Which airlines take Avios, how to move them between BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Qatar accounts, the 36-month expiry rule, and the fees. Checked Sept 20, 2026.
Checked September 20, 2026 against British Airways, Iberia and avios.com pages.
TL;DR
Yes. Avios is one reward currency shared by four separate programs, each with its own account, award prices and status tiers. British Airways calls its program The British Airways Club, "previously known as the Executive Club." Iberia calls its program Iberia Club, which Amex and Chase still list as Iberia Plus. Aer Lingus has AerClub. Qatar Airways has Privilege Club. British Airways says that when you move Avios between them, "The value of your Avios will be the same."
You can book British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways and every oneworld airline. The oneworld list below comes from British Airways' partners page. Iberia's FAQ says "you can collect and use Avios with any airline in the oneworld Alliance without being a member of their frequent traveller programmes."
| Airline | Bookable with Avios? |
|---|---|
| British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways | Yes |
| Aer Lingus | Yes, through AerClub; move your Avios there first |
| American, Alaska, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Malaysia, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan, Royal Air Maroc, Fiji, Oman Air, Hawaiian | Yes, as oneworld partners |
| Vueling, LEVEL, LATAM, Avianca, Binter | Yes, through Iberia Club |
| KLM, Air France, Emirates | Not on any Avios airline list we checked |
Log in at avios.com, link the two accounts, and pick an amount. British Airways: "You can transfer Avios between your British Airways Club account and your Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club or Finnair Plus accounts," and you can do it "as often as you like." Qatar says the BA link lets you "move Avios between them instantly and at no cost."
Three conditions apply. avios.com: "Your accounts must be at least 30 days old." Your name, date of birth and email must match on both accounts; Aer Lingus adds your postal address. And at Iberia a move does not protect your balance from expiry: "Transferring Avios (either issuing or receiving) is not considered a transaction."
Yes, in three ways. The first is free.
1. Book the ticket in their name. British Airways: "If you're not in a household account then you can already redeem your Avios for any other individual provided there's availability."
2. Pool with a household. British Airways' Household Account is "free to create, and means you can pool your Avios with up to six people." Two catches: "each person who is added to your household account must remain on there for a minimum of six months," and "Members of a household account cannot redeem their Avios for anyone outside of the household account," unless you add them to a family and friends list of up to five people. Iberia's version is the Family Account, for 2 to 7 people.
3. Pay to transfer. avios.com sells a direct transfer to another British Airways Club member. The page, which showed us prices in pounds, says: "There's a £50 fee to transfer, but it's free for Gold members." Qatar lets you gift or transfer Avios too: "You need a balance of at least 1 Avios to buy, gift or transfer Avios."
For anyone splitting up, British Airways adds: "Avios collected by you personally aren't transferable and will remain in your individual account."
Yes. All four programs delete your Avios after 36 months with no activity.
Any earn or spend resets the clock. British Airways lets you use "as little as 1,000 Avios" as part payment on a cash fare.
Avios buy flights. Tier points buy status, and you cannot spend them. British Airways: "Unlike Avios, tier points can't be spent on rewards and they expire at the end of each tier point collection year on 31 March." Its tiers are Blue at 0, Bronze at 3,500, Silver at 7,500 and Gold at 20,000 tier points. Iberia calls them Elite Points: "You can't buy, gift or transfer Elite Points." Aer Lingus calls them Tier Credits, which "reset to zero on 01 April each year." Moving Avios moves none of these.
Joining is free. British Airways: "Join for free." Iberia: "Get your free Iberia Club card." Aer Lingus: "Join AerClub for free now."
Booking adds cash on top of the Avios:
Six US bank programs transfer to at least one Avios program at 1:1. Since Avios move freely, send points to the program with a bonus, then move them where the seat is.
| Bank program | British Airways | Iberia | Aer Lingus | Qatar Airways |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Membership Rewards | Yes, +30% | Yes, +30% | Yes, +30% | Yes |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Capital One | Yes (Finnair too) | No | No | Yes |
| Citi ThankYou | No | No | No | Yes |
| Bilt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wells Fargo | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
The Amex 30% bonus runs August 3 through September 27, 2026, per Roame's transfer bonus tracker. See transfer bonuses live this September for the full list.
Iberia's own off-peak flights. Iberia prices awards by distance band and season, one way. From Dallas, Los Angeles or Miami to Madrid (band 6), off-peak costs 20,000 Avios in economy, 36,750 in premium economy and 50,500 in business. From Boston, Chicago or New York (band 5), it is 16,000, 29,500 and 40,500. For a round trip: "A return ticket costs twice as much as a single fare." We walked through the booking in Dallas to Madrid for 20,000 Avios.
Aer Lingus is the other short list. Its Reward Flight page prices Dublin to New York one way at 13,000 Avios off-peak in economy and 50,000 in business, or 20,000 and 60,000 on peak dates. That page prices two cabins, economy and business.
Award seats are limited: "At the Iberia Group, we set aside limited places for paying with Avios." Find the seat first with the tools in our award search tools guide, confirm the date is off-peak on the airline's calendar, and only then move your points. A bank transfer to Avios cannot be reversed.