherman

All comments so far much appreciated !

I just found this https://personalbanking.bankofireland.com/borrow/credit-cards/compare-credit-cards/ on the Bank of Ireland website. As BOI classic credit card holder who pays off the balance every month it would seem I have nothing to lose moving to the Aer Card.

VonLuck

The benefits are changing to be solely focused around Avios points from October.

https://personalbanking.bankofireland.com/app/uploads/Update-to-Aer-CC-Customer-Notification.pdf

L1011

I'd spend 10k by April most years and the Avios return rate is improving; but I did actually use some/all of the addons… will need to figure out if its still worth it.

If they put the two seats a flight in to Avios reward availability, it might be useful - 40k avios would be 5 off peak short return flights for instance.

The absolute dearest avios flight you could get on the 'free flights' was Dalaman, peak return pair for that would be 57,200 Avios so 40,000 Avios is not a direct replacement for all options.

frequentflyer98

Lads.. this just in. Massive changes to the Aer club card coming on the 23rd of October. I think the bank are getting scared about revolut and their miles program.

Bank of Ireland Aer Credit Card changes its benefits to offer 40,000 Avios annually for spending €10,000 in a membership year. Cardholders will now earn one Avios per €3 spent on everyday purchases, making award redemptions easier and more accessible

https://www.headforpoints.com/2024/08/13/aer-lingus-credit-card-changes/

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122502263#Comment_122502263

"This just in"… a week after my post 😅

AngryLips

With the changes taking effect in October, does anyone know what will happened to free flights that have already been earned? Will customers still be able to avail of them in the rest of their membership year? And what about customers who are moving towards earning flights at the €5000 threshold? Will they no longer be able to reach that threshold effective from the October changes taking effect?

Rowley Birkin QC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122506776#Comment_122506776

Also curious about this.

I have the card and Aer Lingus Concierge. Only reason I got the card was that I travel a good bit for work so I may as well recover some value out of the spend. Gave away the lounge passes and fast track to family and haven't used the free flights yet.

Sheep Shagger

So BOI have removed the proposed October changes from their website for a 'review'.

https://personalbanking.bankofireland.com/borrow/credit-cards/aer-credit-card/travel-rewards/

Sheep Shagger

Screenshot...

AngryLips

I wonder if the business case isn't stacking up for them, or maybe there was negative customer reaction/people wanting to know what will happen to their currently earned flights.

VonLuck

I am awaiting an Aer Credit Card and was wondering why I haven't received it yet. I rang BoI and they said there is a delay in issuing them to new customers but she didn't know why. All she knew is that they were not being sent out at the moment. I wonder if it's all related.

MayoSalmon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480325#Comment_122480325

This opens up Long Haul for everyone which is by far a better proposition.

I can pay for my own flight to Malaga like.

Sheep Shagger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122526841#Comment_122526841

Any sort of focus group or even common sense would have said that question would come up. Assume the delay in getting your new card is related.

VonLuck

Got an email from BoI saying that the proposed rewards in October are not going ahead. No real explanation given only that is was an "error".

Red Silurian

40,000 avios will give you 2 return fares to any of the below routes. Last year I used the free return flights on off-peak SNN-LHR. If they changed to 40,000 Avios I could have had 5 return flights to London instead of 2

€10,000 isn't a dificult sum to spend on a credit card, I usually come fairly close to my €1,500/month limit

On another note I'm trying to buy from the b&q website and earning my 10 avios/€ but payment keeps failing. Anybody else find that today or in the past few days?

EDIT: Figured it out, if you sign out of your B&Q account the purchases go through