Iberia just introduced a new rewards credit card and everyone is wondering two things:
1.) How is this card different from the British Airways Visa and
2.) Is it worth getting?
I already answered the second question in a recent post (spoiler alert: yes, it’s worth it!). But how are these cards different and which one should you go with? Let’s take a look at a comparison of both card bonuses and benefits:
Sign-up Bonus. Both credit cards offer a 75,000 point sign-up bonus. The first 50,000 points is paid out after you spend $3,000 in 3 months. The remaining 25,000 points is paid out when you spend $10,000 in the first year.
Category Bonuses. The category bonuses on the British Airways and Iberia card are identical. Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, LEVEL and OpenSkies purchases. All other purchases earn 1 point per $1. I know, #boring. Those are really lame category bonuses – in fact, I’m not even going to award this round to any card because it’s so lame.
Travel Perks. Here’s where we start to see a distinction between the British Airways and Iberia cards. The British Airways card offers a Travel Togehter Ticket after $30,000 spent every calendar year. This ticket is good for two years and can be applied to companion award fares. The down side? The massive fuel surcharges British Airways imposes on some flights. That can make maximizing the Travel Together Ticket, especially for premium cabin flights, very difficult.
The Iberia card offers more substance in this area. Cardholders get a $1,000 discount voucher towards two tickets on the same flight after spending $30,000 on the card in a year. In addition, cardholders also get 10% off Ibera flights booked through iberia.com/chase10. These benefits offer terrific value, especially for people who are able to score good low fares on Iberia flights. That’s actually not that hard to do – it’s totally feasible to find ~$500 roundtrip economy class airfare between the West Coast and Spain. Being able to essentially get two tickets covered annually with this benefit is pretty awesome.
Redemption Options. Now the real question: How do British Airways and Iberia Avios compare? Both programs have distance-based award charts and Iberia often requires fewer miles for the same flights than British Airways. I often use my British Airways Avios for short-haul flights to Los Angeles. Those flights cost me 15,000 BA Avios one way. On Iberia, the same flight costs 11,000 Avios. Iberia also has an advantage over British Airways because they calculate miles based on distance flown, while BA factors in segments (i.e. each segment incurs additional miles based on distance).
Because of better redemption rates and a more practical travel benefit, the Chase Iberia credit card is probably going to be the best option for most folks. But I want to hear from you: Which card do you prefer?
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Delta® Reserve for Business
- Annual Fee: $450 fee
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Travel
Add to Favorites
- Earn 40,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card in the first 3 months.†
- Earn 15,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and 15,000 bonus miles after you reach $30,000 in eligible purchases on your Card in the calendar year.
- Earn 2 Miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases made directly with Delta. Earn 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
- Settle into your seat sooner with Priority Boarding and enjoy 20% savings on eligible in-flight purchases in the form of a statement credit.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you spend overseas.‡
- Complimentary Delta Sky Club® Access.‡
- Terms and limitations apply
- See Rates & Fees
Delta® Reserve for Business
- Annual Fee: $450 fee
- Foreign Fees: No
- Card Type: Travel
| FTG Review | Reward Breakdown | Points Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
Breakdown
Earn (pt.)
Spend
3 months
0
$3,000
Per dollar on eligible purchases with Delta Purchases
2.00
$1
All Purchases
1.00
$1
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Already have this card? Maximize your rewards.
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