Every airline wants to be the one that gets you to Europe.
Delta runs SkyMiles flash sales from 19,000 miles roundtrip. American offers excellent Main Cabin sales from 35,000 miles roundtrip. And nearly every airline with a lie-flat seat eventually makes those available to book with points and miles – usually around 60,000 miles or more each way.
But one airline is trying harder than the rest to fly you to Europe: Spain’s Iberia Airlines.
How do you know they’re trying harder? Because when Iberia runs a sale, it sometimes wants as little as 6,400 points to fly you to Spain.
Just a few days ago, during Iberia’s latest promo – which they typically run a few times each year – one-way flights to Madrid (MAD) from several U.S. gateways included roundtrip fares under 13,000 Iberia Avios. And those Avios are transferable from all the major banks.
It was a stellar deal.
We rounded up the best fares and sent them to our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers, who got first crack at some of the best award fares of the year.
And if you want to fly up front in a lie-flat business-class seat, Iberia is offering some of the best rates in the game for those fancy seats, too.
Just 40,000 Avios each way – or even less during a transfer bonus from one of those bank partners – is enough to fly nonstop to Madrid in 2026.
It’s one of the best deals in award travel, and it’s worth calling attention to if you want to spend fewer points on your next trip to Europe.
What is Iberia & How to Book
Iberia Airlines is Spain’s flag carrier. It operates a major hub in Madrid (MAD), connecting travelers to destinations across Europe and around the world. Iberia currently serves 12 cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Here are the destinations Iberia serves in the U.S. and Canada:
- Boston (BOS)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Dallas (DFW)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Miami (MIA)
- New York (JFK)
- Newark (EWR) (begins this summer)
- Orlando (MCO)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- San Juan (SJU)
- Toronto (YYZ) (begins this summer)
- Washington, D.C. (IAD)
How to Book Iberia Flights
The best way to book Iberia flights is with the airline’s points currency, Avios.
Iberia Avios are part of the broader Avios program, which also includes British Airways, Aer Lingus, Finnair and others. You can freely move Avios between these programs, making them one of the most flexible points currencies available.
Most importantly, Avios is a transfer partners of all the major U.S. banks. You can transfer points from:
You can also transfer Capital One miles to British Airways, then move those Avios to Iberia. All transfers are instant.
Best of all, the banks frequently offer transfer bonuses to Avios, meaning you could get a 15%, 30%, or even 50% bonus and stretch your points even further.
One important warning: All points transfers are one-way, so make sure you can see the flights you want to book and ensure the availability is there before you make a transfer!
Related Reading: Points Stuck in Limbo? Here’s Why (& What You Can Do About It)
Economy & Premium Economy to Spain for 6k Points Each Way (or less)!
This latest Iberia sale, paired with an ultra-rare 50% transfer bonus from Bilt Rewards, meant travelers needed to transfer just 9,000 Bilt points to book roundtrip flights to Spain.
… Yeah. Woah.
Even without the transfer bonus, fares dropped as low as 13,000 Avios roundtrip for basic economy. Taxes and fees totaled about $240 roundtrip — not insignificant, but still an incredible deal compared to the cash price.
Normally, these awards cost more than 20,000 Avios each way, so watching for Iberia sales is key (or letting our Thrifty Traveler Premium analysts do it for you).
What many travelers missed: Premium economy was also bookable for as little as 42,000 points roundtrip, a savings of roughly 30%.
The next time this sale comes around, having your points ready could land you one of the best deals in all of travel.
Biz Class to Spain for 41k Points Each Way (or less)!
If you’re crossing the Atlantic, you might prefer a seat that looks like this.
Iberia’s new A321 business-class product – which I flew earlier this year – is one of the nicest ways I’ve crossed the pond. And it cost just 41,000 points each way.
Even Iberia’s older business-class cabins still deliver a comfortable lie-flat experience, complete with lounge access, attentive service and all the usual premium perks.
One flight deal alert we sent to Thrifty Traveler Premium members highlighted business-class availability from August through October, including dates around the 2026 total solar eclipse in Spain.
During off-peak times (outside summer), these seats typically price at 41,000 or 51,000 points each way. Summer rates rise to 59,000 or 74,000 points, which is still a stellar value.
Then, Iberia announced a slate of new routes – including nonstop service to Newark (EWR). When those routes launched, all the award space opened at once.
For nearly every Thrifty Traveler Premium deal, we list the exact dates available to book with points, so you don’t have to hunt for availability. When Iberia added Toronto (YYZ) service for next summer, we rounded up those dates and shared them with members, too.
Lie-flat seats to Europe for the price of economy? Yes, please.
Bottom Line
Iberia Airlines offers the best points and miles rates to Europe, period.
Book during one of Iberia’s promos or stack a transfer bonus, and you could fly to Spain for just 13,000 points roundtrip in economy or 40,000 points each way in business class.
Whether you’re flying economy, premium economy, or business class in 2026, Iberia should be at the top of your list for booking a trip to Europe with points.
