Aer Lingus Visa Signature bank card assessment: Full particulars

Editors note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

The Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card offers a strong bonus and decent earning potential on Aer Lingus, Iberia and British Airways flights. It does, however, fall a bit short in terms of airline-specific perks. Loyal Avios members can benefit from the card, but most casual travelers will be better off with a card that earns a transferable currency. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐

*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

The Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card is best suited for travelers who frequently fly back and forth between the U.S. and Europe. The card only charges a $95 annual fee, and you do get a couple of solid airline perks. However, the earning structure isn’t anything to write home about.

What sets this card apart is the ability to earn a good stash of Avios with the welcome bonus. We’ll dive into the details about the bonus and how you can earn it below, but that remains one of the biggest selling points for the card overall.

The recommended credit score for this card is at least 670 or higher. Let’s dive into the card details so you can decide if it’s a good fit for you.

The Aer Lingus Visa is currently offering 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of account opening.

And for a limited time, you’ll also earn 5 Avios on every $1 spent on gas, grocery and dining in combined purchases (either up to $10,000 or for the first 12 months from account opening, whichever comes first).

Those 75,000 Avios are worth $1,125, according to TPG’s valuations. Plus, if you max out the $10,000 cap in combined purchases, you’ll earn an additional 50,000 Avios and add another $750 of value, bringing your total bonus value to $1,875. This places it toward the top of our best limited-time welcome offers available.

This bonus is the biggest selling point of the card overall. Especially since you can use Avios across Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia interchangeably, earning a bonus in Avios does offer a little more flexibility in terms of earning and burning rewards compared to other airline loyalty programs.

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Remember that since this is a Chase card, it does adhere to the Chase 5/24 rule. If you’ve opened five or more accounts across issuers in the past 24 months, you’re almost certain to be denied for this card.

Related: Cards offering welcome bonuses of at least 100,000 points

As expected for a mid-tier cobranded airline card, the Aer Lingus Visa offers minimal perks. With it, you’ll get:

• Economy Companion ticket: Get an Economy Companion Ticket every calendar year that you spend at least $30,000 on your card. This allows you to add a companion to a paid economy flight at no additional cost to you, so long as you book by emailing Aer Lingus directly.

While these perks are fine, we’re disappointed not to see an inflight discount or additional free checked bags.

Related: Credit cards that can get you free checked bags

With the Aer Lingus Visa, you’ll earn:

• 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL
• 2 Avios per dollar spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel
• 1 Avios per dollar spent on all other purchases

Additionally, for a limited time, you earn 5 Avios on gas, grocery and dining purchases (either up to $10,000 or for the first 12 months from account opening, whichever comes first).

For flights, that’s not a bad return for a cobranded airline card. However, you’ll get a better return on spending if you use a premium travel card like The Platinum Card® from American Express or Chase Sapphire Reserve® instead.

Related: The best ways to use Avios

The Avios you earn with the Aer Lingus Visa are a valuable travel currency that you can redeem for Aer Lingus or partner flights or transfer to other Avios-earning airlines to redeem there.

But for those looking to capitalize on the Aer Lingus route network, there are some strategic reasons for booking on Aer Lingus. One of the competitive advantages is that it charges lower taxes and fees — which can save you hundreds of dollars on award flights. Additionally, Aer Lingus has a solid North American route network and the ability for U.S. travelers flying out of Dublin or Shannon to clear U.S. immigration in Ireland rather than waiting until hitting the ground in the U.S.

Whether you’re booking Avios award flights on Aer Lingus, B.A. or a partner airline, Avios gives you a lot of redemption options, including Aer Lingus A321 business class from Dublin (DUB) to Philadelphia (PHL) for just 50,000 Avios and $151.60 in taxes.

Related: How to book Aer Lingus award tickets with Avios

You can transfer Avios freely across Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia. And since British Airways is a Oneworld partner, that opens up many doors for redemption options across airlines. For instance, once you transfer your Avios to British Airways, you can then transfer them to Qatar to book the renowned Q-suites.

You could also take a page from TPG senior writer Ben Smithson‘s book. He regularly uses Avios to book short-haul flights from London to Europe for just 4,750 British Airways Avios each way, plus a reasonable $22 in fees, taxes and surcharges each way.

Related: 4 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Iberia and British Airways

• If you prefer a more flexible currency and are under the 5/24 rule. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a solid card option that earns Ultimate Rewards points, which you can transfer to Aer Lingus or any of its other hotel and airline partners. With it, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar on dining, 2 points per dollar on travel and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. For more information, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
• If you prefer a flexible currency and are over the 5/24 rule. The American Express® Gold Card earns Membership Rewards points. With it, you’ll get 4 points on dining at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets (U.S. supermarkets capped at $25,000 per calendar year, then 1 point), 3 points on flights booked directly from the airline or amextravel.com, and 1 point on everything else. For more information, read our full review of the Amex Gold.
• If you prefer another Avios-earning airline. The Iberia Visa Signature® Card is an airline card that earns Avios. It earns 3 points per dollar on Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL. This card has useful benefits such as 10% discount when you book flights through iberia.com/Chase10 and a $1,000 discount voucher each year after you spend $30,000. For more information, read our full review of the Iberia Visa.

For additional options, check out our best airline cards.

Related: Everything to know about Chase transfer partners

If you want to earn Avios, the Aer Lingus Visa may be worth adding to your wallet. With a low annual fee, solid welcome bonus and benefits like priority boarding and the ability to earn a companion ticket, this card is decent for Aer Lingus fans. Still, you may prefer to get a card that earns transferable points instead and simply transfer those points to your Avios account.

Apply here: Aer Lingus Visa