Rating: 4 Stars
Bottom Line:
For Aer Lingus Travelers and People Who Transfer Avios
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Card Details
| Regular APR: | 17.74% – 24.74% (Variable) |
| Intro APR (Purchases): | None |
| Intro APR (Balance transfers): | None |
| Rewards Rate: | Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and LEVEL Earn 2 Avios for every $1 spent on hotel accommodations when booked directly with the hotel Earn 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases |
| Credit Needed: | (670 – 850) Excellent/Good |
| Annual Fee: | $95 |
| Card Brand: | Visa |
*See online credit card application for details on the terms and conditions.
Offer Highlights
- Click APPLY NOW to apply online
- Earn 50,000 bonus Avios after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Plus earn an additional 50,000 bonus Avios after you spend $20,000 total on purchases within your first year of account opening
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and LEVEL, 2 Avios for every $1 spent on hotel accommodations when booked directly with the hotel, and 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- Every calendar year you make purchases of $30,000 on your Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card, you’ll receive an economy companion ticket good for 12 months.*
- Any cardmember and authorized user will be eligible for priority boarding on any Aer Lingus flight departing the US and returning to the US from Ireland.
Is Aer Lingus Visa Signature worth it?
Aer Lingus Visa Signature is a great travel card for frequent Aer Lingus travelers who travel between the US and Ireland at least once per year. Travelers receive a free companion ticket valid for 12 months once they spend $30,000 within one year of account opening.
Pros
- 50,000 Avios after $3,000 in purchases in first 90 days of account opening and additional 50,000 Avios after $20,000 in purchases in first year of account opening
- Avios points can be used on Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia
- Free economy companion ticket after $30,000 in purchases
Cons
- Companion ticket is only valid on flights between the US and Ireland
- 1x rewards rate on all other purchases is not a competitive rate
Why 4 Stars?
Regular APR
The regular APR varies from 17.74% ? 24.74%. It’s not the lowest APR, but for a travel card it’s ok.
4 Stars
Intro APR
There’s no intro APR. This is not unusual for a travel card, but it doesn’t help.
4 Stars
Fees
No foreign transaction fee is a must for a travel card, but for a $95 annual fee, you have to make sure you use the travel rewards on a flight that routes through Ireland, or transfer the points to Aer Lingus parter airlines through AerClub, which is Aer Lingus’ loyalty program and partner airline alliance. The penalty APR and high 5% balance transfer and cash advance fee doesn’t help either.
4 Stars
Perks
The points you earn are called Avios, and Avios has a nice perk called Part Pay, where you can pay with points and cash on regular flights. This gives you a bigger pool of flights to book than just being confined to the reward flight availability, but the points aren’t worth as much. One strange perk is called Upgrade Yourself, where you can bid on a seat upgrade. However, there is a customer report that Aer Lingus bumps you if they can resell your upgraded ticket, so you take the risk that you end up on a partner airline with their version of the upgrade.
The free companion ticket is a nice perk, but it requires $30,000 in spend and it’s only valid on flights between the U.S. and Ireland. With all these bittersweet perks, it can be tough to decide how useful this card really is. Avios are valuable though, and when you just look at the point earning potential, Aer Lingus Visa Signature gives you an easy way to earn Avios at a 3x rate if you purchase Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia or LEVEL travel. That alone is worth a lot.
5 Stars
Overall
It’s a niche card, with a smaller set of partner airlines than other cards, but if you can redeem your Avios for travel, Aer Lingus Visa Signature is worth it. It’s certainly not for everybody.
4 Stars
Fees
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None |
| Balance Transfer Fee | 5% of the amount of each transfer or $5, whichever is greater |
| Cash Advance Fee | 5% of the amount of each transaction or $10, whichever is greater |
| Penalty APR | Up to 30.99% |
Benefits
| $0 Fraud Liability |
| Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver |
| Baggage Delay Reimbursement |
| Concierge Service |
| Emergency Card Replacement |
| Emergency Cash Disbursement |
| Extended Warranty Protection |
| Lost Luggage Reimbursement |
| Travel Accident Insurance |
| Price Protection |
| Purchase Protection |
| Return Protection |
| Roadside Dispatch |
| Travel and Emergency Assistance |
| Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Reimbursement |
| Trip Delay Reimbursement |
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by the issuer. Any opinion, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author?s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the issuer.
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