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Without question, the “travel hack of 2018” was the Iberia Plus promotion offering 9,000 bonus Avios for booking ANY paid flight on Iberia. Click here if you were living on another planet and missed it.

One of the reasons for Iberia’s presumed generosity was an expectation that some of these bonus Avios would never be spent. To make sure, the following restriction was a major feature of the promotion.

The extra promotional Avios not redeemed by 1 December 2018 will be withdrawn from the customer’s account. The redemption terms and conditions are subject to the general terms and conditions of the Iberia Plus programme.

If you haven’t spent your 90,000 Avios by 1 December, then you are at risk of forfeiting any unspent amount. Some Avios collectors have decided that moving those Avios to British Airways Executive Club (or Avios.com / Aer Lingus Aer Club / Vueling Club) will be sufficient. I’m not convinced, but instead of repeating my argument I’ll provide the link to an old post instead…

I’ve Procrastinated, What Should I Do With My Bonus Avios

Spend them!  Via Iberia Plus if at all possible…  If you would like a refresher in spending Avios on Iberia reward flights, you can re-read this post.

You should be fine if you make a reward booking for 2019, as long as you make the reservation during November 2018. I honestly have no idea whether subsequently cancelling that booking post-December will result in the forfeiture of your Avios. According to a strict interpretation of the T&Cs you would, but whether Iberia’s IT is up to the task is another matter…  Don’t forget that only Iberia and British Airways rewards are refundable when booked with Iberia Plus. All other Oneworld partner reward bookings come with a strict no-change, no-cancellation policy.

If you are stuck for reward ideas, leave us a comment below and perhaps an InsideFlyer UK contributor can research a full post on alternative, non-flight reward options with Iberia Plus.

What Else Should I Consider Doing?

Perhaps I am exercising excessive caution, but my Iberia Plus balance is ZERO. (for the first time in 20 years or so…) I have spent most of my bonus Avios, with a small remnant spent on a 2019 reward.

But in order to avoid the potential consequences of an IT meltdown where Avios might be incorrectly expired, I’ve decided to warehouse my stash of Avios at British Airways Executive Club, just to be safe…

Have you spent your bonus Avios? Are you looking forward to seeing what will happen in December? I admit that it would be amusing to watch the Daily Mail pitchforks come out again…