An Iberia Plus status match launched for Miles & More and Topbonus members

Finally some good news for airberlin Topbonus members – and an interesting opportunity for any reader with a Lufthansa Miles & More status card.

After airberlin’s filing for insolvency there was a period when Topbonus was frozen with no miles collecting and spending at all.   A few days ago airberlin announced that members can again redeem points – but only for toasters etc!  This is definitely not what you want to do with your miles.

Now Iberia has come, partially, to the rescue.

As this page explains (in German) airberlin Topbonus members can get a status match with Iberia Plus.  More interesting, to stop Lufthansa Miles & More status members feeling left out, they can apply too.

This is far more useful, because you can now get free and immediate oneworld status via Iberia (good for travel on American, Qatar, Qantas, BA, Finnair etc) with your Miles & More card.

The documentation is only in German and Spanish, but luckily I’m German and can translate for you.

If you are a Topbonus or Miles & More member, Iberia Plus will match your status, albeit some people will be downgraded a notch.

This means that Topbonus members will keep some of their oneworld status benefits and Miles & More members will gain them.

Topbonus Ruby and/or Miles & More Frequent Traveller will get Iberia Plus Plata, equivalent to British Airways Bronze / oneworld Ruby:

• priority check-in and boarding
• 1-3 checked bags
• priority baggage
• priority waitlisting
• free seat selection when available
• reduced cost for seats with more legroom
• 25% Avios bonus

This does not come with airport lounge access.  Frequent Traveller status with Miles & More does give lounge access when flying with Swiss, Austrian, Lufthansa and other airlines who use the Miles & More loyalty scheme.

Topbonus Sapphire and Emerald and/or Miles & More Senator or Hon Circle will get Iberia Plus Oro, equivalent to British Airways Silver / oneworld Sapphire:

• all Iberia Plus Plata benefits
• access to Iberia lounges (and indeed all other oneworld lounges)
• 50% – 100% Avios bonus with selected airlines

Whilst Miles & More Senator members may have expected to be matched to Iberia Plus Platino – the equivalent of British Airways Gold – you need to remember that oneworld has different lounge policies.

With oneworld, a mid-tier status such as BA Silver or Iberia Plus Oro gets you global lounge access across the network.  This is not the case with Star Alliance, where mid-tier status (Frequent Traveller with M&M) only gives you lounge access with the airlines which issues your card.  Iberia is not being unreasonably tough in matching Senator with Oro. 

Now, how do I get my status matched?

There’s an application form on the Iberia website that needs to be filled in and emailed to Iberia (ibpcampaign@iberia.es) together with a picture of your Topbonus or Miles & More card.

Get 1,000 bonus Avios

You can pick up some bonus miles by being referred to Iberia Plus by an existing member.  Both the referrer and you will receive 1,000 Avios if you have a friend who is already in Iberia Plus.

The application form is very unclear.   I say this as a native speaker.  The box for the Iberia Plus account number seems to be for the Iberia number of the person who is referring you – even though it says ‘Ihre’ which means your Iberia number.  But if you don’t put your Iberia Plus number in that box, there is nowhere else to add it.

And why does it say ‘Date of Birth’ (Geburtsdatum) at the top right of the form in capital letters?!

There is no small print on the website about whether this offer is only for new Iberia Plus accounts or also existing members.

There is no mention of residency restrictions.

There is no mention about how long your Iberia Plus status will last.

As always with such deals, it is well worth filling in the form if you have Topbonus or Miles & More status – but be prepared for the match not to work due to some small print no-one was told about.  This is Iberia we’re talking about …..

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.