Aer credit card

If you are going to

• Use the lounge passes and fast track passes
• Use the free flights (particularly if you can use them for something semi expensive, e.g. you're flexible but booking, say, ski flights which are always dear but very few people will look for the free flights)
• Find the travel insurance worth it

It can be worth a few hundred quid a year over the cost of having the card in terms of those benefits alone. But you need to be using them in the first place, not changing your plans to do it.

Then, if you spend a huge amount on the card and pay it off in full every month the Avios do add up. I don't use cash or debit for anything, including any bills I can pay by card - broadband, phone, bins are the only ones currently unfortunately; holding out hope a power firm allows it (and are cheap in the first place - spending more money for a tiny reward is pointless)

Make sure you put your credit card numbers - any credit card, any bank - on your Avios account in the first place as there are a number of places that give you Avios automatically that way; Harvey Nicks and Aircoach for me in the last year.

As an Aer Credit card user (also currently Platinum with Aer Lingus) I consider the main benefit is the annual travel insurance which I would buy anyhow - aside from that I can pick up points on my spending, not great rate but, I'd be spending the money anyhow so may as well get some Avios.

Depends on your appetite/needs and how fast you want to earn Avios, I see Revolut have an option which costs e540 per year but way faster points earning, lounge access with Priority pass and a few other benefits.

Aside from that, no cards in the Irish market with Avios earning potential.

You can direct your general (but particurlarly travel) spending via the AerClub estore to really bulk up points and that does not require an affiliate credit card, so no additional fees.

It really comes down to how much you put through the credit card monthly and how much you currently travel, whether you have status with EI already for lounge access etc as to where the best package is for you

Yes, once a month. Week or so after the payment date from memory.

Apologies, you are correct. It's a perk on the American version of the aer lingus card.

Have you actually looked at the cover?

It covers family and here is the summary of coverage - which to me seems to be typical in the market. I also have Private Health Insurance which is providing medical cover for me but, that is not a requirement of the BOI Policy.

At effectively €72 for annual multitrip - easy to compare with the other available in the market.

With the changes taking effect in October, does anyone know what will happened to free flights that have already been earned? Will customers still be able to avail of them in the rest of their membership year? And what about customers who are moving towards earning flights at the €5000 threshold? Will they no longer be able to reach that threshold effective from the October changes taking effect?

I wonder if the business case isn't stacking up for them, or maybe there was negative customer reaction/people wanting to know what will happen to their currently earned flights.