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Need to Top off Your Avios Account? Buy Points With up to a 45% Bonus

July 07, 2018
•
6 min read
Iberia A321 at DUS photo by JT Genter
Need to Top off Your Avios Account? Buy Points With up to a 45% Bonus
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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

The points and miles world has been abuzz over Iberia for the last two weeks. In case you missed it, Iberia launched a promotion where Iberia Plus members could earn 9,000 Avios per flight booked, up to a maximum of 90,000 bonus Avios. An Iberia spokesperson confirmed that the bonus Avios would be earned even if passengers didn't take the flights.

After great gnashing of teeth, the bonus Avios finally started posting to accounts this week, and TPG has plenty of recommendations about how you can spend those points.

But, what if these bonus Avios leave you short of your award goals? In a timely promotion, Iberia is running a buy-points promotion now through July 15 giving members a chance to get up to 45% bonus points when buying Avios. If you buy at least 100,000 Avios, you'll effectively purchase points at 1.46 cents each.

TPG doesn't maintain a valuation for Iberia Avios. But, unlike the bonus points through the 90k promotion, these purchased points can be transferred 1:1 to British Airways Avios — which TPG values at 1.5 cents each. With that said, I wouldn't recommend speculatively buying Avios through this promotion. Make sure you have a plan for spending Avios.

The regular price for buying Iberia Avios starts as high as 2.7 Euro cents per point, which is currently 3.17 US$ cents per Avios. But, you can drop that price to just 1.24 Euro cents per point (1.46 US$ cents) with this promotion. You’ll get the maximum 45% bonus when you purchase at least 100,000 Avios. Here is the breakdown of this promotion’s bonus chart:

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  • 2,000 to 15,000 points: 20% bonus
  • 20,000 to 35,000 points: 30% bonus
  • 40,000 to 90,000 points: 35% bonus
  • 100,000+ points: 45% bonus

However, the purchase rate varies depending on how many Avios you buy. To save you the math, here are all of your options for buying points with this promotion:

Purchase RateBonus AviosTotal AviosCost (Euros)Cost (USD)US$ Cents Per Avios
2,000
400
2,400
€ 54
$63
2.64
3,000
600
3,600
€ 72
$85
2.35
4,000
800
4,800
€ 91
$107
2.23
5,000
1,000
6,000
€ 109
$128
2.14
6,000
1,200
7,200
€ 128
$150
2.09
8,000
1,600
9,600
€ 164
$193
2.01
10,000
2,000
12,000
€ 201
$236
1.97
15,000
3,000
18,000
€ 293
$344
1.91
20,000
6,000
26,000
€ 385
$453
1.74
25,000
7,500
32,500
€ 477
$561
1.73
30,000
9,000
39,000
€ 569
$669
1.71
35,000
10,500
45,500
€ 661
$777
1.71
40,000
14,000
54,000
€ 757
$890
1.65
45,000
15,750
60,750
€ 845
$993
1.63
50,000
17,500
67,500
€ 935
$1,099
1.63
60,000
21,000
81,000
€ 1,118
$1,314
1.62
70,000
24,500
94,500
€ 1,300
$1,528
1.62
80,000
28,000
108,000
€ 1,476
$1,735
1.61
90,000
31,500
121,500
€ 1,647
$1,936
1.59
100,000
45,000
145,000
€ 1,800
$2,116
1.46
125,000
56,250
181,250
€ 2,257
$2,653
1.46
150,000
67,500
217,500
€ 2,705
$3,180
1.46
175,000
78,750
253,750
€ 3,153
$3,706
1.46
200,000
90,000
290,000
€ 3,601
$4,233
1.46

How to Buy Iberia Avios

To take advantage of the promotion, follow these steps:

  1. Log into your Iberia Plus account.
  2. At the top of the webpage, select "Buying or transferring Avios" through the Iberia Plus menu. You can also try this link.
  3. Select Purchase next to "All Iberia Plus customers."
  4. Select the number of Avios you’d like to buy.
  5. Add your credit card details.
  6. Review the information, check the box to agree to the Terms and Conditions and click Pay Now to finalize the purchase.

There's a standard limit of 100,000 purchased Avios per calendar year, per account. However, this limit is being elevated to a maximum of 200,000 Avios per calendar year for this promotion.

Which Credit Card to Use

First, as the purchase currency is Euro, it's important that you choose a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Since this purchase is processed by Points.com, these purchases likely will not code as travel. So, you won’t get 3x from the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Citi Premier® Card. With one exception: we’ve noticed that the Ink Business Preferred card has earned 3x points per dollar spent on Points.com. If you don’t have that card yet, you’ll want to use the best non-bonus category credit card for your situation.

TPG featured card

Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

Apply for American Express® Gold Card
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review
Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site

Rewards

1 - 4X points

Intro offer

As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

Annual Fee

$325

Recommended Credit

Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.
Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
3XEarn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
2XEarn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
1XEarn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.