Getting to Know the Iberia Visa Signature® Credit Card
With the Iberia Visa Signature® Card from Chase, you’ll be in for a smooth flight no matter your destination. This card is geared towards travelers who frequently visit continental Europe and prefer to fly with Iberia. Value also extends to partners, like British Airways and Aer Lingus, plus Oneworld partners. The card comes with a very impressive introductory offer of up to 100,000 Avios when reaching specific spending goals within the first year of account opening. The card earns 3x Avios on purchases amde directly with Iberia, British Airways, or Aer Lingus; 2x points on hotel purchases; and a single point for everything else – all for an annual fee of $95.
How It Works
Cardholders can expect the following from the Iberia Visa Signature® Credit Card:
How to Earn Rewards:
Fly with Avios Partner Airlines: Cardholders will earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on all Iberia purchases, as well as purchases with British Airways and Aer Lingus
Make Everyday Purchases: Cardholders also earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on any and all purchases made with their Iberia Visa Signature® Card.
Spend to Save: With the Iberia Visa Signature Card®, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a special discount voucher worth $1,000 to use toward two tickets on the same flight, for each year that you make a purchase of $30,000 or more on your card.
Earn with Oneworld Partners: Travelers can earn bonus Avios when they use their Visa Signature® card when booking with Oneworld partner carriers.
Hotel Partners: Cardholders earn 2 points on every dollar spent through purchases with hotels worldwide. They can also earn bonus Avios when booking with select Avios partners, including Best Western, Agoda, and Melia.
Rental Car Partners: Cardholders can earn Avios when booking through Avis.
Shopping: Making purchases at select online partners, including Nike, Bed Bath and Beyond, Macy’s and more, also earns Avios points.
Shop&Fly: When you shop tax free purchases at El Corte Ingles in Spain, you’ll earn 3 Avios per euro spent.
rip.com: Cardholders will earn 2 Avios for every euro spent when they book a hotel through trip.com, which is a travel agency that books rooms with more than 1.2 million hotels in over 200 countries.
Rewards Do Not Expire: One of the many great things about the Iberia Visa Signature® Card from Chase is that once you’ve earned rewards, they never expire.
How to Redeem Miles:
When you begin to cash in on the rewards you’ve earned with your Iberia Visa Signature® Card, you’ll notice that you can turn your Avios points into just about anything; flexible rewards redemption is a big draw with this program.
Travel: Once you’ve earned rewards towards that dream trip you’ve been planning, you’re ready to redeem them. Avios earned with the Iberia Visa Signature® Card can be redeemed to book or upgrade travel on Iberia and more than 13 airline partners, including Avios and Oneworld airlines. Use rewards to save on flights, towards seat upgrades, and more.
Hotels: Avios can be used towards hotel stays at your destination, and to upgrade existing reservations, too.
Car Rentals: Avios can be used to rent a car or book a cruise or vacation package in addition to the travel benefits detailed above. Not only that, but Avis offers special rates on the cars in its fleet for Iberia Visa Signature® Card cardholders. You’ll enjoy discounts, a free additional driver, and you’ll even earn Avios with each car hire that can be redeemed for more travel later.
Pay with Avios: Cardholders can swap Avios for fees, using their points to pay for excess baggage fees or other airport charges.
Transfer Points to Partners: If the options above aren’t enough, you have even more flexibility – transfer points to use with a participating loyalty program and redeem your rewards your way.
Today’s Bonus Offer
The Iberia Visa Signature® Card comes with an extremely generous introductory bonus offer: When you spend $3,000 on everyday purchases within 3 months of opening your account, you’ll earn a special bonus of 50,000 Avios. When you spend $20,000 or more in the first year of use, you’ll qualify for an additional 50,000 Avios, which means you can get up to 100,000 bonus points in your first year as a cardholder. Not bad!
The Plane Facts
Can you expect a smooth flight from the Iberia Visa Signature® Card, or will there be turbulence?
Annual Fee: The Iberia Visa Signature® Card features an annual fee of $95, which is relatively high in comparison to other similar airline rewards credit cards. While the cost isn’t a deal breaker, a comparable card with equal rewards and a lower annual fee can likely be found elsewhere. Applicants should also be aware that the annual fee is assessed before they can begin using the card, meaning the initial line of credit will be smaller than they might expect.
Airline and Airport Perks:
Annual Bonus: Each year, when you spend a total of $30,000 or more with your Iberia Visa Signature® Card from Chase, you’ll earn a discount voucher of $1,000 to use toward two tickets on the same flight with Iberia.
Discount: Cardholders will enjoy a 10% discount on Iberia flights when they’re purchased using the Iberia Visa Signature® Card on Iberia’s site.
