Do you earn frequent flyer miles with your normal checking account? This is exactly what will be possible in Spain in the future, because Iberia and Santander Bank have entered into a partnership. The so-called “Santander One Iberia Plus” current account will in future credit the Avios account with miles for payments such as incoming salaries, transfers, card payments and insurance.

Different levels are also offered through which bank customers can enjoy services that are actually only granted to status customers. The most expensive package includes, for example, additional pieces of luggage, priority boarding and 25 percent more Avios on every Iberia flight.

“We are sure that this agreement with Banco Santander will help to reactivate our respective businesses. We live in an exceptional situation where we have gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of our customers, but to return to normal we also need imaginative and innovative solutions and Banco Santander is the perfect partner to ensure that our customers to regain their wishes and expectations, ”said Javier Sánchez-Prieto, President of Iberia.

From the aspect of optimizing miles, the new product can of course be interesting, but it is definitely questionable how far one would like to go for it. The mileage credits for many transactions give Avios and Iberia a very extensive insight into the customer's purchasing and payment behavior. Although no details are transmitted - also with regard to banking secrecy - it is still very likely that conclusions can be drawn. In Austria, data protectionists criticize the participation of the Bank for Labor and Economy and the Austrian Post Savings Bank in the JÖ Bonus Club from precisely this point of view.