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Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card review: Earn a lucrative welcome bonus and companion ticket

Updated 4 min read

Offering a generous welcome bonus and straightforward rewards, the Aer Lingus Visa Signature? Card could be a useful option if you fly from the U.S. to Europe fairly often. This card comes with a series of other perks, and you can use your rewards to offset the cost of flights on Aer Lingus or its partners in the Avios points program.

If you’re considering adding the Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card to your wallet, here’s what to know about its features, perks, and drawbacks.

  • Annual fee
    $95
  • Welcome offer
    Earn 75,000 Avios points after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months
  • Card type(s)
    Travel, Airline
  • Ongoing Purchases APR
    21.49% - 28.49% Variable
  • Recommended credit score
    Excellent/Good Credit
  • Rewards rate
    • 3x Avios points on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL
    • 2x Avios points on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel
    • 1x Avios points on all other purchases
  • Benefits
    • Earn an economy companion ticket (good for 12 months) when you spend $30,000 on your card in a calendar year
    • You and any authorized users are eligible for priority boarding on Aer Lingus flights between the U.S. and Ireland
    • No foreign transaction fees

Other benefits: Priority boarding on Aer Lingus flights between the U.S. and Ireland, earn a Companion Ticket each year after spending $30,000 annually

This card is fairly light on benefits compared to some of its competitors, but it does offer the opportunity to earn a companion economy ticket annually. For each calendar year you spend over $30,000 with your card, you’ll get a free companion ticket that’s good for a year.

Learn more: See our picks for the best Chase credit card

Get priority boarding on Aer Lingus flights between Ireland and the U.S. when you use your card to purchase your reservations.

Unsurprisingly, you can maximize your Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card earnings by using your card to book flights directly with Aer Lingus or its listed partners. These bookings will net you 3x Avios points. You’ll also earn 2x points when you use your card to book reservations directly with hotels. All other purchases will net you 1x Avios points.

The Avios points you earn each month are automatically transferred to your Aer Lingus AerClub account at the end of each billing cycle.

One of the most popular ways to use your Avios points is for flights or upgrades on Aer Lingus, Iberia, British Airways, and LEVEL. You can also use them for hotel or rental car bookings, or to offset the cost of certain experiences while you travel.

Booking a rewards flight can be quite lucrative. For example, an economy seat from Dublin to Los Angeles in the off-peak season starts at 16,250 Avios points each way — at that rate, the welcome bonus could get you two round-trip tickets. Flights between Shannon and New York City start at 13,000 points, meaning the welcome bonus could get you three round-trip tickets across the pond.

For cardholders willing to do a bit more work, you could potentially use your points to book with more than a dozen other airlines. You’ll first need to transfer your Aer Lingus points to British Airways, which is a Oneworld airline alliance partner. Once your points are with British Airways, they can then be used to book travel on one of Oneworld’s partners, including American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Qantas.

The Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card is ideal for travelers who fly from the U.S. to Europe fairly often. Since its highest rewards come from flight bookings on Aer Lingus or its partners, it likely doesn’t make sense unless you’re a relatively frequent flyer.

For those who don't frequently fly or aren't loyal to Aer Lingus, a more general travel card could be a better choice.

  • Generous welcome bonus and solid rewards

  • Opportunity to earn a companion ticket

  • No foreign transaction fees

  • Priority boarding

  • Relatively light on airline perks

  • High spending requirement to earn the welcome bonus

  • Has annual fee

  • Highest rewards categories are limited

The Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card is part of the Visa network, which means you can use it almost anywhere in the world. Visa is accepted in over 200 territories and countries worldwide.

  • Online through the Chase dashboard

  • Via the Chase mobile app

  • By mail:
    Cardmember Services
    P.O. Box 6294
    Carol Stream, IL 60197-6294

  • By phone: 1-800-436-7958

  • In-person at a local Chase branch or ATM

The Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card is issued by Chase. You can reach a Chase customer service representative by phone at 1-800-432-3117 or by messaging them through X, Instagram, or Facebook.

If you don’t travel from the U.S. to Europe often and the Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card doesn’t seem like the best choice, here are other top travel cards to consider.

 

  • Annual fee
    $95
  • Welcome offer
    Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months (that's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel?)
  • Card type(s)
    Travel
  • Ongoing Purchases APR
    21.49% - 28.49% Variable
  • Recommended credit score
    Excellent/Good
  • Rewards rate
    • 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
    • 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
    • 2x points on all other travel purchases
    • 1x points on all other purchases
  • Benefits
    • Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel
    • Earn up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel
    • On every account anniversary, earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year

Why we like it: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is popular among travel cards, and with good reason. This card comes with valuable rewards, the opportunity to earn a $50 annual statement credit, partnership benefits, and more. Like the Aer Lingus Visa Signature, the Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee.

Cardholders can earn 5x points on travel purchases made through Chase (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual credit that comes with this card); 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2x points on travel purchases; and 1x points on everything else. This card also offers a generous welcome bonus.

  • Annual fee
    $95
  • Welcome offer
    Enjoy a $250 Capital One Travel credit, plus earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
  • Card type(s)
    Travel
  • Purchase APR
    19.99% - 29.99% variable
  • Recommended credit score
    Good, Excellent
  • Rewards rate
    • 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
    • 2x miles on all other purchases
  • Benefits
    • Receive up to a $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fees
    • Receive a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and early check-in at eligible hotels
    • Access Hertz's Five Star membership tier, offering free upgrades, a wider selection of vehicles, and more

Why we like it: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers more straightforward rewards than the Aer Lingus Visa Signature. With the Venture Rewards Card, you can earn 5x miles on rental car and hotel bookings made through Capital One Travel and 2x miles on all other purchases. This card is a great choice if you don’t want to memorize complicated rewards categories.

  • Annual fee
    $0 Intro for First Year, then $95.
  • Welcome offer
    Earn 50,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
  • Card type(s)
    Travel, Airline
  • Ongoing Purchases APR
    21.99% - 28.99% Variable
  • Recommended credit score
    Good, Excellent
  • Rewards rate
    • 2x miles on dining, hotel stays, and United purchases
    • 1x miles on all other purchases
  • Benefits
    • $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95
    • Free first checked bag
    • 25% back as a statement credit on food, beverage, and Wi-Fi purchases on United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks

Why we like it: If you’re a frequent flier within the U.S., the United Explorer Card could be a better choice than the Aer Lingus Visa Signature. United flies to over 210 destinations in the United States, so you can rack up miles when you fly domestically.

The Explorer Card has a generous welcome offer and rewards. You’ll also get airline-specific perks like free checked bags, priority boarding, and 25% back on inflight food and beverage purchases. 

This article was edited by Alicia Hahn

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