There is good news for Irish frequent flyers as you can now use points for Aer Lingus reward flights via a new online portal. Ever since the introduction of the AerClub programme, people have had to use the clunky and slow Avios website to redeem points. Not anymore!
There is nothing worse than having to wait for ages for websites to do what you want them to do. That was certainly the case in the past, but now things are far more speedy.
Aer Lingus Reward Flights
Ever since I joined a frequent flyer programme, I’ve thought the best value use of points is on free flights. That view has not changed in the years since and it’s especially nice to save up and splurge on business class or first class.
You can redeem points for Aer Lingus reward flights after having collected them through a number of means. In addition to flights, you also earn through the Bank of Ireland Aer Credit Card if you have one, as well as the AerClub eStore, which I find particularly lucrative when it comes to hotel bookings.
- Flight availability.
- Payment Options pop up.
As you can see above, the new site mirrors the look of the Aer Lingus website. When I search for a reward flight, availability pops up instantly, perhaps even faster than the actual site. From there, it’s very simple to make a booking.
The only downside that I can see is that it does not yet show any other availability. For example, you used to see British Airways flights on there, but they’re not there anymore. Hopefully this will come soon, once things are bedded down.
Overall Thoughts
From clunky and annoying to fast and friendly, the Aer Lingus reward flights portal promises to save people a lot of time when booking flights with Avios. It also offers the ability to book Hotels and Car Hire. I have not yet checked to see if it’s more lucrative Avios wise to book via here or the AerClub eStore for hotels, but a cursory glance looks like it might be here. Though for me, with hotels, it comes down to price.
What do you think of the new site? Will it make you more likely to use your Avios on reward flights? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by William Derrickson via Wikimedia Commons.