Iberia Plus: Cardholders are automatically enrolled in the Iberia Plus rewards program. The more you spend with your card, the more benefits you’ll be able to unlock with Iberia; each time you upgrade your card level, you’ll unlock new privileges.
Airport Wait-List: Iberia Visa Signature® Card cardholders will enjoy being prioritized on waiting lists at the airport thanks to their automatic enrollment in Iberia Plus.
Cabin Upgrades: Cardholders can use Avios earned with their Iberia Visa Signature® Card to upgrade their cabin class. When an Economy class ticket (with a flexible fare for direct flights operated by Iberia) is purchased, you can use the Avios you have accrued to upgrade to business class, subject to availability.
Companion Ticket: Iberia Visa Signature® Card cardholders can use Avios to buy plane tickets for any travel companion, without having to include them as a beneficiary on their Iberia Plus membership.
Cardholder Protections:
Zero Liability: Visa cardholders receive automatic protections from fraudulent use of their card. They pay $0 for any transactions that they report as fraudulent. Cardholders must notify the issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized activity.
Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Renting a car makes traveling much easier, and when you use your Iberia Visa Signature® Card to pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the rental car counter’s collision damage waiver, you’ll be covered if the car is damaged or stolen.
Roadside Dispatch®: Visa cardholders will also benefit from the pay-per-use Roadside Dispatch® program. This provides assistance for breakdowns, flat tires, and more.
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services: Whether you’re traveling for work or for pleasure, Visa is there for you, anywhere in the world, with a multilingual call center. Call toll-free in the United States, or collect whilst abroad, for assistance. Visa can provide pre-trip assistance (information about health precautions, currency exchange rates, visas, immunizations and other pertinent info for first-time travelers), as well as emergency transportation assistance, prescription assistance, a location service for lost luggage, and emergency translation services in all major languages.
Additional Benefits:
Purchase Protection: Comprehensive coverage. Enjoy protection for 120 days against damage or theft on purchases. Purchase coverage limits are of up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Extended Warranties: Visa cardholders are eligible to add up to two extra years added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Just use the card for eligible purchases. Some restrictions apply.
No foreign transaction fees
The Perks That Make the Iberia Visa Signature® Credit Card Worthwhile:
What are some of the pros that set this card ahead of the rest?
100,000 Avios Bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus Avios in the first three months of card use when you spend $3,000. Get an additional 50,000 Avios after spending $20,000. This bonus offer is an amazing up to 100,000 Avios. That’s one of the largest sign-up bonuses in the airline card industry.
Earn Rewards with Other Airlines: Avios are transferable to any of Iberia’s partners. Iberia is a part of the Avios program of five partner airlines, as well as the Oneworld airline alliance. Before using points with partners, speak with a member of the Iberia team. They can help see what additional benefits or restrictions may apply to your booking.
Additional Redemption Options: Cardholders can redeem Avios with hundreds of retail, hotel, and car service partners. When it comes to redeeming the points you’ve accumulated with your card, the sky is the limit.
Potential Turbulence with the Iberia Visa Signature® Credit Card:
What are some cons that take the wind from under this card’s wings?
Annual Fee: The $95 annual fee may scare potential applicants off. It shouldn’t, however. The impressive bonus offer, plus 3x points with Iberia, British, and Aer Lingus make this yearly cost very reasonable.
Introductory Offer: A big offer with a big spend. While the potential to earn a big bonus of 100,000 Avios is attractive, it comes with a potential hiccup. To get this benefit, you’ll need to spend $20,000 in your first year of card use.
Blackout Dates: Plan accordingly. Blackout dates may apply when you redeem Avios towards flights with Iberia and its partner carriers.
Thoughts Before Takeoff
The Iberia Visa Signature Card is an excellent airline card for those who frequently travel to Europe. The Iberia Card is one of only a few cards that earn points with other carriers. Purchases made withpartners like British Airways and Aer Lingus also earn 3x Avios for every dollar spent. The card also earns 2x points for purchases at hotels worldwide. This makes the card a very powerful tool for vacationers and business travelers.
The talking point with the card is an immense sign-up bonus of 100,000 Avios in the first year of membership. This bonus is achievable through reaching spending targets. These targets are 50,000 Avios when spending $3,000 in three months and 50,000 Avios after spending $20,000 within the year. Realistically, the second bonus is only for the upper echelon of cardholders. This makes the real bonus 50,000 Avios for most users. Still, however, 50,000 Avios is solid bonus that is well worth the $95 annual fee.
The Iberia Visa Signature is a reliable tool for those who travel often and prefer flying with Avios partners. And while the introductory bonus may attract applicants, the everyday value of the card is what will keep account holders satisfied for years to come.