The airline industry was the first to practice loyalty by offering frequent travellers free flights when Western Direct Marketing pioneered the first Airline Loyalty Programme for United Airlines just over 50 years ago, in 1972. Non-US based airlines were initially sceptical of introducing Loyalty programmes as they feared it would the exclusive image associated with flying at the time. But before long, most airlines had developed a loyalty offering and today there are more than 200 frequent flyer programmes worldwide!
Whether you’re a frequent flyer or an occasional traveller, we understand that navigating the myriad of Airline Loyalty Programmes can be a daunting task. With each, offering a unique mix of benefits, earning structures and redemption options – understanding how to unlock the many benefits of your Airline Loyalty Programme Membership ensures that you make the most of every single journey. From accumulating frequent flyer miles to bagging free upgrades, Airline Loyalty Programmes offer a variety of perks tailored to reward you, their loyal customers.
In this series of articles, we’ll showcase some of our favourite Airline Loyalty Programmes and share some key strategies to MAXIMISE your Membership, helping you to elevate your travel experiences and bag free flights. First up, our national Airline – Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus – AerClub
Aer Lingus’ multi-award-winning Loyalty Programme AerClub, launched in 2016 and since then has welcomed over 2 MILLION members! AerClub is a tier-based Loyalty Programme, made up of 4 levels, with each unlocking a unique combination of flight related benefits.
Ways to Earn:
With AerClub, you can earn in two ways:
- Through Tier Credits
- Through Avios Points
Earning Tier Credits:
Upon joining, you are automatically a Green Tier Member, who can be promoted to a higher Tier by earning Tier Credits, this is done by flying Aer Lingus ticketed and operated flights – the number of Tier Credits earned depends on the selected flight-route and the fare class. Below are the number of Tier Credits needed per membership level:
- Green: 0 Tier Credits
- Silver: 301 Tier Credits
- Platinum: 601 Tier Credits
- Concierge: 1,051 Tier Credits
The higher your AerClub Tier the more benefits, such as priority boarding, lounge access, free cabin baggage, you get access to. With some truly WOW benefits such as a complimentary companion tickets for Concierge members, and complimentary upgrades for Platinum and Concierge members.
Earning Avios Points:
Avios is the points currency of the AerClub Loyalty Programme. It is also the currency used by Aer Lingus’ partner airlines such as British Airways, American Airlines, Iberia, Finnair, Qantas and other members of the Oneworld Alliance. This partnership approach to earning Avios means that you can combine Avios points earned across all these different airlines.
Avios points can be earned in many ways and to help you maximise your earning potential, Aer Lingus break them down into three categories:
- In the air: Each & every time you book a flight with Aer Lingus or its airline partners you will earn Avios points. AerClub members earn 3 Avios points for every €1 spent on their flights.
Pro-tip: The higher your AerClub Tier the more Avios points you earn, with Silver members earning +25%, Platinum members earning +50% and Concierge members earning +75%. For example, if you bought a €100 Aer Lingus flight, as a Green Tier member – you will earn 300 Avios points, as a Concierge member you will earn 525 Avios points!
- Online: Aer Lingus have an estore for their AerClub members, which acts like a portal to many of your favourite online brands. By shopping through this estore, you can collect additional Avios points, with many offerings exclusive ‘boosted’ offers such as M&S, at time of writing which will award you 9 Avios points for every €1 spent on Marksandspecer.com.
Pro-tip: Remember to always make these purchases through the Aer Lingus estore portal, you will be awarded additional Avios points. For many of us, this is a brilliant way of collecting PASSIVE POINTS, it really is a no-brainer!
Discover the full range of AerClub online partner brands here.
- On the ground: You can also earn Avios points through AerClub’s network of retail and leisure partners – including the likes of Life Style Sports and Aircoach.
Pro-tip: Make sure to register your credit or debit card on Aer Lingus’ estore so you can collect any applicable Avios points.
Even More ways to earn:
If like us, you truly want to MAXIMISE your AerClub membership, to unlock more benefits and free flights you can also avail of the following Avios point boosting activities:
- Join Avois for Thoughts, an online consumer research platform which rewards you with Avois points for each completed survey.
- Consider applying for an Aer Credit Card in partnership with Bank of Ireland, which is the only credit card in Ireland that gives you travel related rewards.
- Join Avis Preferred Loyalty Programme and earn 1,000 bonus Avios points on your first car rental.
Ways to Spend:
AerClub members can use their Avios points in many exciting travel-centric ways:
- Cover up to 100% of the cost of your next Aer Lingus flight.
- Buy a reward flight: This is a FREE flight with Aer Lingus or partner airlines, all you need to pay is any Government taxes, fees or charges.
- Or how about upgrading to Business Class for your next flight to North America?
Final Tip.
A small detail which is often forgotten by members of any Loyalty Programme are expiration dates. Aer Lingus Avios points expire after 36 months of inactivity. BUT here’s our parting pro-tip for you, as long as you spend, or collect at least one Avios point, your expiration clock resets. An easy way to ensure your Avios points remain active is by using a shopping portal 😉
Final Thoughts.
We love AerClub’s real, customer centric approach to Loyalty – and just how accessible it is to truly get the most out of your membership!
Whether you’re a frequent flyer who can benefit from the every-day, added experiences that comes with moving through the AerClub Tiers or an infrequent flyer who can, through some savvy shopping amass enough Avios points to spoil your family with free flights this Christmas – learning to maximise your AerClub membership is a winner!