Unlock Flight Savings: Avios Part Pay on BA vs. Iberia

“Part Pay With Avios” allows customers to use Avios points for a discount on cash flight tickets, differing from traditional reward flights. This scheme, proven successful for British Airways flights booked via ba.com, also extends to Iberia flights and those operated by Iberia Express, Vueling, or Air Nostrum when booked on iberia.com. A key benefit is that these tickets still earn tier points and Avios, and are free from the availability constraints of standard reward redemptions, being applicable to all BA flights and direct American Airlines routes from the UK.

However, the value derived from “Part Pay With Avios” varies significantly. While small Avios redemptions on ba.com for short-haul European flights can offer a decent 1.0p per Avios (e.g., £10 off for 1,000 Avios), this value typically decreases with larger redemptions, often falling to around 0.40p. For Iberia flights booked via iberia.com, the value is considerably worse. An example for an economy Madrid to Lima flight showed redemption rates consistently around 0.43p to 0.48p per Avios, regardless of the amount redeemed. The article strongly advises against using “Part Pay With Avios” on iberia.com due to this poor value, unless one is “Avios rich and cash poor.”

To utilize this feature on iberia.com, Avios must reside in an Iberia Plus account, requiring a transfer from British Airways Executive Club using the “Combine My Avios” platform. A critical risk to note is that “Part Pay With Avios” tickets retain the cancellation policies of the original cash ticket, which are typically non-refundable, even if the entire fare is paid with Avios. This contrasts sharply with standard Avios redemptions, which are usually fully refundable, making it crucial for users to be aware of the terms before booking.

(Source: https://www.headforpoints.com/2025/11/05/use-part-pay-with-avios-to-book-iberia-flights/)