Aer Lingus Will Return to Oneworld After IAG Takeover
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International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns British Airways and Iberia, is completing a takeover deal of Aer Lingus, currently owned by the government of the Republic of Ireland. Now, this may not seem like big news to those accustomed to flying business or first. For several years, Aer Lingus has been known for its low-cost, Ireland-based routes after having changed its strategy several years back. But it has quietly been working to become more competitive when it comes to premium service, even recently unveiling a new business class that should be up to snuff for discriminating travelers.
Once it's finalized, this takeover will put Aer Lingus back into the Oneworld alliance. It's unclear how this will affect the airline's current partnership roster:
But with the Oneworld alliance addition, it also means you'll be able to redeem American AAdvantage miles for Aer Lingus flights. This may just become a great new long-haul travel option, bringing another compelling transatlantic partner to AA's network. You can check out Aer Lingus' route map here. And IAG CEO Willie Walsh has hinted at four extra transatlantic routes being added after the takeover is completed.
So you will soon have the option of redeeming American AAdvantage miles in addition to Avios and United miles (or the possibility of either if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Plus cards, which earn Ultimate Rewards points that are transferable to either program). And if you have a Membership Rewards points-earning card from Amex such as the Premier Rewards Gold or EveryDay Preferred, you can also transfer those points to British Airways.
As we mentioned earlier, the reason you might want to use your BA Avios on Aer Lingus instead of on British Airways (and to fly to Dublin instead of London) is that Aer Lingus does not levy fuel surcharges on award tickets the way BA does, so you can end up saving hundreds of dollars on awards. Not only that, but the Boston-Dublin route also falls within BA's fourth award chart mileage band of 2,001-3,000 miles, requiring far fewer miles than many other awards to Europe.
H/T: View from the Wing
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month