Members of the Aer Lingus frequent flyer programme can collect Avios on everyday purchases through the AerClub eStore. This is where you can earn extra points through purchases via the portal.
I’ve always been reluctant to use these kinds of things, as the tracking is in the background and is not instant. Recently I decided to take the plunge and made a number of orders to see how it works.
Aer Lingus AerClub eStore
First and foremost you need to login at the AerClub eStore with your frequent flyer number and password. You then get presented with the home page and you want to click “Collect Online” at the top. This lists all the retailers and how many Avios you will earn.
I noticed the AerClub eStore was offering 8 Avios per €1 for Booking.com, plus 1,000 bonus Avios for bookings made between 27 May and 10 June. Since I had a hotel booking to make, I clicked into their tile and then Shop Now, which takes you to their web site.
After this, I noticed Lifestyle Sports were offering 12 Avios per €1 and I’d been needing new running shoes for a couple of months, so I took the plunge. Same deal, I bought my shoes, received a confirmation from the retailer and that was that.
But Did I Get My Avios?
I made my purchases on a Friday afternoon, and on Monday I received e-mails saying my Avios were on the way. When you get them differs by retailer – Lifestyle Sports is five days, while Booking.com Avios arrive within 35 days of the last day of your hotel stay.
Overall Thoughts
Quite frankly, I’m pleasantly surprised that it worked. I shouldn’t be, as apparently I bought something in 2018 and it worked then too. Either way, there’s no reason not to use the AerClub eStore to turbocharge your Avios balance.
There are plenty of familiar retailers to choose from, from large department stores like Arnotts and Brown Thomas, to things like Disney+, computer retailers, sports, books – you name it and it’s probably there. I was reminded of it by one of those promotional e-mail shots. Looks like they do work!
Have you used the Aer Lingus AerClub eStore before? How was your experience? Have you used something similar with another airline? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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I use it all the time. Beware though – read the terms and conditions before buying. Arnotts & Brown Thomas recently changed their T&Cs so anything on sale no longer earns Avios. As I only every bought items on sale in either store I no longer earn anything there. Lifestyle have also changed their T&Cs so you only earn half the stated reward on sale items. For many sites you only earn points on the VAT exclusive price of what you’ve bought – so only expect to earn points on about 80% of your total spend.
What’s infuriating is that many retailers in the UK & Ireland such as Argos, TK Maxx, B&Q, Halfords, etc, etc, are on the UK British Airways eStore, but not on the Aer Lingus store – why not??
Hotel stays, such as yours with Booking.com are not awarded until 90-120 days after you stay, not 35 as you suggest. You’ve often forgotten all about them by the time you actually get your points.
Ah-ha! You’ve just explained something that I was curious about. I also made an Arnotts purchase of something on sale and nothing popped up, so that explains that then! Good information there, I did notice less Avios on certain brands in the department stores, but not the sale caveat.
Like with all the IAG airlines, they do operate independently in a lot of ways, so I imagine that Aer Lingus haven’t sought out a deal with those retailers for one reason or another.
90-120 days after a stay is a long, long time. I’ll be curious to see how long it takes – if it said 90-120 I’d be fine, but it’s disingenuous to say 35 days when the reality is longer. No doubt I’ll report on it here. Thanks for all that, that’s really helpful information all round!! Much appreciated.
I also meant to add, check the SuperValu eStore to see who more points on offer with the retailer. Lots of the same retailers are on both, and depending on promotions there may be more Real Rewards points on offer which can be converted to Avios with a 25% bonus in December, Easter and August. There are additional retailers on the SuperValu site who are not on the Aer Lingus portal also.
Good point, I never think to check their eStore. I’m holding out for a higher Avios bonus before I convert my Real Rewards points, as I don’t think 25% cuts it, when I’ve seen 100% bonus on more than one occasion. Of course, as vouchers near expiry, I’ll have no choice, but we shall see. Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to remember to check SuperValu too before ordering.
Yep – I’ve been holding my Real Rewards too, but they expire on the 2nd December this year – so I’ll have to take whatever bonus they are offering in August I think. It’s crazy to think they were offering a 300% bonus not that long ago. They got very stingy very quickly. Also it’s much harder to earn points now that alcohol is excluded. 🙁
Yes, I missed the triple Avios, I had cashed out on the double Avios that came right before it, much to my dismay!! I’ll be doing the same in August, with whatever it shall be at the time. Sad times on the alcohol, I wasn’t aware of that – typical!!
Judging by the ‘Get There Sooner with SuperValu” email AerClub issued today, it would appear there is zero bonus this time around.
Yes, I saw that not long ago myself and had hoped there would be a bonus. Disappointing not to have some kind of bonus but perhaps they’re scared as everyone might have lots of points to convert due to the pandemic. I know I sure do… but I’m only converting my money back vouchers that expire on 24 August. The rest I’ll hold until their dates get close, unless we get a bonus then I’ll convert them all.
Did you notice the Avios amounts quoted on that email today from AerClub? It says Berlin or Rome cost 7,527 Avios, Amsterdam is 5,775 and Paris is 7,350. Those numbers appear to be plucked out of thin air and bear no relation to the Peak or Off-Peal amounts on the AerClub rewards chart.
I just checked this and it doesn’t match the award chart, however, it does match when you do a cash booking and get to the end where you can pay with the Avios in your account. I took a screenshot which I’ve attached here. The flight I picked was Dublin to Amsterdam one way and without any seats and so on it is €34.99. It says I can take €34.99 off for 5,600 Avios, €26.00 off for 4,050 Avios and on down. So I would say that is where the €35.99 or 5,775 Avios and so on in the e-mail comes from.
Ah I see – thanks for clarifying. What a weird thing to promote in the email. Why not promote the actual redemption flights?!
Yeah, it’s an odd one! Maybe they see more people use the Avios here in the booking stage rather than through redemptions. Irish consumers don’t really have a history of booking reward flights. Gold Circle pretty much made that extremely difficult and while AerClub is actually very easy, I doubt people have been educated enough on flight redemptions perhaps.
knowledgeable information
Thank you kindly!