Compare the Features and Benefits of Aer Lingus Visa Signature Credit Card and
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

This card often has a very generous signup bonus and Chase’s Aer Lingus credit card earns 3x Avios on British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL, and Aer Lingus as well as 2x Avios on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel.

Avios can be shared between any Avios program, which also includes Qatar Airways (home of the QSuite) and you can redeem British Airways Avios for award tickets on oneworld airlines like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and more.

While with the British Airways version of Avios, we tend to talk about short haul flights on oneworld carriers like American Airlines as the best value, the Aer Lingus version of Avios has a different sweet spot:

When flying off-peak, you can fly from the East Coast of the US (think cities like NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Toronto, Minneapolis and Chicago) to/from Ireland on Aer Lingus metal for just 13,000 Avios in Economy or 50,000 Avios in Business Class.

You’ll pay 16,500 instead of 13,000 Avios for an economy ticket from elsewhere in the United States and 62,500 for Business Class.

The other main benefit of this card is the Companion Ticket, which requires spend of $30,000 or more in a calendar year on your Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card to activate.

You’ll receive an economy companion ticket good for 12 months on Aer Lingus operated flights, based on flight availability. While it’s not as good a deal as if there was no spend requirement to earn (obviously!) at least no taxes or fees are added to the companion ticket.

The Companion Ticket is issued as a voucher that can be used for an economy companion ticket in conjunction with a paid economy flight.

Still, if your goal is geared more towards more earning points, the Chase Sapphire Reserve also earns 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card points on these airlines and on all airlines, hotels, cruises and other travel and can even be transferred to Avios if you’d like – not to mention a range of other travel partners, like World of Hyatt which offers fantastic value.

Note: Per Chase’s 5/24 Rule, you will only be approved for a Chase card like the British Airways Visa card if you have applied for fewer than 5 personal credit cards within the last 24 months from any issuer. (Business cards do not count against the total, except for Capital One Spark Cash Select and Spark Miles plus Discover, but are subject to the policy).

💳 This card earns Capital One Miles. Capital One often runs transfer bonuses where you can get even more points when you transfer to airline or hotel partners at designated times. Transfer bonuses are awesome. Get 20%, 30%, 40% or more bonus miles when you transfer points at the right times. But they are easy to miss!

You can see all past Transfer Bonuses from Capital One Miles here.

Even better? Get notified when a new transfer bonus comes out and again before it ends (either or both, your choice). Sign up for free alerts right here. 🔔

With the ability to transfer miles to travel partners or use miles to cover the cost of whatever travel charges you wish — along with a simple rewards structure — the Venture card is a great $95 annual fee option that has only improved its value proposition and perks over the years. On the earnings front, Capital One miles are pretty much as easy as it gets. You’ll earn rewards at a rate of 2X miles per dollar spent on pretty much everything, with 5X miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

The redemption process is similar to other programs, such as Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, with transferable points often providing a higher value for your travel rewards. Some high-value ways to use Capital One Venture miles include redeeming with Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Miles & Smiles, and Virgin Red (redeem miles for Virgin Voyages and Virgin Atlantic). For simplicity’s sake, you can also book travel however you want, then redeem miles for a statement credit for some or all of the cost. Miles are worth a flat 1 cent apiece when redeemed this way — and there’s no minimum redemption amount.

On top of all of that, there’s a decent array of travel and purchase protections (although it’s not as robust as the flagship $395-per-year annual fee Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card). Finally, you’ll get reimbursed for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, up to $120, every four years.