Compare the Features and Benefits of British Airways Visa Signature Card and
Iberia Visa Signature® Card

On top of a generous sign up bonus, the British Airways credit card by Chase earns 3x Avios on British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL, and Aer Lingus and 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.

Award tickets on short-haul American Airlines are actually a major sweet spot of the British Airways Avios program with flights like New York to Miami in coach going for just 9,000 Avios and $5,60 in tax.

More importantly, you’ll receive 10% off all British Airways flights that originate in the United States. (Must book through a special website provided with your new card.)

And then, after your first year, you can earn a Travel Together Ticket (a.k.a. Companion Ticket), good for bringing a companion for just the taxes and fees when you redeem a reward flight for yourself, when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year. Don’t have a companion to bring? You can use it for half off the points of an Avios award flight instead.

Finally, you’ll also receive up to a $600 statement credit on bookings for Reward Flights as described above in Unique Card benefits.

If you fly British Airways frequently, this airline credit card is truly compelling.

Keep in mind, from a pure points earning perspective, that the Chase Sapphire Reserve also earns 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card points on these airlines and on all airlines, hotels and other travel and can even be transferred to Avios if needed – as well as a range of other travel partners, like World of Hyatt which offers excellent and outsized value.

So if you are getting the card for the points alone, you may want to rethink it. If you are getting it for the benefits, your head is in the right place.

Keep in mind that British Airways Avios expire after 36 months of inactivity, though that won’t be a problem if you are spending on this credit card!

If you don’t primarily fly BA, you might want to look at other airline credit cards or bank cards with transferable points.

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).

Beyond a generous sign up bonus, the Iberia credit card earns 3x Avios points on Iberia, British Airways, LEVEL, and Aer Lingus and 2x Avios per dollar spent 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 Iberia Avios for award tickets on oneworld airlines like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and more.

The sweetest sweet spot on the Iberia award chart is a 34,000 point one way flight in Business Class to/from the Eastern US and Madrid or Barcelona on off peak dates. That’s just 68,000 miles round trip. You’d need to leave from New York or Boston to get this deal.

Most importantly, you’ll get 10% off all round trip Iberia flights. (Must book through a special website provided with your new card and be the one traveling.)

And then, when you spend $30,000 in a calendar year, you’ll get a voucher in the form of a code that can be applied by a Cardmember for a discount of $1,000 when purchasing 2 tickets, for the same flights in the same class of travel.

If you fly Iberia frequently, this airline credit card can be interesting, f not just for the 10% discount on Iberia flights. However, if you don’t fly Iberia frequently, there are going to be other credit cards that offer you more flexibility.

Keep in mind, if we are only talking about the value of the points you’ll earn from spend on the card, that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card also earns 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card points on these airlines and on all airlines, hotels and other travel and can even be transferred to Avios if needed – as well as a range of other travel partners, like World of Hyatt which offers excellent and outsized value. A Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card would earn 2X Ultimate Rewards points on all travel.

In short, the card will pay dividends for a frequent purchaser of Iberia tickets, but you may not want to be limited to Avios over a credit card with flexible and transferable points.

If you don’t primarily fly Iberia, you might want to look at other airline credit cards or bank cards with transferable points.

Keep in mind that Iberia Avios expire after 36 months of inactivity, though that won’t be a problem if you are spending on this credit card!

Note: You will only be approved for a Chase card like the Iberia 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 Miles and Discover, but are subject to the policy).