Chase Aer Lingus Credit Card Overview

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Full review

Chase Aer Lingus Credit Card

Recommended for earning the welcome bonus

  • Welcome bonus: 75,000 miles (spend $5,000 in 3 months)
  • Rewards: 3x on flights with Iberia, British Airways, and Aer Lingus (5x in the first year); 2x on hotels booked directly (3x in the first year); 1x on all other purchases
  • Redemption: Redeem for Aer Lingus award flights, or award flights with BA and other Oneworld partners; points can be transferred to BA at a 1:1 ratio
  • Annual fee: $95
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Highlights

  • Big-spend companion ticket: Spend $30,000 in a calendar year to earn one companion ticket, which is essentially buy-one-get-one in economy class. When booking, the cardholder and companion must have tickets with exactly the same itinerary, and the ticket must be purchased with cash. Both the outbound and return must be within the United States, and only Aer Lingus-operated flights qualify; codeshare flights do not. According to the terms, the companion ticket does not require taxes and fees, which is very good news (European taxes and fees are so high that some companion tickets barely save anything).
  • Airline perk: Priority boarding on Aer Lingus flights to and from the United States

About Aer Lingus and Miles

Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland. Headquartered in Dublin, it has 30 aircraft operating flights within Europe and to the United States. In 2015, International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, acquired Aer Lingus. The airline has service locations around the world across Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Aer Lingus used to be a member of oneworld, but later adjusted its business strategy and left the alliance in 2007.

Aer Lingus miles can be used on Avios.com to book award flights on Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia directly, and these three currencies can also be transferred 1:1 among one another. If you want to book award flights on oneworld partners, just transfer them to British Airways Avios.

  • Point value: Each Avios is worth about 1.3 cents (points value chart)
  • Redemptions: Avios are mainly priced based on flight distance, and connections are usually priced separately for each segment, so they are best for short nonstop flights. In the U.S., you can redeem them for AA and Alaska flights, and they are also a good option for regional short-haul flights such as U.S. West Coast to Hawaii, Miami to the Caribbean, and partner flights on Cathay and Japan Airlines. See: British Airways Avios guide
  • Redemption advantages: Avios can be redeemed for oneworld flights on British Airways, AA, Alaska, Cathay, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, and more. You can also transfer Avios between programs such as British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, Finnair, and Aer Lingus, so before booking you can compare the points required and taxes and fees across programs and choose the one that offers the better deal to ticket the flight. Avios transfer details

My Take

From a long-term-hold perspective, this card is really only suitable for people who fly Aer Lingus frequently. After all, priority boarding and 3x points are both pretty good perks. The companion ticket earned after spending $30,000 has a lot of restrictions, but according to the terms you do not have to pay taxes and fees, making it a truly free companion ticket. Of course, if you have no use for the companion ticket, this is definitely a card you’d keep for a year and then close, purely for the welcome bonus. Being able to spend $20,000 and earn the 100,000-mile bonus is still quite attractive.

Application

  • Because this card is a co-branded credit card with Aer Lingus, if you already have a frequent-flyer number, you can enter it when applying; otherwise, one will be assigned automatically
  • Chase application status check link (login required). Or call: 888-338-2586
  • The 5/24 rule: if you have opened more than 5 new cards in the past 2 years (including cards from other banks), you will not be approved for a new Chase card
  • You can be approved for at most two Chase credit cards within any 30-day period
  • If you have received the welcome bonus on this card within the past 24 months (48 months for the Sapphire family), your application will be automatically denied
  • You can call the reconsideration line (800-453-9719) to expedite credit card approval or request another review of a denied application.
  • Having a Chase Checking account can help with getting approved for a credit card
  • More information on applying for Chase credit cards

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