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Hey everyone, and welcome to Smart with Points, the podcast where we help you travel smarter using miles and points. I'm Jack, and today I've got some news that genuinely made me do a double take over my morning coffee.

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Vueling, the budget airline owned by IAG, has just made a change to their loyalty program that's going to affect a lot of casual flyers, and they're calling it an improvement. I know, I know. Let's dive in.

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So Vueling just announced they're basically stopping Avios earnings for most passengers.

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Now, if you're not familiar with Vueling, they're IAG's budget carrier and a sister airline to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. And starting imminently, you'll need to clear a hurdle before earning any Avios.

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You'll need to either take three flights or spend two hundred euros excluding taxes and fees in a membership year. Only then do you unlock their Smart Tier status and start earning Avios.

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The one saving grace here is that you get a five hundred Avios bonus when you hit that threshold, which at least compensates for the Avios you'd have earned on those first few flights. But here's the kicker.

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If you don't hit two hundred euros or three flights, you earn nothing. Zero. Nada. Let me break down the new tier system for you.

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Vueling's new system ties tier points directly to spending, so one euro spent after taxes and fees equals one tier point. Smart Tier requires two hundred euros or three flights, and that's when you start earning Avios.

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Plus Tier needs one thousand euros spent, and you get free seat selection and priority boarding. Premium Tier requires four thousand euros spent, which gets you free overhead baggage, fast track, and seat upgrades.

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That Premium Tier is pretty chunky. Spending three thousand four hundred pounds excluding taxes with a budget airline? Most people booking their own leisure travel simply won't hit that.

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And if your employer pays, you probably don't care about free seat selection or baggage since the company covers it anyway. What's interesting is there's no crossover with Iberia status.

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Aer Lingus Elite members get select benefits when flying BA. You'd think Premium members might get something like BA Silver benefits with Iberia, but apparently not. Now, here's what worries me about this change.

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American Airlines recently stopped giving miles on basic economy tickets. Now Vueling's pulling back Avios from casual flyers.

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Are we heading toward a world where British Airways and Iberia stop awarding Avios on hand baggage-only fares? If Vueling can strip Avios from budget tickets, what's stopping the rest of IAG from following suit?

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Bottom line for UK readers taking occasional Vueling flights, maybe a Barcelona weekend, you'll now need to plan ahead.

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Take three flights or spend two hundred euros to unlock Avios earning, or you're flying for nothing points wise. All right, let's move on to some better news to balance things out.

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Iberia has launched an Avios redemption sale with up to forty percent off selected routes. The catch? You need to book by tonight for travel until the twentieth of March, two thousand and twenty-six.

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The promotion covers a good range of Spanish destinations, including A Coruña, Alicante, Almería, Asturias, Bilbao, Granada, Jerez, Pamplona, San Sebastián, and Santander.

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Just a heads-up that business class isn't available on all routes in this sale. If you've been eyeing a Spanish city break for February or March, this is worth a look. Just remember, tonight's your deadline.

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Let me give you a quick example of the math. A typical economy redemption from London to Bilbao might normally cost nine thousand Avios return.

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With forty percent off, you're looking at five thousand four hundred Avios plus taxes. If you value Avios at one penny each, you've saved thirty-six pounds. Now, here's something genuinely rare.

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The Wine Flyer is running an Avios redemption sale until the first of February with reduced Avios rates on mixed cases, wines, and spirits. We regularly see bonus Avios offers when purchasing with cash.

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But reduced Avios redemptions? That's genuinely rare.

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Some standout deals include the Big Bold Red Favorites selection at six pounds ninety-nine plus twenty thousand five hundred and eighty-five Avios, the Red Wine Discovery selection at six pounds ninety-nine plus twenty thousand seven hundred and eighty Avios, the Cavallier case at six pounds ninety-nine plus twenty thousand four hundred and sixty Avios, and the Wine Flyer Prosecco and Fizz selection at six pounds forty-nine plus twenty thousand four hundred and sixty Avios.

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Let's break down the value. Take the Cavallier case at six pounds ninety-nine plus twenty thousand four hundred and sixty Avios.

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If a similar case normally retails for around two hundred and eleven pounds, you're effectively getting two hundred and four pounds worth of wine for twenty thousand four hundred and sixty Avios plus six pounds ninety-nine.

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That works out to roughly one penny per Avios, which is our baseline valuation for Avios points.

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The beauty of Wine Flyer redemptions is there are no airline surcharges, no availability headaches, and no flight cancellations. You're just converting Avios into something tangible delivered to your door.

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And honestly, if you've got Avios sitting idle and you enjoy wine, this is one of the more straightforward ways to extract value without the hassle of award flight searches.

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Let me run through some quick hits before we wrap up. First, Heathrow has finally ended the one hundred milliliter liquids rule.

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All major UK airports should now have the new scanners allowing up to two liters of liquids in carry-on. It's taken forever. The original deadline was mid two thousand and twenty-four, but Heathrow has finally caught up.

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No more tiny bottles or plastic bags at security. The new scanners allow up to two liters, though you'll still need to follow individual airline carry-on policies.

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Flying Blue has launched a targeted double experience points promotion via statusmatch.com. Pay £159 and earn double experience points on eligible Air France and KLM flights until the 30th of April 2026.

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You must purchase by the 1st of April. This is only worth it if you're already planning multiple Air France or KLM flights and are close to a tier threshold. Do the math before buying.

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And lastly, Jet2 has become the latest Emirates Skywards partner, allowing you to earn Emirates miles on Jet2 flights.

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Details are still emerging on earn rates and redemption options, but this could be interesting for UK leisure travelers who fly Jet2 regularly and want to credit miles to a program with better long-haul redemption options.

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Before we finish up, let me share some noteworthy buy points opportunities worth considering. JetBlue TrueBlue is offering a 125% bonus at just 1.43 cents per point until the 23rd of February 2026.

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Meanwhile, Lufthansa Miles and More has a 50% bonus priced at 1.39 cents, ending the 12th of February 2026.

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And IHG One Rewards rounds out the highlights with a 100% bonus at 0.5 cents through the 5th of February 2026.

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Other notable offers include Hilton Honors with an 80% bonus at 0.56 cents, ending the 25th of February 2026, and Choice Privileges with a 40% bonus at 0.74 cents, ending the 27th of January 2026.

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All right, that's all for today. Thanks so much for listening to Smart with Points. If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe on all major podcast platforms or head over to our website at smartwithpoints.co.uk.

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We'd really appreciate it, and it helps us keep bringing you the latest miles and points news. Looking for the best award flights?

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Use awardtravelfinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and more. Try it for free with our link in the show notes.